Not a week passes without me getting one or more emails from homeowners who are disappointed with their new homes. They complain about the poor quality, lack of detail and overall cheapness of the construction. The fault is often the builder but some of the blame can be placed on the homeowner. They often were simply too trusting when they entered the home building process. I often discover that the homeowners thought this or that was going to happen. They often think that their new house will have qualities like their existing home. Wake up!

Get Involved

If you want your new home to become your dream home instead of your House from Hell, then you need to become proactive. You need to get educated about the process and then pay an enormous amount of attention to detail.

The building environment today is far different than it was just 5 to 7 years ago. The booming economy has created a shortage of skilled workers, builders and project managers. Distributors of products are even hurting. Your lumber package at the lumber yard may not be assembled and shipped correctly. In other words, you can't count on the materials for your home to be right!

The shortage of skilled workers has put a lot of stress on all aspects of the construction industry. This is one reason you have to take on more responsibility as your house is being built. You need to become the overall project supervisor to make sure the right things get done at the right time using the right methods.

Finding A Pro Builder

There are quality builders in just about every city and town. They are honest, trustworthy and will build a fine home. I can assure you that many of them are booked for months in advance. If you want to eliminate the bottom feeder builders who are bidding your job, then you must ask them the right questions. You must also get them to complete a detailed form that makes them tell you what they are going to include in your home. The form should also have a detailed cost breakdown of the entire job. Click here to see an assortment of these helpful forms.

The Building Code

The building code is a set of minimum standards. The people who author it will readily admit this fact. If a house is built according to code it will be a decent structure. If you want a superb home, you must exceed many of the standards in the code.

Fortunately the residential building code has consolidated in the past few years. There used to be several model building codes that were used throughout the nation. The different code bodies made peace and produced a uniform model code that will take effect in the spring of 2000. It is a dynamic document that is fairly easy to understand.

Having your own copy of the code will come in handy. It will allow you to check critical aspects of construction. I know this sounds crazy, but it may save you enormous amounts of stress down the road. If you do end up in a battle down the road with your builder, your copy of the building code, along with construction photographs, will be worth their weight in gold. Want a copy of the code? Click the link below!

BOCA National Building Code