Custom Home Series Part 2 - Can I Build It Myself

As I write this in September of 2008 the housing market is far different than it was a few years ago. Prices have fallen by double digit percentages. Many companies in the housing industry; builders, suppliers and trade contractors, are undergoing sever stress in their business models. That does not mean that they can reduce their prices 50% or more. While there are less buyers the price of materials has continued to increase in part because so many of the products we use in housing today are based on oil such as shingles, asphalt paving, vinyl siding, flooring, and many more items. Even the items not made with oil need to be delivered and the cost of fuel contributes to the cost.

A Professional Builder with have relationships with suppliers and trade contractors. He has his ear to the ground and will often hear about financial problems long before the public might. If you get the trade bids yourself you might wind up with a great price for work that will never be completed. You might also get a low ball price only to find out that the subcontractor excluded items you need and winds up nickel and dining you with extras. You might discover the low price was not so low. A Professional Builder will have a scope of work for each trade to eliminate gaps in contracts and also to avoid overlaps where you pay for the same work twice. For example who wires the furnace the heating contractor or the electrician... how about the thermostat. There are a hundred items such as these.

Ok, so you have hired the trade contractors and work begins. And the plumber who gave you that price so low he is not even making full wages is installing the tub. Last year when he was getting full price he would stop and make sure there was extra insulation behind the tub so the tub stayed warm and the pipes didn't freeze. This year he is cutting corners, after all he is not getting paid what he is worth, and he does not check the insulation. It is not really his job anyway. A professional builder should have a checklist to catch this sort of issue that again happens hundreds of times a house. You may wind up with a cold tub or frozen pipes.

You will need a schedule. A Professional Builder will have a template for building a house in your area under your weather conditions while you will need to start from scratch. You will need to figure out what order things are to be done, how long each item will take to install, and how long it will take to get material to the projects such as windows and cabinets. If the electrician show up to wire the under counter lights and there are no cabinets guess who pays for the lost time.

Can you do it yourself? Would you hire someone to do what you do for a living who never did it before knowing you and your family would be living with the results daily for a very long time?