rbrettctd

We are building outside of a municipality so no permits required (or so I was told) I don't know anything about when the inspector is coming to do the slab inspection as I haven't heard from the builder for the better part of a week. We own the lot and we are paying cash for the whole process, I considered sub-ing it out myself but due to time constraints had to forget that idea. I am planning on reminding him that he is technically my employee while building and if he continues on this path then I shall find another person to do the job better, that is if I hear from him anytime soon. Thanks for the advice guys.

annabelle

Unfortunately, TX does not require your Contractor to be licensed......but your Electrical,Plumbing. HVAC, and Refrigerant subs do need to be licensed. Make sure you have a P.E. inspect that slab.......and as I said.......don't give the Contractor any money up front. If he isn't a big enough boy to front the project until he gets his first draw (for work completed and material stored) he has no business building your home........good luck.

Iron Mike

When we built our house, I was the builder and selected all my own subs. I did not hire any consultants. I drew my own house plans and had them checked by my framer/ joist supplier and rafter supplier to make sure there weren't any spans too big etc.. I feel for you if you arent happy with the subs. Half of my subs I knew personally. If any of them did not perform as required, they were gone. My framers and electricians I paid by the hour and saved huge over their bid. They built cushion in and saved lots of time because I did all the cleanup and I mounted the boxes and drilled the holes for wires etc.. My wife and I enjoyed building our house. We planned for over 6 years and had all the decisions made before we ever broke ground. Good Luck.

Redleg

We did have timelines stipulated. Karen took pictures, before and after, of the corrections I had to make. He actually seemed surprised at the shoddy work when we showed him. He hadn't checked on his guys all week. He had picked up a few pole building jobs to do while waiting for subcontractors, which is fine. The other jobs seemed to take precidence though. Took most of the crew to the other jobs and stuck the new guy on our job. He hadn't checked on the guy at all that week. I had planned on doing the insulation, drywall, windows and siding myself, but figured we'd save time and headaches and just pay to get it done quickly. The energy saved was used chasing this guy around. I did end up siding it myself anyway.

rich

they were requireing buildersto get registered now and no matter where you live wether in city or county inspections are being required now. some of the laws change every year or two so whats required now maynot be next year

SIXSLUG

If you are worried about the yard you have no idea what you're in for. Hire a reputable builder and stay out of his way. You wouldn't want him showing up at the station and telling you how to wash the trucks!

Keep a retainage until the contract is fulfilled to your satisfaction and do not budge on this until you are completely satisfied. There is nothing unethical about this.

Don't sweat the petty stuff, you need to break a few eggs to make an omellete. If you can find appliances cheaper get them. You are paying your builder to build, not shop. His subs and he hopefully have a good relationship and are worth a little extra dough. Home Depot won't come running at 2:00 am to fix your toilet from ruining the floors and ceilings below, but I bet his plumber would. Mine will because its happened to me.

Just my .02 from experience!

Good Luck, Kurt

cbtumedic

I wouldn't have worried about the yard had he not brought it up in the first place about preserving it, but since it was his idea I thought he should do what he said he'd do. I hired a builder who came with good references from people that I know quite well, I've seen his work and it's great, but so far I feel like I'm being pushed to the back burner because he's got some higher end jobs going on at the same time. He had also agreed to accompany me to the build site weekly to check progress and ensure the quality of work, but has so far not even made an attempt to meet me there. This agreement was made because he bills weekly for the prior weeks work but if something is not exactly as it should be then we don't pay until it's fixed. Again I am not upset with the quality of work being performed, but with the treatment I am receiving from the builder. Thanks for the replies, I really hope that after a little talk things will go better, I really don't want to have to try to find another builder as I absolutely love the quality of home he builds, but if I can't even get the courtesy of a call or email to tell me he isn't going to make an appointment or even a return call after 2 days to apologize and explain what happened then I may have to do so.

annabelle

Unfortunately, it is just a BS form and they get $500.00 dollars out of you. They don't test your knowledge of construction.They don't require you to carry insurance ( I would make sure a builder carries general liability and workers comp.) Three inspections are now required even if you are in an unincorporated area with no inspecting agency.

rich

i know the joke was during the housing boom was all you needed was a powerstroke and a cell phone and you could be builder. i do dirt and slabs i know the first inspection is for steel. 2nd is plumbing not sure if 3rd is electric, but its funny no structural inspection

cbtumedic

Lol, thats funny, wanna give a guess to what kinda vehicle my builder drives? At least his is a 7.3 though.

annabelle

Yeah, a lot of pickup bed contractors out there.

siotwo

My pessimistic experienc building a pretty nice house...
Never trust a timeline the builder gives, he doesn't control everything and everyone.

Always over budget and later than expected

The guys you expect to be craftsman, are not actually proffessionals, they just install _______(fill in blank) or a living, maybe only for this season/month/week/day.

Check everything, when its wrong, expect only that it gets fixed, and it may end up being a comprimise.

Installers will try to hide their mistakes, and talk you out of fixing them.

Its always the other sub's fault, not he sub you are talking to about an issue.

Unless you control the money, you won't know exactly what the cost is.

After about a year, you will stop looking for all the error/mistakes/should haves/could haves and begin really enjoying your new house.

BUT...every houses is built like this, except for the ones on TV, so enjoy your new house.
Ron

annabelle

I agree for the most part. However, not every house is built like that. Time is money to me......I use only the subs I know are competent and will do a good job. Therefore they may cost a bit more. I get tired with owners that whine and wont spend the money for a first rate job. Most of them are penny wise and pound foolish. You get what you pay for. I can't tell you how many times owners have chosen a "pickup" bed contractor over me.....they want to save a few bucks. When the S*** hits the fan and there contractor doesn't preform......has no insurance and they come crying back to me to pick up the pieces........I just say I've had enough practice thank you .........NO THANKS. I also love the owners who think they know about building than I do.......give me a break.

siotwo

I suppose you right, annabelle. We had pleanty of good guys that at a year later, have stood by their work, but there were a few....

And to save a few bucks, even a couple thousand, will do no good if it causes grief later. Overall, we were/are happy with our builder and the house, and if we ever do it again we will be even more prepared. We've heard horrible stories and think we did pretty well overall.

Hey, I just noticed you're in NM...what part?

annabelle

Close to Las Cruces. They say building your home is one of the more stressful projects you can undertake. Glad yours turned out satisfactorily.