Building our Next home (Triad GCs?)

SHINTON

SHINTON

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Location
Triad area of NC
I cannot find the post now, but one of the guys on here posted he was a GC in the Triad area. I wanted to see if we had any others on here as well, if so I would love to contact you.

So here what I am looking at, any of you that have gone thru the home building process, etc, would love to hear from you as well.

The basics, we own a nice 2 story now in Kernersville, prob will put on market in next few months, hoping to have some decent equity/cash from closing after realtor fees, etc. That cash will be added to my CDs until needed for land/construction purchases.

What I am looking to do is find land in the area, preferably no HOA to worry about, and 1.x or so acres. I have my eye on a decent 1.x lot in Kville now, but open to suggestions.


THE house...this is where I am looking to get some help. We are looking at a house plan we really like, 2088sf, one story, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths.

I know estimating per sq foot is impossible until you know details, my current house was $202k, 2950ish sq feet so $68.xx per sf. But that is 2 story, TONS of upgrades but crappy insulation (and the lot in theory was 30k of that)


Here is my main issue...our income is about to go down (might be time to become a daddy..wife will stay home/add them to my health insur is $$$$)

So I am trying to build us a nice house we can live in for a LONG time and live within our new budget. So I know what we WANT and trying get some decent estimates on total cost to build this house.

For the local GCs, if we bring you the plan we are looking at, can we get decent idea with / without the various upgrades? I hate to spend $1500 on plans just to find out, we cannot afford the place no matter what.

If we have any local architects on here, I would be interested in hearing from you on taking the plan we are looking at, and maybe tweaking it a bit/having you do the real plans/be involved?



UPGRADES:

Wood floor (or the laminated systems) in the Kitchen (240sf), Dining Room(200sf), Living Room (350sf) . I realize this is prob the largest cost/upgrade...and we may have to scale back some of those rooms to make this all work. We love the wood floor in our current home...

Carolite / Corian type countertop (or Granite), I think I paid about $100ish per linear foot last time, so just guessing $2-3k here?

Tile the backspash/etc in Kitchen... (this is something I might be able to do myself later?)

Stainless appliances, Oven/Microwave built in, separate cooktop, GE 25.x cft refrig (The fridge by itself is $1500ish)

Master Bathroom - Tiled to the hilt, separate tub and shower. (Tiled shower cost?) Again, this maybe a future project for me if needed...so looking to see what it would cost upfront.

Nice closet wireframe system for the Master closets, "double decker" style, drawers, shelves, etc.

Decent Berber carpet in bedrooms (we will use Jimmy Cox, my wifes uncle, high quality work/local contractor.)

Garage...ok here is the fun part, this house plan has a 2 car garage, 20x23 and then behind it another 20x23 workshop!!! (Workshop has the 1/2 bath mentioned above)

If I can get away with it I want to heat/cool the workshop, don't know if this will be just a window unit, or open to other suggestions? (So I will want to go ahead and insulate both garages and have them wall-boarded)

Estimated cost on having the commercially sealed floors for the two garages? (900ish sf)


In speaking with a local custom home builder on the phone, she estimated a full brick house our size, will be another $5000...that a good estimate?


INSULATION...I want to insulate the HECK outta this house...make it as tight as possible and would really like to use that spray in expanding stuff to make it "airtight?"

That is my personal #1 task, so I can get my utility bills under control. I think I would prefer a really good heat pump instead of gas heat, Gas is just TOO much $$$.


Ok...my HOPE is to buy my lot for about $35k, and hoping to bring in the above for $165k or less. That is about $80 per sf of heated space... ($95ish per sf if you include land)


I have considered going down the route of owner/builder, or finding a GC that does cost PLUS...but obviously the easiest thing would be finding a 'fixed price' gc/architect/builder so they are motivated to bring it in under cost to make themselves more profit (penalties for taking longer than estimated, by the week, etc)


So...those that have any experience with the above, I am looking forward to hearing from you. Even if you just know "part" of the equation, like what my heating/ac system should cost, etc, I am gathering numbers in Excel for the pieces.


If you are a GC, would love to hear from you, obviously there is more 'trust' with a fellow 4x4er and we may find/use sub contractors from on here as we go. (Be the house that NC4x4 built heh!)

Sam H
 
Sam few things:

1. MAN I wish house prices were like that in Charlotte... My 3BR 2Bath 1-story was about 101.00/ft2... Anyways..

2. My cousin is just wrapping up building a house up in East Bend that sounds very similar to what you're looking for.. But it has a basement all harwood and is a little larger (2500ft2).. If you're interested I'll see if I can get a copy of his plans and i'll Scan them here at work and PDF them to you...

3. Def. go full brick... but the $5000.00 would be closer to just the actual brick cost (called the wife at Pine Hall Brick). Youre probably looking more around the lines of $7000.00 for the brick and another $10,000 or so for the install (around 2000ft2 home)....

4. Your SS appliance budget is pretty low I think. Probably more along the lines of $3000.

let me know if you want me to try to get some plans....
 
I built 1200sf 4.5 years ago. Went with vinyl, since it's not a long-term situation, but did price out brick, it was $8000 over the base quote with vinyl siding. (Remember, the siding job might have cost $3000, so brick cost on bare walls would probably have been $11,000).

We went with 2x6 wall framing for that extra insulation.

We also drew up our own plans. We couldn't find exactly what we wanted, but had a really good idea, so about 3 hours of Autocad later, we had a floor plan. Builder charged $500 for a draftsman to take our (printed) plan, redraw it, and draw the elevations.
 
Well all I can offer, is electrical home tech help.

I can quote anything you need that way, and if the time comes I'd hook you up price wise if desired.

If you ever plan on selling the home, think long and hard about adding some tech infastructure. Granted its a sales pitch that literally keeps me working, but also the #1 value adder according to a number of recent surveys.

Plus Built in surround sound, plasma links, distributed audio, remote data closets, etc, that shit is just cool for any guy.
 
I hope to wire my rear speakers at least in the living room, maybe front corners as well. I doubt I do a sound equipment closet, way too much moolah at this stage in life sigh!

Brick is sounding ugly, I thought the $5k more sounded really low, and 20k more will probably not fit in the budget. As long as the walls are well insulated I am fine with vinyl or some accent brick.

Sam
 
look at hardieplank, my next house will be brick, but failing that, hardie is about the only other thing i'd use.

I have vinyl. I hate vinyl.
 
Vinyl is pretty expensive also.. I would say from vinyl to brick you're look at about a $10,000 increase not 20k. I figure vinyl & install would be around 6-8k where brick would be around 15-17k....
 
I can chime in a little more later as Im heading out but Im a GC in the raleigh area. I build about 30 a yr so I could probably help you a little.

Brick is expensive, more than 5k for sure
Ranch plans are expensive to build, cheaper to go up than out.
Since you want a ranch, choose a lot with little slope or the foundation costs get really high
2x6 exterior walls will only add a few dollars to the cost but allow r-19 insulation. R-19 is only a few cents more per SF so its well worth the cost.
If you have the time and resources, build it yourself. You do not need to be licensed to do it as long as you live in it 2 yrs. I have helped many freinds in the past few yrs and they had a few bumps but overall came out very well. Feel free to ask questions if youd like, I dont mind. SB
 
Id say screw spending 1500 on full plans. Go with the floorplan drawn by yourself (I could do it if you wish...in fact I have a basic set of plans, but probably too much for you, includes a pool, but it is a ranch style, More Spanish style then anything)

500 bucks is alot cheaper then 1500, and drawing a basic floorplan is something anyone can do with a little time
 
kaiser715 said:
look at hardieplank
Click to expand...

Ditto! Not as cheap as vinyl, but won't melt and the bugs can't eat it!

Have you talked to our old buds Ray or Dan? AFAIK, they're both still building in the area. I also have bud (has a flatfender) that started building houses last year (left his city trough job) and lives in K'ville off Salisbury. I'd be happy to put you in touch with him...






















Daddy huh? :popcorn:
 
The daddy past isn't here yet, but start to prep for it in advance...! You will have to remind me about Ray/Dan?

Hardie Plank looks interesting and plain/smooth vinyl is pretty boring I have to admit. If cash was not an object, brick with rock highlights would be my first choice, and maybe I can save enough elsewhere to make it happen.

I know one of the guys in the CTB built his house out of those foam blocks where you pour the cement inside of it! Was able to do quite a bit himself, and had the concrete truck come out every few days to pour that layer. Nice part is when you are done the walls are R-50!!

I would love to do as much as I can myself, so we can have nicer house, for same $. I actually hung drywall one summer during college, have done bits/pieces of just about everything except electric/plumbing. I suppose if I can find the right GC/have folks to lean on locally for advice I might tackle it. But I am sure the banks are not really fond of that / construction loan wise?

I am getting more into the woodworking stuff anyway, hoping to do my own built in bookshelves, etc. (And bling out my garage/workshop with custom cabinets, etc.)

Sam
 
i specialize in residential and commercial window tinting..

protect furnishing and flooring
adds safety and elegance
insulates the glass tremendously
can lower your energy costs by up to 30%

it will pay for itself after 5 years. im sure you arent quite at that stage yet but just throwing it out there
 
We are getting ready to build in the next year (two miles rom DPG :bounce: ) I've been trying to think of eveything ahead of time too. Barring some unforeseen disaster in my life/marriage I plan on this being the last one I live in. I decided instead of trying to get maximun sq. ft. for the dollar I would build a little less house but have the best of everything I could afford. It is definatley going to be brick, radient floor heat,metal roof with a water stove system in a seperate building. The water stove I'm looking at can be wood fired,waste oil injected, or run on propane (yes Travis 'a clean safe fuel':flipoff2: ). We have dogs that stay inside a good amount of the time so although I would like to have true hardwood floors, I know from past experience that a high quality laminate will hold up much better in the long run. The house we are in now I've discovered is really too big for our needs its 4bdr 3bth and we don't use a good part of it at all. My concern is the quality of bulding a new house , the one I'm in now is 100 years old, has white oak floors and the original hardwood siding that isn't rotten anywhere. It's a solid house, I own a couple of other houses that were built more recently and honestly they are junk in comparison. When we get done with this house I just hope I don't regret building it, my experience in the past with contractors has not been good. On the test for a contractors license I swear there must be a section in there that test your ability to lie over and over again. We'll see.
 
Based on my research to date, we are leaning pretty heavily in the direction of a poly-steel home. R-50 walls is a big PLUS for me since I plan on being there a long time and the savings on heating/ac will pay for itself.

Radiant floor stuff scares me a bit, mostly in that if something 'breaks' then huge mess to dig up flooring to fix if not impossible? For my garage I am looking at radiant heating mounted from the ceiling though, based on articles I have been reading it warms the floor/objects in the room instead of just being a hot overhead and still cold feet.

Interesting point about laminate being better for long term usage, like you, I really want to be in this house for life. That is why we are looking at 2100sf vs the 2900 I have now, again trying to have a nice USABLE house.

Thx to all for the hints so far, put the "tinted" windows deal on my list for instance.

Anyone know if the solar stuff is worth it? I know years ago the solar cells were just so $$$ and fragile they were really not a decent investment.

Would be interested in opinions on the tankless hot water on demand systems too?

http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=12820
 
Sam, just to further the discussion. I agree with whats been said thought much of it is over my head :) Have you considered just buying a nice used house and simply putting the extra money towards the upgrades you want ?

Garage - heating, I think with constant heat in the garage the radiant type heating won't be such a big deal. Your 'normal' temp will have soaked into everything in the garage.. I think in cases where people don't keep the garage heated or cooled 100% is when the radiant is nicer. Also with large doors that may be opened/closed frequently, would a forced air system allow for a faster recovery of the air ?

What wrong with vinyl siding ? (just curious)

Basement !!! IMHO the cheepest way to increase usable space of a house is to add a basement. Definilty depends on the slope of the property. But a combo, basement/garage opening to the back. Would allow for a ton of storage and usable space, while using a smaller footprint. This would also help in heating/cooling costs.. Just spec out a taller basement say 10'-12' to allow enough head room to do stuff.. Possible even just 12' on one the 'garage' section..

What is poly steel construction ?

Solar - There is a great NC State solar site.. NC solar.org or somthing. Tons of info, and tools.
 
Tankless hot water is worth every penny. PV panels aren't worth much, unless you get the warm fuzzies from being more "green". Payback on the PV panels is 20-25 yrs, which neatly coincides with their useful lifespan. It's not a terrible idea, but if you're looking to keep this thing on a budget, buying a $30k PV system might mean trimming fat in other areas.

I'd look really hard at the cost/benefit of any non-typical construction methods you'd be inclined to use. That money is probably better spent on better quality windows. I have to do energy calculations from time to time... and most often, changing the R-value of the walls or roof really doesn't make a difference. It makes some difference... but compared to low-E or triple pane glazing, it doesn't do shit.

That's all I've got time for at the moment. Feel free to ask any other questions, I'll get to it when I get a chance.

Edit: and yeah, I'm with Yager. Put it on a crawl space. It'll make future changes easier to accomplish, if nothing else.
 
http://www.polysteel.com/

PolySteel is a brand name, but means using foam blocks with wire mesh between them that you stack like Legos. Then, you pour concrete into the void between the foam blocks (and rebar in there too) and that creates a wall that is solid foam several inches thick on each side with a solid concrete center.

The total wall is like 12" thick or close to it, it is completely sealed so no air leaks (must seal around windows/doors) and is a R-50 insulation rating instead of say R-19. One of the main benefits is being able to "do it myself", it really is easy to build if you ever stacked legos as a kid and is really strong (also great for basements if you go that route)

Basements: In NC the biggest issue is the ground water is too close for a typical (northern style) basement, so only sloped lots and they must be watersealed like heck and STILL can have issues. Final issue for me, bad knees and want garage/everything on main level, otherwise my current home would be ok.

Thx for the hookup on solar, I had heard there are some good tax credits for them, had not done much research.

As for used/rebuilding it...you really have to make compromises vs designing the space exactly like you want it. (Like space to park a Uhaul in the driveway/beside the house if needed...DOH heh...)
 
The foam and concrete construction is getting to be nearly the exclusive choice in the florida hurricane belt. First time I saw it I was amazed, but intrigued.

Windows, doors and seals will make a HUGE difference in energy consumption, as will appliance selection. A lot of folks are shocked what the difference between 2 dryers for example can do. Especially if you have a large family and use it extensively...
 
SkyHiK5 said:
Windows, doors and seals will make a HUGE difference in energy consumption, as will appliance selection. A lot of folks are shocked what the difference between 2 dryers for example can do. Especially if you have a large family and use it extensively...
Click to expand...

Yeah, and there's lots of low-hanging fruit there, too.

Here's the short answer on why I think that the concrete thing isn't going to be all it's cracked up to be:

You want to hire a GC. You should bid the project, and pick from one of the highest bidders. It depends on the bids, but the likelihood is that the cheap guy is going to cost more in the end. You'll want to get local recommendations first, of course.

If you GC the project yourself, you have little to no control over your subs. The project will take longer, and you may go through several subs before you find one that's willing and able to complete the work. A good GC has his preferred subs. They work together on a regular basis. If the sub doesn't do a good job, he doesn't get work anymore. As a owner-GC, you have no leverage on your subs.

But then you throw in an unusual construction system for this area. Finding GCs with experience in it may prove to be impossible. Either way, you're going to pay for their experience... whether that means the expertise they've already gained, or the lessons (and time, and money) that they're going to spend learning on your job. And the market is already tight, so you may find that contractors just throw high numbers at it, figuring they won't get the job, and probably don't want it anyway.

So even though that R50 number looks pretty.... you may end up spending more money to achieve it than it is really worth... especially considering (as I mentioned before) that there are lots of other places that you can see greater savings for very little initial investment.
 
Sorta along the lines with what Shawn has said about windows having a bigger savings overall.. I had done some curiosity/ researching on the geothermal based heat pump systems. Basically new construction is the ideal time to install the coolant loops under the ground. And the pay off is reasonable, depending on your usage.

Dump in some extra attic insulation and use the best windows possible and call it good.. Reminds me of those home infrared/thermal scans showing how poor the windows are vs existing construction methods.
 
Im a draftsman in the Charlotte area and would be willing to help out if you deside to go that route. Everyone chiming in is giving some really good info. The use of a good GC and quality matierial is what makes the difference. Thats the difference between quality old homes and thrown together new homes. I would also leave 10% of the price of the GC bid set aside for back charges. No matter what you do something will change or something will be left out.
 
I am a Professional Residential Designer in Raleigh. I started my own business in 1989 and sell plans all over the country. Of course I am going to say spend some time and money on the plans. If you do, it will eliminate headaches and problems in the field. Drawing your own plans is not the best idea. Your local municipality may required a full set of plans with engineering. I can help you with that so that the building process runs very smooth. I am a firm believer of paying people to do what they do best. That is why I would have someone else weld my roll cage instead of doing it myself. I have well over 4000 sets of house plans and would love to hear your ideas. Call me tomorrow and I will search your criteria to see if I have something you can start from. I am not the cheapest in town but one the best. I will work with you on the money.
Carl Welch
919-847-8828
 
Everything you seem to want seems nice but, you cant build it for what your thinking. Those concrete walls aint cheap. In our climate r-50 is way overkill. I know of a builder in raleigh whose personal home has an 42 value walls, he claims it wasnt worth the initial cost because the payback isnt that great. Youd be better off investing the money in a geothermal system as it pays off relitively fast. Theres a house in holly springs I did tons of work on that is geothermal and the owner claims 3200sf + 2400sf garage w/ 12 seer hvac with an electric bill of less than 130 monthly. The biggest prob with geothermal is the space required. In a county lot with well and septic, it takes away tons of space needed for the geothermal lines. There are other ways of going geothermal but the buried lines are most common.

Windows? Dont waste money here. Buy decent but not overkill. Everyone thinks the low-e argon filled window is the way to go which it is, for maybe 5-8 yrs. Every manufacturer I have dealt with (about 6 in the last three yrs) will not gaurantee that argon to still be effective after a few years as it leaks out slowly. The best I have dealt with is Milgard for price and quality. Pella is very nice too, but I'm not terribly impressed with there budget friendly line which is what I would assume what you would need in your price range. There are many windows out there where you are paying for there name on the sticker. Trust me, I have replaced 10yr old Andersons that were junk but cost 45k when new.

In my own home which is 3800sf, I installed Milgard windows, 13 seer HVAC, R-15 walls, R-38 cielings and have a monthly 1 yr average electric bill of 162 mo. I also travel ALOT, many 2-3 week trips and when Im gone I always forget to turn the heat or ac down. The bill is significantly lower those months because the lights are off. No one seems to know where the light switches are around here to turn them off when were home. Your savings are more in how you use your home than how you build it IMHO though there are affordable things you can do to help during construction.

The radiant heat for the garage is a very good idea. Much better than a heat pump. Warming objects before the air is much more efficient it seems from talking with those with both. Leaving a Radiant system set at 50 allows a quick recovery to 65-70 when you are about to use the garage and people claim it to be cheaper than turning on and off as needed if used frequently (3+ times per week) The radiant will also be cheaper initially because you would need a sepertate HVAC system for you garage. It is possible to run off the same one but since you need a cold air return, the dust from the garage makes its way to your house. You also get involved with fire rated boots for the supplies and returns. Radiant has its downsides too though. Gas fired tubes need clearances not normally found in the average garage. I have never looked at the elec. models because I wouldnt consider them for myself so cant say about them

It sounds like you have a lot of really nice ideas but they are unfortunately probably wishful thinking. Its easy to say what you would like but when you start pricing it, it adds up quick.
I still think that if you have the time and resources you should buuild it yourself. If not, try to find a GC willing to work with you on a cost plus basis. It will end up cheaper in the long run because any upgrades you add will only be cost plus a fixed % where typically, upgrades are sometimes doubled or more. Good luck. SB
 
cuz1 said:
I am a Professional Residential Designer in Raleigh. I started my own business in 1989 and sell plans all over the country. Of course I am going to say spend some time and money on the plans. If you do, it will eliminate headaches and problems in the field. Drawing your own plans is not the best idea. Your local municipality may required a full set of plans with engineering. I can help you with that so that the building process runs very smooth. I am a firm believer of paying people to do what they do best. That is why I would have someone else weld my roll cage instead of doing it myself. I have well over 4000 sets of house plans and would love to hear your ideas. Call me tomorrow and I will search your criteria to see if I have something you can start from. I am not the cheapest in town but one the best. I will work with you on the money.
Carl Welch
919-847-8828
Click to expand...

You must be Mr Welch of Haynes and Welch? If so I have purchased a few of your plans in the past and can vouch for them. I agree with what you said too. People dont realize that you plan for room for trim, code requirements etc. The cost of plans is cheap in the long run. Any interest on working on a project for me? Looking for 40ft wide plans. Need about 5-6 plans but with multiple elevations for each. I'm in the process of this now so PM me if you think you may be interested. SB
 
I remodeled/added onto my house around '97-'01
Don't be afraid to contract it yourself but don't think that you are superman and try to take on all trades yourself. The clean-up, checking on it daily, and life in general will wear you out in no time. Maybe do some of the insulation.
Painting a room is easy, painting 10 rooms is a whole different story. At the end of my build I was paying anyone who would come to the house to do anything!
I had a contractor friend who helped me along the way and actually let me pay the subs directly so he wouldn't have to take a percentage of each trade.
Finding good subs is a big stepping stone. Most have their 4-5 GC's that they work for and they don't have time for independents like you (or me).
Good luck!
RQ
 
Back
Top