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These tips are not intended to be all
inclusive but should provide valuable guidance.
Property lines:
Careful of
that property line! A friend of mine recently told me the story of a
person who got their house to the framing stage before a judge ordered
them to remove their house from their neighbors property. This kind of
error is hard to believe, but it does happen. Before building your home,
pay particular attention to property lines, setbacks and easements.
Neighbor's:
Do covenants allow your
neighbors put mobile homes on their property? Does zoning prevent a prison
or dump next to your property? How about a high school across the
street? How about a chicken or pig farm?
Utilities:
Make sure that water and
utilities are available. It is common for someone to start building a home
on a beautiful piece of property only to be faced with trouble and great
expense locating water.
Energy costs have skyrocketed. Last winter we
received a gas bill that was like a car payment. It was nearly double my
monthly mortgage payment in 1975. Smart builders are incorporating energy
efficient design principles into the construction of their new home. The
following is an interesting web site with lots of links to alternative
home building resources: http://www.earth-house.com/
Trees:
What kind of trees are on the
property? Georgia pine trees are susceptible to pine bark beetles which
kill the trees, turning woods into an eyesore. Many pine trees in Georgia
are prone to fall (on your home) during a storm. Most people try to
purchase a lot that has hardwood trees as opposed to pines.
Energy efficiency
Consider the
direction you want your home to face. (North South East or West) and its
impact on energy efficiency. Take into account large windows and the
location of shade trees.
Location:
This is just my
opinion. I have seen some homes built on a slope off of the side of a road
where you mostly see only the upper half of the house from the road.
Houses built this way sell, so it must not matter to some people. I would
think of resale even when building a dream home. I just don't think a
"cut-off at the waist" view of my home down an embankment makes a good
presentation.
Avoid building your home in front of a road that
T's. You may get an uninvited guest through the side of your
home.
Building cost illusions:
A
friend of mine had an 1800 sq. ft. "shell" built thinking he got a steal
of a deal. With a few exceptions, the builder did a good job and charged a
fair price. A steal it was not. By the time the insulation, sheetrock,
cabinets, doors, fixtures, toilets, electrical, plumbing, paintwork,
heating & air, carpeting, flooring, trim etc. were finished and paid
for, this $55,000 steal of a deal ended up costing around $120,000. Just
the builder grade trim used around the windows and case openings cost
$700, not counting labor.
Be careful who you hire to work on your
dream home:
"I got a friend that does a little plumbing". A
young couple I know building their first home wish they had never heard
that. Lynn's father insisted that they use a plumber friend of his. Later,
nearly all of the plumbing had to be re-done because it leaked. My advice:
Use licensed contractors with good references. Check out the references.
Even check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints against the
prospective contractor. Once you have selected a contractor, be aware that
it is common for most contractors to request money as the job progresses.
Never pay a contractor in full before the job is
completed.
Termite damage:
Around 1984,
Chlordane was outlawed. Chlordane was the neutron bomb of pest control.
The chemicals used today to control termites are not nearly as effective.
For this reason, in the South, home construction that incorporates metal
framing is becoming popular. Unfortunately most building crews are not yet
familiar with metal building techniques.
We were installing some
doors at a clients home. As we ate our lunch in the garage, we noticed
evidence of termite damage around the garage door opening. We brought this
to the home owners attention. The homeowner promptly called their termite
company and had them come out to do a treatment. About 6 months later we
returned to remove the damaged area and do the repairs. The termite
treatment done 6 months prior appeared to have no effect. We removed
damaged wood 3' deep, boiling with termites.
The termites were allowed
access to the framing via an on-ramp built by a construction worker who
embedded just 2 studs in the concrete, resting them on top of the soil.
When building your home keep all wood off of the soil.
Water damage:
In my opinion,
the ideal building site should be slightly elevated above the surrounding
terrain. My neighbor's home was built in a dip. The inspector who looked
at his home prior to purchase, missed water damage to the deck and porch.
My neighbor has had to build an elaborate water diversion system at great
time and expense. It has been about 2 years, and he has still not
completed the project. He is also very discouraged.
My own home had
some water problems that the inspector missed. I live in a split level
home built partially over a crawl space. The crawl space was dug out lower
than the surrounding area. Water will always find a low area and pool. I
corrected the problem by building a French drain system that diverts the
water away from my house to a new low area I dug out. Water is now
diverted away from my house and out to the creek in our
backyard.
Squeaky floors:
Just make sure
they glue it and screw it. Also spend a little more money for 3/4"
plywood. Avoid particle board. One of my neighbors discovered while in the
process of replacing their kitchen tile, that their sub floor was just
sitting on the floor joists. The sheets of plywood were not fastened down
in any way at all.
Inadequate structural
support:
A 2 story house went on the market several years ago
in my area at a reduced price. The builder did not provide any floor joist
support in the crawl space except around the cinderblock perimeter! My
friend who looked at the home for a prospective buyer found a large
laminated beam left in the crawl space that had broken under the strain as
someone once tried to jack the house back into shape.
Cracked concrete driveways:
A
62 year old friend of mine who has been in the construction business since
he was 16 once told me; "Concrete is going to crack. When you add
expansion joints to a slab, you basically control where the cracks will be
(in straight lines)".
I am convinced that my own driveway cracked
because the contractor didn't use enough expansion joints. In some areas
of my driveway, the concrete spans an area of 20' without an expansion
joint.
When you hire a contractor to do your
driveway:
(1.) Specify in the contract the distance
between expansion joints.
(2.) Make sure that the area to receive the
concrete is prepared properly.
(3.) Make sure the area to receive the concrete
is dug out to the proper depth. I would go an inch deeper than minimum
code requires. In most cases the concrete will not cost that much
more.
(4.) Make sure that the soil is adequately
compacted.
(5.) Make sure that the gravel layer meets code
related to stone size and gravel depth.
(6.) Avoid putting the driveway within 20' of a
tree that has a reputation for having powerful roots that could lift and
break the concrete over time.
(7.) Last but not least I would embed wire mesh
in the pour. Write it in the contract. The contractor may tell you
that no one ever does that. Wire mesh should not cost you that much more.
It will make the slab stronger.
Particle board:
Avoid using
particle board wherever you can. Particle board is heavy and often prone
to water damage: Particle board is the most common product used under
kitchen counter tops. Escaping steam from dishwashers commonly warps these
counter tops.
The beginnings of my ideal
home:
I would dig out a basement, use poured concrete walls
as opposed to cinderblock. I would finish the exterior in brick, or use
one of the new concrete-based siding materials. I prefer horizontally run
siding to vertical.
I purchased my home with siding made of
compressed particle board. It is a high maintenance product. In my opinion
it is also an inferior product that you should avoid when building your
home.
Signs of shoddy workmanship
include:
Poor foundation preparation. Out of square foundation.
Nails missing their target, split tops on toe nailed studs. Framing
misaligned. Rough openings not plumb.
Electrical:
Instruct the electrician
to install a breaker box with lots of room for expansion.
If you use
the garage as a hobby workstation, make sure there are plenty of outlets
capable of handling power tools that have high amperage demands. Take a
visual inspection of the electricians work. Are fixtures centered on the
ceiling in hallways or in front of doors? Are the outlets straight and
well secured?
Sheetrock work:
I recently trimmed a
home where the sheetrock guys made a kitchen three window system look out
of alignment. The windows were installed correctly, but the sheetrock
corners were off center causing the trim to be off-center.
Specify to
the sheetrock people that you want a smooth finish free from dips and
humps that will allow your rooms to accept a dark color without the
sheetrock seams being visible.
Put it in writing:
Put every one of
your building requirement in writing and stick to your guns.
Be fair with your contractors:
I am
surprised by the number of people who hire contractors to either build or
remodel their home, who seem to think contractors are some how obligated
to do extra work free of charge. Usually if you treat your contractors
fairly, they will be fair with you.
Use quality tools:
If you decide to
do any of the work yourself, invest in quality tools. They make a big
difference.
This one surprised me:
I assumed I
was getting about the lowest price around by shopping the major home
building supply superstores? I know better now. Shop around. Many home
related building materials can be purchased much cheaper at a small
independent shop. This was the case when a close friend of mine needed new
kitchen cabinets and floor tile.
Keep a sense of humor:
A plumber
presented a man with a $1200 bill for some repairs he did on his home. The
shocked homeowner replied: "I don't make that much and I'm an
attorney"! The plumber replied: I didn't make that much when I was an
attorney either".
Please contact The House Plan when you
need any home plan related questions answered:
Click here to send Randall a message
Please feel free to contact me with any general
construction related questions:
Click here to send Randall a message
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