Well, maybe I won't be building a house

[fuentejps]

Originally Posted by rdf

If a builder accepted this then he was a freaking idiot.

I've been in the construction business my whole long life, and I agree with rcechser. Because he's written the facts of how it is.

A purchaser of a home stipulating a deadline date, else be fined $200/day? Never heard of such a thing. It just doesn't happen for home construction. I've seen it once in awhile with commercial projects, but there are usually incentives the other way in the form of bonuses for early completion - and the deadline isn't usually set in stone. I've also seen many a home builder run a buyer off the premises for nitpicking all the live long day.

The first thing you need to determine Joe is if the builder is also the developer, or just the general contractor. If the builder is a GC, his boss is the developer and/or the bank.

actually you can put anything you want in a contract. as for deadline penalty, i see it frequently w/ end loans. why?? because you have a borrower signing a contract w/ nothing but a pre approval from the bank, thats means nothing. you really cant even start the process of the actual loan until around 30 days left. to get your best rates you do 30 day rate lock, if you go beyond that you lose that rate and your at the mercy of the market...........

my builder was confident and signed the penalty agreement and he finished early.

not real sure why anyone wouldnt put penaltie clauses in their contract, especially today. even 2 years ago my builder would do just about anything, but now they are really going that extra mile.

if any of you are scared to put something in a contract, your not ready to buiild.

as for relying on a realtor, hats the dumbest thing i've ever heard.

[fuentejps]

Originally Posted by NoDecafPlz

Guys, c'mon.

I appreciate the insight. I'm not looking to be a bulldog but I am glad there will be someone who is a friend of a trusted friend that (has been in construction 20
plus years) will go in every two weeks or so and check up.

I am going to keep my requests very basic. I need everything as level and barrier free as possible and I need doorways at least 30 inches.

I am meeting this Sunday to further discuss but early feedback is they would need to extend the house two feet for a roll in shower. This I find hard to believe as I could always make any vanity/sink and cabinet smaller or just remove the damn toilet.

If I can pull everyone back together for enough to ask:

What questions should I be asking BEFORE anything is signed?

write everuything down. ask if you can sub out anything yourself. find out how ada savy they are. my builder had recently built a cluster of luxury apartments w/ several decd out ada compliant units. i was able to check them out. you will get charged for everything from someone to design your cabinets lower to finding a smaller dishwasher to fit under.
do not let them push you into using their mortgage company or title company, use your own, thats huge.
to reiderate from a buyer as well as the banking perspective, have a deadline completion penalty, hopefully you wont need it.
punch list to address in the first meeting
1. go 36 in doors not 30
2. lower kitchen counter
3. you want the under the sink area left open w/ maybes doors so u can roll under
4. lower access fuse box
5. lower thermostat
6. raise your outlets a bit
7. water, gas shut offs w/in reach
8 if your on a slab, get good carpet w/ thicker padding, harder to push but warmer-your in oh.
9.have your own ramp built

get the floor plan and make the shower fit. the entire design of my bathroom was changed and i did lose the closet space in the bathroom.. to make more room you can go w/ 2 pedistal sinks.

i'll pm u my cell number feel free to give a call.

above all man, your the boss, i cant belive some of the sorry ass advice in this thread. if u want your shit done right STAY IN CONTROL

[NoDecafPlz]

Who are all the players that you made sure signed everything before you signed?

Know any lawyers I could pay in Cincy area to review?

How many inspections am I writing in? At what stages?

(This is my guy right?) What qualifications does this person need?

[rdf]

Originally Posted by fuentejps

if any of you are scared to put something in a contract, your not ready to buiild. [ you don't have a clue. Ever heard of a thing called mother nature and her weather? Late or slow delivery of materials? Sub contractors slowing up the whole process? General not getting paid, thus the subs not getting paid, so they stop working? All of these things and more can make a deadline laughable ]

as for relying on a realtor, hats the dumbest thing i've ever heard. [ most developers hire a general contractor to build the houses, and the general subs out the trades. The developer also hires a Realtor to sell his/her houses around the same time he hires the general contractor. This is standard practice, and the Realtor is the go between to keep pesky busybodies who complain about everything under the sun from bothering the construction workers who are trying to get their job done. ]

There might be deadlines between the developer who is financing the construction and the general he hires, but it's usually loose, something like get the first phase of 10 houses done by this date, and I'll give you a bonus, etc. Very few developers penalize their builders because they're usually buddies, and they all know the fickle fate of getting a construction project done by a specific date. When you get a prick of a developer with penalties, then soon you have the different subs backcharging one another, and it turns into a clusterfuck.

[fuentejps]

Originally Posted by rdf

There might be deadlines between the developer who is financing the construction and the general he hires, but it's usually loose, something like get the first phase of 10 houses done by this date, and I'll give you a bonus, etc. Very few developers penalize their builders because they're usually buddies, and they all know the fickle fate of getting a construction project done by a specific date. When you get a prick of a developer with penalties, then soon you have the different subs backcharging one another, and it turns into a clusterfuck.

i hear you man, no argument there, but when my loan and interest rate is on the line, those things arent my problem. the developer and builder used amish crews to build mine, those guys were amazing, worked through some shitty weather.

as i said, im glad i had deadline penalties and when we build again, i will do the same. funny, my builder didnt bitch much at all................

[chick]

You have some good feedback from people from both sides (buyer/builder). I don't see anyone here saying not to have control in this process, or to not be completely informed of every aspect and step. Like I said earlier, make sure you have someone willing to communicate and to working with you, and that a good relationship exists throughout. As rdf said, respect goes both ways, and YOU are as much responsible in making sure your needs are met and the job gets done, and that it gets done right. Few are going to want to please you and do the best job as possible, if they have someone bitching and moaning every step of the way, and especially if that interferes with their work or existing plans. Being in control, and remaining firm and direct, has nothing to do with being a bulldog, and I think you already know that. There's greater likelihood you'll get your needs met and possibly even have them go above and beyond to satisfy you, if you are not only knowledgeable, firm and confident, but likable.

Hard to say what you "should" or "must" do, because people are going to require different measurements, given their individual needs. What you do also depends on what your specific plan/layout is currently, and working with that, as it's pretty much completed at this point (you said 85% completed?). Whatever the case, there may be foundational and other infrastructure issues that must be considered, so there isn't unnecessary or redundant work, or extra cost in tearing something out just to redo something that could have been easily done initially.

Re measurements, I think it's best to keep mods and obvious changes at a minimum, or keeping things as universal as possible. You want this to be readily usable for a non-w/c user as well.

Clipper had a great thread re home construction, which may give you some ideas for both design and process. But as rdf pointed out, hers was not a subdivision like yours, so there will be some differences. See here for thread: My diary: Building a new home

[fuentejps]

decaf,
when i got together w/ everyone to sign my contract. i had my sales lady, the sales manager, the building forman guy, my realtor and me sign every single document.

bottom line, if its not in the contract, your screwed.....

as for walkthroughs, u want one at every single juncture. in my contract it was said that i had to sign off on each walkthrough, no verrbals. so my sig and formans sig.

the reason i was so anal about everything is over the years i have seen so many ppl get screwed by builders being on the loan side. unfortunatly good builders arent easy to find.

[Rustyjames]

Originally Posted by fuentejps

unfortunatly good builders arent easy to find.

You are correct with that statement. And they've been through all the BS of what it takes to complete a project. They are also usually smart enough to know that no deal is better than a bad deal. We are talking about a 100,000 dollar house here, not something custom built.

[rcechser]

Originally Posted by Rustyjames

You are correct with that statement. And they've been through all the BS of what it takes to complete a project. They are also usually smart enough to know that no deal is better than a bad deal. We are talking about a 100,000 dollar house here, not something custom built.

[rcechser]

Originally Posted by chick

You have some good feedback from people from both sides (buyer/builder). I don't see anyone here saying not to have control in this process, or to not be completely informed of every aspect and step. Like I said earlier, make sure you have someone willing to communicate and to working with you, and that a good relationship exists throughout. As rdf said, respect goes both ways, and YOU are as much responsible in making sure your needs are met and the job gets done, and that it gets done right. Few are going to want to please you and do the best job as possible, if they have someone bitching and moaning every step of the way, and especially if that interferes with their work or existing plans. Being in control, and remaining firm and direct, has nothing to do with being a bulldog, and I think you already know that. There's greater likelihood you'll get your needs met and possibly even have them go above and beyond to satisfy you, if you are not only knowledgeable, firm and confident, but likable.

Chick, I am glad someone else gets it I thought it was me, maybe it didn't come out that way but that is what I was trying to say before my blood starting boiling.