Lose Money Building a House
Building a house like this may seem simple. Even a simple bathroom or kitchen remodeling job can be complex, causing you to pull out your hair and have all your marbles fall out. CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with me so that doesn't happen. Copyright 2026 Tim Carter
Lose Money and Your Marbles Building a House
I started writing this syndicated column in October of 1993. My goal back then, and still is, to do whatever possible to save you money and maintain your sanity while navigating a large or small project like building a new home or even a small five-day bathroom remodeling job.
The following true story should tattoo on your brain the importance of having all your ducks in a row before you even think about calling up contractors for bids or, God forbid, you sign a contract!
One morning, just about two years ago, my phone rang. I created a custom ringtone that sounds out in Morse code the word CALL. A man who lived two thousand miles away needed help with a foundation drain issue. He was in the early stages of building a new home up in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.
He discovered I was a drainage expert, and I was able to solve his problem in just ten minutes. This man was so impressed he called me back and asked if I could be his sounding board as he advanced deeper into the project. I agreed.
My first request was for him to send me the plans and specifications for the house. “I’ve got some plans, but there are no written specifications,” he said. He emailed me the plans that night. He also sent a set of photos. I gasped as I studied them.
I soon discovered this man was rebuilding an existing home. He and his wife had demolished a home, but they decided to build on top of the existing foundation, thinking they’d save money. This foundation had a massive top-to-bottom crack in it. The top of the foundation was 5 inches out of level.
The plans he sent were incomplete. They were missing a large laundry list of details and dimensions. I would consider them to be just a small step above what I would define as preliminary plans.
I then discovered he had hired a plumber and paid him $9,000.00 in advance to install the pipes below the new basement slab. This task would have required one day of labor for two men. The material cost was about $750.00, if that. To add insult to injury, the plumber installed a 3-inch pipe as the main building drain instead of a 4-inch pipe. The plumbing code in that state allowed this, but it’s a significant violation of best plumbing practices.
The house is finally under roof and just about ready for interior drywall after all this time. Along the way, I’ve had to help this man out of a morass more times than I can remember. Several weeks ago, he was asking for advice about whether or not to install a vapor and air barrier in a vaulted ceiling in his living room.
I once again reminded him, as I had done no less than ten times, that this should have been decided back when the plans were being drawn. A detail should have been drawn showing how the roof was to be constructed in this area. Any products that might be used should have been in the written specifications.
By this time, he was filled to the brim with frustration and texted me, “You really like rubbing my nose in that. Did the best I could with the resources in my market. I have found zero people that could get to that level of specifics. Fired 2 GCs. You are one of a kind, Tim. There is no one else in North America, I believe, that knows as much as you do about this entire process. I really do appreciate what you were able to do for us. This endeavor is the worst decision of my life.”
I can assure you that this man would have never texted me the above had he taken my advice two years ago. I begged him at that time to stop the project. I told him we needed far better plans and some written specifications. I even sent him a set of boilerplate specifications I had written years before that he could use. His building experience would have been far less stressful and filled with many happy days.
He decided to barge ahead into the chaos and mayhem vortex I knew was waiting for him.
My advice to you before you start any project that takes more than three days is to develop a plan. Think things through. Develop a written list of exactly what you want. Use online photos of things you like to communicate what you want your finished project to look like.
Don’t hope things will work out. Should you do this, you’ll be making the worst decision of your life. If you need my help, I’m just a phone call away. CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with me.
Column 1671
Tim built custom homes and did ultra-custom remodeling for 20+ years before launching his Ask the Builder media presence. He was selected as one of the Big 50 by Remodeling magazine in 1993. This award gave birth to Ask the Builder in October 1993. Tim also operates https://DrawPlumbingPlans.com. His @askthebuilder YouTube channel was the first home improvement channel on YouTube.