Building A House

Hi,

I am having a house built in my area. It is going to be bricked. The square footage of my house is 1800 under roof. When the architect did a prelimary drawing, it indicated 1979 sq. ft. That is a 179 sq. ft. difference. He tells me that its because of the brick on the house. How many inches are allowed normally to put brick on a house? I'm curious to know.

Thank you for much for your assistance.

Marilyn,

I am pretty confused by your question. My answer is 4 inches. We normally create a 4-inch ledge on a foundation for brick.

Great article! Do you have any tips about fireplaces?

Tara,
You bet! An entire *category*.... Look at the list of categories in the left column of this page. I suggest you read each one.

hello
i mjust wat to know about this website

My new house is different than model home!
No one explain me, that my ceiling in living room and kitchen will be 8' instead 9', like it is in model home.
My foyer is much smaller too, and stairs are totally different in size...

Where is the line, what builder can or cannot change on his own, without noticed me (and it is different than in model home)! Is it any law that protect me? And who is responsible to aware the potential buyer to the “hidden upgrades” in the model homes?

Thank you!

Alex,
All of the things you wanted should have been clearly shown in the plans and written specifications that were part of your contract.

We are looking to build our home but I am interested in what its going to cost us for just the labor. It is 2131 sq ft home.

Hope,
I was tempted to type $126,245.89. The truth be told I have no clue. Based upon the data you provided I would say there are still about 1,284 variables you have yet to define.

What is your advice on the outside frame/roof. Would you use 2x4 or 2x6 to build a home?

I am being given a lot that is about 4 acres. It is part of a larger 38 acres that my father in law owns. My primary concern is that while I was clearing the trees off the lot is become more and more wet. We can't even go out there right now because how much water is on it.
There is a significant elevation drop from the front field to my lot. We have dug test holes that have filled with water and the water does not drain well from these holes at all. The soil is primarily clay and hard pan. There is a lot of pressure for me to build on this lot but I am scared to put a several hundred thousand dollar house on a lot that is so wet.

What should I do? I mean proper sloping, stone, draining, and waterproofing only do so much when you have as much water on a lot as I do.

Amanda,
Great question. Did you read the two or three columns about this exact topic? I tell you how to make the decision.

Pat,

Simple. You can do a test that I know will work. It will cost maybe several hundred dollars. Go read ALL of the columns in my Drainage category. Then go stake out where you would put the house. Following ALL of my advice in the columns about Linear French Drains, install one around the house site. Be sure the two pipes daylight. Tell me what happens. I already know the answer, but it is music to my ears when my students tell me..... :->

what are your thoughts about building a home on a 6in slab vs 4in slab?

Jeremy,
My thoughts are about 6 inches. You better read all of my concrete slab columns.....

I am thinking of building my own house and I am a HVAC trademan with alot of general trade knowledge, I plan on doing my own HVAC, rough electrical, and plumbing, insulation. I will need to contract out the foundation and framing, roof, and Kitchen and probably any other fine detailed work. Can I expect to cut my costs by doing alot of work myself evenings and weekends. Any idea. Whats the average cost of a house per SQ/Ft

We are almost finished with our new home. We began in Sept. 07 with a contractor/builder. We have plans/blueprints and we signed his Standard Specifications. How closely does he have to follow the PLANS. For example, we have pillars or columns on the front entry of our house. The plans show these to be 2ft 6in wide but they are only 10inches wide. Also, the PLANS say the trim on the Windows should be 2 x 6 (for the top and bottom trim), however, in the contractor's Written Spec sheet it says all Window Trim will be 1 x 4 . If the plans and specification don't agree, which one is right? We didn't notice the discrepancy when we signed it and when we asked the contractor, he said his written specs, over-ride the plans. We have a few items listed in the plans like (Medicine Cabinets or Pantry Cabinets) and he says he doesn't provide those and since they are not listed on the his written specifications, then they are not included. Can he do that? Also, We paid $120 per square ft, we live in Northern Nevada and he installed Hollow doors and compressed wood (cheap) base boards. Is this standard for a $120 per square ft home. (Total Sq. footage = $3032

How closely does the contractor/builder need to follow the plans. We have 2 pillars in the front of our house that are 2.6ft wide according to the plans. However, the house is built and the pillars are only 10inches wide. The Contractor says they are stable so it shouldn't matter. Is this ethical and a common practice
Which is the superior document (when there is a difference) the plans or the written specification? For example our plans show 2 X 6 trim around the Windows but the Written specifications say the contract uses 1 X 4 on all exterior window trim.

Doing a self build, in what order should the following be done: fascia and soffits, external render, roof tiles?
Thank you!

my husband and i are considering building a log home. are those usually run more costly than a regular brick home?

Hi,
My husband and I are contemplating purchasing a bank-owned property "as is" in the late framing stage. The exterior is completely bricked but thats about it. My husband is very worried about the cost implications of finishing this very large house (approx 4500sqft 5/3 1/2 with full basement on 2 1/2 acres for $139,900)and finding a builder to complete the job along with selling ours in the current market. Financing is not a problem, just the unknowns of the construction industry. Have you encountered this type of situation before and provide any advise on the right direction to take. This seems to be once in a lifetime opportunity.. could I be right or should I run and hide?
Thanks for your help!
Christina

Make sure you know what the difference between vapor retarder and vapor barriers are. They are very different. You want something that will stop water as well as water vapor. Water vapor can account for a puddle in your basement just as water itself.

Its worth the extra money to have the extra security. The spray and pray stuff is not an answer to stopping water in a basement.

My husband are planning to build a new home. We will purchase all of the materials, everything from the foundation to the roof. We're building a custom Mediterrean ranch.

I have two questions:1)Where is the best place to purchase building materials and find a great package deal? 2)I have found several out of work Project Managers in the area who have built custom homes. Would you feel safe allowing someone with 20+ years to manage the entire process of building the home?

Hi,
I am looking at a home California which was built in 1910 and has no foundation. Will the Kern county force me to get a foundation? And what problems will occur without a foundation? The house looks old, but its feels sturdy and no cracks on the wall. I'm sure it has termite damage, what can I do about that?

I understand that permit costs and running utilities to the new house (charged by the utility companies) can be very expensive. These are costs rarely considered, but can break a budget. Where can I get an approximate cost of such things before I decide to pull the trigger on purchasing a piece of land? Thanks.

I'm looking at buliding a house - is there any type of 'check list' that's out there I can use as a referance? Thank you.

I am looking to build a house in central kentucky and I do not want to use commercial builders in the area like Ball Homes I was wondering how to locate a builder.

We are in the process of having a home built in Md. The windows in the morning room have been changed from what we orginally saw in the model. We knew they were going to change one of the window types (no longer the swing out kind, now the up and down kind) but we did not know they were going to change our huge half moon window above it. Is this legal to change the windows and not tell us??? If not, who do I contact. We have already filed our complaint with the salesman.

Is It Possible to build you house across a state line. For instance build it across the alabama/ georgia state line?

i have a question. if i want to build a double-story house, how big the concrete for the foundation should i preprae for my house?

i have an old palace type building sharing jointly with three family separated by three big wall. the building is like a big train wagaon having no beauty at all. now i want to have some extension irorder to give it a good look. please give some tips ?

Amanda, here in Washington State were I live you cant have 2 by 4 outside walls, you need them 2 by 6. Personally I prefer 2 by 6. As far as roof Trusses, I think they only come in 2 by 4.

Hope, I am building a 1543 sq foot house, it will cost me $110,000 work and labor, including land. Thats because I will do a lot of work myself. I order to build an affordable house you need to know people in the business. If I wore you I would call every contractor out there and find out there prices,
because they differ a lot. For example, I found a plumbing guy that
charges $7,500 work and material, to do plumbing for my house, another guy charges $5,000 work and material. I will do plumbing myself for $2,500, material only. Saving myself $5,000

Hi,

I plan to demolish my house and build a new one (keeping the cost to minimal).

I am still in initiating and planning stage, can someone provide some pointer where I can start ?

Thanks.

How long does it take to have a house built that is aprox. 2000sqft once the actual time the slab is laid??