Anyone here design a house before and actually built it???
- Thread starter kherman
- Start date
Thats always been a dream of mine. Was wondering how much it would cost to build one compared to just buying one.
I love designing homes and I have for personal pleasure on many occasions! They are some wonderful computer programs out there that I have used, the most recent being something called 3D Homes or something like it....lots of fun!
My fiancee has built two houses........lots and lots of work. Can be fulfilling, but be prepared for lots of frustration. Remember to check your local building codes. Some places will allow anyone to put in your foundation, electrical, and plumbing and just have it pass an inspection. Other places require licensed persons to put those subsystems in.
Good luck!!!!
Good luck!!!!
I'm in the middle of it right now.
Not a whiole house, but a 1400 ft^2 addition to my existing house. At present, it's closed in (roof on, windows & doors in, stucco lath applied), and I have most of the DWV plumbing done and about 3/4 of the supply plumbing.
A few things to consider...
Make an honest assesment of your skills. Have you done construction work before? Do you know what things look like behind the drywall? That's important even in the design phase, or you'll end up designing something that can't be built (or can't be built cheaply). Also make a realistic assesment of how much time you can spend on this project, and if your willing to have it own nearly all of your freetime for over a year (for a large addition or house). Is your family willing to make that commitment also? Do you have friends with any skills who'll be willing to help out on weekends.
Read up on building codes for your area. Again, before you start designing. Or you'll spend alot of time on reworking the design to get your plans through the code check process. Code information can be hard to come by without buying expensive books. The Code Check books provide a good overview, but your local jurisdiction may use something different or may amend the national model codes. You need to check with your local building office. Here is an online resource put up by the regional building department in my area: project.PPRBD
Find an engineer and/or architect that's willing to consult with you on a DIY project. I'm very lucky to have a neighbor who has a civil engineering business (primarily residential & light commercial). He's saved my a$$ several times in various phases of the project. In particular, you will almost certainly need your foundation design and soils report signed off by a licensed engineer.
Plan on spending about 6+ months on the planning/design/permit phase. I reccomend TurboCAD/Floorplan3D for doing the drawings. I tried several packages, but this was the only consumer level program that I found that could easily produce the kind of drawings you'll need. Start following eBay for a wide format printer. I got one for about $60
Come up with a reasonable cost estimate during the design phase. Multiply it by 1.5 Do the same with your schedule estimate.
Pick your battles. There are some things that you're better off contracting. I contracted out pouring the slab for the first floor & garage, for the roof and for the stucco. I don't have the kind of manpower available to tackle that stuff myself, and it's time critical stuff. My neighbor has told me that I can contract out the insulation for only slightly more then it would cost for me to buy the materials. We'll see.
Get multiple estimates for anything you do contract out. It sounds basic, but when you're stressed out, in a hurry, can't take time from work to meet with them, it's tempting not to. But I've had some huge differences in estimates from reputable contractors. What happens sometimes is that these guys will almost never tell you that they don't want the job even if they don't want it (to busy, don't like working with DIYers, job to small, etc.) So they'll just give you a sky-high estimate. If you're a sucker, they won't mind doing it for that price. Expect about half the guys you contact not to return calls, and half of the remaining to show up late or not at all.
Have an HVAC contractor look at your plans before you go to get a permit. Decide what kind of system your going to need. This is biting me right now The furnace in the existing house is almost big enough as far as BTU/hr is concerned, but the HVAC guys are now telling me that it will be next to impossible to get adequate performance in the addition due to the way the duct work will have to be run
Plan your plumbing walls! You don't want pipes in the exterior walls (if you live where it freezes at least), and anything that you'll have to run a drain pipe through should probably be 2x6.
Plan ahead for long lead-time items like roof trusses. Be aware that, in the summer, lots of stuff can be long lead time (floor joists, contractors, etc.), because these guys will take care of their big contracts first before a DIYer.
Consider using an ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) product for your frost wall or basement wall. I used FormTech. These are styrafoam forms that stack up like legos, then you pump em full of concrete. You then have a very strong monolithic, insulated wall that you can easily attach finishing materials to on the inside & out.
Pick a wood floor over a concrete slab. I thought I'd be saving money going with a slab floor, but it turns out that concrete contractors are more EXPENSIVE then I had anticipated. It would've been more work for me and about the same amount of cash, but a wood floor is much more comfortable to live on then a slab floor.
That's all I have time for at the moment.
Not a whiole house, but a 1400 ft^2 addition to my existing house. At present, it's closed in (roof on, windows & doors in, stucco lath applied), and I have most of the DWV plumbing done and about 3/4 of the supply plumbing.
A few things to consider...
Make an honest assesment of your skills. Have you done construction work before? Do you know what things look like behind the drywall? That's important even in the design phase, or you'll end up designing something that can't be built (or can't be built cheaply). Also make a realistic assesment of how much time you can spend on this project, and if your willing to have it own nearly all of your freetime for over a year (for a large addition or house). Is your family willing to make that commitment also? Do you have friends with any skills who'll be willing to help out on weekends.
Read up on building codes for your area. Again, before you start designing. Or you'll spend alot of time on reworking the design to get your plans through the code check process. Code information can be hard to come by without buying expensive books. The Code Check books provide a good overview, but your local jurisdiction may use something different or may amend the national model codes. You need to check with your local building office. Here is an online resource put up by the regional building department in my area: project.PPRBD
Find an engineer and/or architect that's willing to consult with you on a DIY project. I'm very lucky to have a neighbor who has a civil engineering business (primarily residential & light commercial). He's saved my a$$ several times in various phases of the project. In particular, you will almost certainly need your foundation design and soils report signed off by a licensed engineer.
Plan on spending about 6+ months on the planning/design/permit phase. I reccomend TurboCAD/Floorplan3D for doing the drawings. I tried several packages, but this was the only consumer level program that I found that could easily produce the kind of drawings you'll need. Start following eBay for a wide format printer. I got one for about $60
Come up with a reasonable cost estimate during the design phase. Multiply it by 1.5 Do the same with your schedule estimate.
Pick your battles. There are some things that you're better off contracting. I contracted out pouring the slab for the first floor & garage, for the roof and for the stucco. I don't have the kind of manpower available to tackle that stuff myself, and it's time critical stuff. My neighbor has told me that I can contract out the insulation for only slightly more then it would cost for me to buy the materials. We'll see.
Get multiple estimates for anything you do contract out. It sounds basic, but when you're stressed out, in a hurry, can't take time from work to meet with them, it's tempting not to. But I've had some huge differences in estimates from reputable contractors. What happens sometimes is that these guys will almost never tell you that they don't want the job even if they don't want it (to busy, don't like working with DIYers, job to small, etc.) So they'll just give you a sky-high estimate. If you're a sucker, they won't mind doing it for that price. Expect about half the guys you contact not to return calls, and half of the remaining to show up late or not at all.
Have an HVAC contractor look at your plans before you go to get a permit. Decide what kind of system your going to need. This is biting me right now
The furnace in the existing house is almost big enough as far as BTU/hr is concerned, but the HVAC guys are now telling me that it will be next to impossible to get adequate performance in the addition due to the way the duct work will have to be run Plan your plumbing walls! You don't want pipes in the exterior walls (if you live where it freezes at least), and anything that you'll have to run a drain pipe through should probably be 2x6.
Plan ahead for long lead-time items like roof trusses. Be aware that, in the summer, lots of stuff can be long lead time (floor joists, contractors, etc.), because these guys will take care of their big contracts first before a DIYer.
Consider using an ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) product for your frost wall or basement wall. I used FormTech. These are styrafoam forms that stack up like legos, then you pump em full of concrete. You then have a very strong monolithic, insulated wall that you can easily attach finishing materials to on the inside & out.
Pick a wood floor over a concrete slab. I thought I'd be saving money going with a slab floor, but it turns out that concrete contractors are more EXPENSIVE then I had anticipated. It would've been more work for me and about the same amount of cash, but a wood floor is much more comfortable to live on then a slab floor.
That's all I have time for at the moment.
I designed part of my grandparents house when I was in Highschool. I built it with my grandpa the summer after I graduated.
I have a cheap one, $100, that I am playing with. When it comes time to actually plan a house, i'm borrowing a professional program from fiance's dad. He's doing his house right now. VERY expensive program, but it is INCREDIBLE! Forget the name of it right now.
Originally posted by: ergeorge
I'm in the middle of it right now.
Not a whiole house, but a 1400 ft^2 addition to my existing house. At present, it's closed in (roof on, windows & doors in, stucco lath applied), and I have most of the DWV plumbing done and about 3/4 of the supply plumbing.
A few things to consider...
Make an honest assesment of your skills. Have you done construction work before? Do you know what things look like behind the drywall? That's important even in the design phase, or you'll end up designing something that can't be built (or can't be built cheaply). Also make a realistic assesment of how much time you can spend on this project, and if your willing to have it own nearly all of your freetime for over a year (for a large addition or house). Is your family willing to make that commitment also? Do you have friends with any skills who'll be willing to help out on weekends.
Read up on building codes for your area. Again, before you start designing. Or you'll spend alot of time on reworking the design to get your plans through the code check process. Code information can be hard to come by without buying expensive books. The Code Check books provide a good overview, but your local jurisdiction may use something different or may amend the national model codes. You need to check with your local building office. Here is an online resource put up by the regional building department in my area: project.PPRBD
Find an engineer and/or architect that's willing to consult with you on a DIY project. I'm very lucky to have a neighbor who has a civil engineering business (primarily residential & light commercial). He's saved my a$$ several times in various phases of the project. In particular, you will almost certainly need your foundation design and soils report signed off by a licensed engineer.
Plan on spending about 6+ months on the planning/design/permit phase. I reccomend TurboCAD/Floorplan3D for doing the drawings. I tried several packages, but this was the only consumer level program that I found that could easily produce the kind of drawings you'll need. Start following eBay for a wide format printer. I got one for about $60
Come up with a reasonable cost estimate during the design phase. Multiply it by 1.5 Do the same with your schedule estimate.
Pick your battles. There are some things that you're better off contracting. I contracted out pouring the slab for the first floor & garage, for the roof and for the stucco. I don't have the kind of manpower available to tackle that stuff myself, and it's time critical stuff. My neighbor has told me that I can contract out the insulation for only slightly more then it would cost for me to buy the materials. We'll see.
Get multiple estimates for anything you do contract out. It sounds basic, but when you're stressed out, in a hurry, can't take time from work to meet with them, it's tempting not to. But I've had some huge differences in estimates from reputable contractors. What happens sometimes is that these guys will almost never tell you that they don't want the job even if they don't want it (to busy, don't like working with DIYers, job to small, etc.) So they'll just give you a sky-high estimate. If you're a sucker, they won't mind doing it for that price. Expect about half the guys you contact not to return calls, and half of the remaining to show up late or not at all.
Have an HVAC contractor look at your plans before you go to get a permit. Decide what kind of system your going to need. This is biting me right now
Plan your plumbing walls! You don't want pipes in the exterior walls (if you live where it freezes at least), and anything that you'll have to run a drain pipe through should probably be 2x6.
Plan ahead for long lead-time items like roof trusses. Be aware that, in the summer, lots of stuff can be long lead time (floor joists, contractors, etc.), because these guys will take care of their big contracts first before a DIYer.
Consider using an ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) product for your frost wall or basement wall. I used FormTech. These are styrafoam forms that stack up like legos, then you pump em full of concrete. You then have a very strong monolithic, insulated wall that you can easily attach finishing materials to on the inside & out.
Pick a wood floor over a concrete slab. I thought I'd be saving money going with a slab floor, but it turns out that concrete contractors are more EXPENSIVE then I had anticipated. It would've been more work for me and about the same amount of cash, but a wood floor is much more comfortable to live on then a slab floor.
That's all I have time for at the moment.
I'm scared now, thanks
Actually, I might do the design work on my own and let a contracter build the whole thing from the plans. Maybe I'll use an architect
I already have rough plans for what I want (thanks to the $100 program), if I build the next house. It's about 1200 sq ft floor one and 800 sq ft floor two. I'm shooting for a sub 2000 sq ft house to save $BLING$. I can afford bigger but I don't believe in ones house being an investment. it'shealthy debt, but not an investment.Originally posted by: kherman
I'm scared now, thanks
It's alot of work. But it is fun, for the most part
And it gets done right and the way you want it.
Then there's the pride thing of course
Good luck!
Actually, I might do the design work on my own and let a contracter build the whole thing from the plans. Maybe I'll use an architect
If you do it right, and in the right area, it's an investment IMO
Originally posted by: ergeorge
Originally posted by: kherman
I'm scared now, thanks
It's alot of work. But it is fun, for the most part
And it gets done right and the way you want it.
Then there's the pride thing of course
Good luck!
Actually, I might do the design work on my own and let a contracter build the whole thing from the plans. Maybe I'll use an architect
If you do it right, and in the right area, it's an investment IMO
Well, The three L's will play a role, definitely. Location, location, Location. i alread y know what town we're moving to next, whther we build or not. House similar in size to neighboring houses, etc....
As for an investment. OK, in the long run, you will most likely save money overrenting and maybe even make money. The thing is that homes appreciate maybe 5% annually. I can do much better in the market. So the 3rd house is going to be the "dream home". Anyways.... that's why I refer ahom as healthy debt. One isn't wasting money on a home, but money properly invested, can return much more than 5% annually.
I think building a home is the best option. I'll get exactly what I want (I = fiance(wife) and I). I'll be posting the rough plans here in the coming months. I think I have the first floor down. I want 10 foot ceilings on the first floor, but that's causing problems with getting the starcase to upstairs laid out. I can get a 10 or 12 foot in the great room since it will not have anything built above it.
I might end up doing a type of split level design in future attempts. Kinda so the Great room acts as the "hub". The basic plan is to have a big kitchen and big great room since that's where most time is spent. Dining room for maybe 10-12 people.
I'm trying to stuff in 4 bedrooms, but that looks like it might not happen. I'll probably have to do a 3 bedroom layout.
The hard part of the layout is getting the breakfast nook and great room next to each other. I might have to try a new idea for the layout. I wantthem next to eachother because I plan on doing an in wall fish tank between the two.
I've been thinking about doing that between the master bedroom & bathroom. Would be really cool
That's another nice thing about building it yourself ... you come up with cool & better ways of doing things as you go along. And you don't have to renegotiate your contract to do it!
Couple of "gotchas" you should keep in mind. Some jurisidctions require that a licensed engineer or architect sign the plans, not just foundation and soils report. Others (Cali is one I know of) allow home owners to design the home themselves but its going to depend on the state and local jurisidiction you live in and how anal they are about design. You should also be INTIMATELY familiar with the code. Such a simple thing like leaving hurricane straps out of the foundations when it's poured can result in some very costly retrofiting later. Other code related items can simply result in having to tear down all the construction and starting over. You really really need to know the code, you should hire a HVAC to do your system for you and a licensed electrician has to wire your main box at a minimum (never heard of a jurisdiction that allows anyone but a licensed journeyman to wire the main box), and most will require that an electrician do all the electrical work.
Don't neglect anything, simple things like failing to put the required air exhaust on the sewer can ruin your system.
Don't neglect anything, simple things like failing to put the required air exhaust on the sewer can ruin your system.
I never wanted a house with a slab. But on a wood floor you can wake people a mile down the hall just by walking around. When grandma comes in a wheel chair she can't or out or get in alone and you will one day be grandma. Instead of being on the level of a garden you are up and removed from it and exposed like a picture on a wall to neighbors views if you have them. My opinion now is that I would only buy a house on a slab. I like the feel of being at ground level. It radiates a feeling of stability and solidity. The space is larger because the ground outside is just an extension of the house, not separated from it by dimensions.
A wood floor only has to raise you above ground level by about 13" (12" joist depth + 1" subfloor) relative to a slab floor. And a well constructed wood floor shouldn't "wake people a mile down the hall".
Another advantage of building it yourself ... I didn't cut any corners on the 2nd floor joists. I hate bouncy floors.
Its gonna cost lots of hard earned CASH and your man hours. To some its well worth it but I dont haev that much time.
--Scsi
--Scsi
apoppin
Lifer
Yep - several times. It's a LOT of work and you have to meet building codes.
Unless you're a pretty good handyman with tools (carpenter, cement finisher, roof builder, plumbing expert, electrician, tile setter, cabinet builder, etc.) you won't be able to do it alone from books.
I am not a "real" carpenter but come from a "family" of carpenters so I guess it's in my blood.
I am doing a garage/room extension at my house in the desert this Winter so I will be having "fun".
Unless you're a pretty good handyman with tools (carpenter, cement finisher, roof builder, plumbing expert, electrician, tile setter, cabinet builder, etc.) you won't be able to do it alone from books.
I am not a "real" carpenter but come from a "family" of carpenters so I guess it's in my blood.
I am doing a garage/room extension at my house in the desert this Winter so I will be having "fun".
I want to do it in the country on a big piece of land. I don't see why building codes should be able to stop a person from building anything they want in such situations. What's the code for an igloo or a yurt?
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