Looking to Build your own home yourself? Here are the Pros and Cons - in a Tough Economy
Should you build your own home without a contractor? There can be a strong incentive for the owner to take on the building project and hire the subcontractors and buy the materials directly.
Managing one's own building project can be exciting but it can, at the same time, be risky. There are booby traps which, if not handled, will siphon away any savings. Considering being your own contractor? Here are some pros and cons:
Pros
Saving Contractor Fees - A contractor tallies up the cost of materials and labor and adds 15% to 25% on top . This covers overhead costs and profit for his troubles. A viable markup is about 20%. You can save this markup by being your own contractor.
Control - A building project involves dozens of workers. As contractor you are boss. You work directly with these people. You make special requests and assure the work is done to your own standards. Owners can often spend more time on the job than the professional contractor.
Changes are relatively easy to make - Perhaps you find a good deal on fixtures or materials. Perhaps you find a place for a plant shelf, enlarge a closet or move a door. Good design and specifications will reduce the need for these changes but opportunities to change will be usually be found. As contractor you can accomplish these with minimum hassle.
Pride - We have all felt the pride of accomplishment. It is a good feeling. Contracting your own home will give you a feeling of accomplishment that is nearly unmatched.
Cons
If you're financing your home, banks will not like it. Regardless of your experience, banks want the job done through a licensed construction company. There are many reasons: Owner-builders can involve the project in activities that the banks can't condone ranging from "under the table" deals with unlicensed sub Contractors (resulting in lack of warranties, shoddy workmanship and many other problems). Additionally, the inexperienced builder is will likely to miss and allow errors to occur that are expensive to fix or are ignored and covered up. This can reduce the value of the home. Unless you are looking to finance your own project, being an owner-builder will be a problem.
An experienced builder is aware of many things as they oversee a building project. Situations are noticed by the pro that may not become a real problems for several months. These can be handled when discovered. This foresight is a mark of an experienced builder. It is an awareness created by experience. If the Owner-Builder lacks that ability regarding construction there can be expensive ramifications.
Some sub contractors and material suppliers take advantage of inexperience. They may provide bids for services and products that are not complete - then charge extras later when you discover that a vital aspect was missing. Also subcontractors know that it is often more difficult to deal directly with owners due to inexperience as well as a "this is my baby" attitude than can be burdensome to them. Prices of materials and labor can be higher in the long run - eating into any savings.
Time is a factor. Contractors earn their fees. A well-run project requires lots of attention - including obtaining bids, managing subcontracts, creating material lists, monitoring the work, getting inspections and babysitting the inspectors. If you are retired or not working this may not be a problem. It is important to remember that the time you spend is valuable itself however only you can judge its true value.
Summary
After more than 30 years in the business, working with owner-builders and contractors (and being both myself), I sincerely believe that hiring a contractor, especially in these times (2011) is the better way to proceed. Contractors are making deals these days. The ones still standing are generally experienced and worthy of trust. The contractor's fee saved will likely be wasted in ways that are unforeseen to you unless you are experienced in the industry.
It is not a question if you CAN build a home yourself. The question is - SHOULD YOU? In my opinion, the answer is usually, "No". A licensed and experienced contractor will prove worth his or her fees and will save you money and headaches in the long run.
Which is more desirable - a single or a multi story home? This is an intriguing subject which I am frequently asked. The reply is, as is typical with many such debates, " It depends". There are pluses and minuses to each. Let's inspect the pros and cons of these two choices and then weigh the outlay to build each type.
Plus-points of a Single Story:
Easier to build. - Framing and other structural requirements are usually less.
No stairs - Stairs can be beautiful to view but sometimes are a deal-breaker, especially if there are current or foreseen disability issues.
A more sprawled design - one can generally place elements farther apart on a single story home. It's sometimes helpful to have the master bedroom and the kids bedrooms separated adequately.
Cons of a Single-Story
Takes up more room on the property.
If it has a basement then that can be so huge as to be unmanagable.
Generally more roofing area which can create more occasion to leak.
Pros of a Two-Story
More compact - Can fit more onto a single, small lot.
The look - Two or more story homes can be quite sensational. One can have two story atriums, majestic entries, etc. that really set the home design apart.
Separation - There are types of separation that can in fact be done better on a two-story. Getting the bedrooms upstairs can get them separated nicely from more common spaces below. In homes where entertainment is to be done this can be a nice quality.
Cons of a Two-Story
More complex to build.
Can cause accessibility situations in certain cases.
Present a larger area for wind forces - structures will have to be a bit complicated.
Investment Comparison:
In my time as a designer and builder one and two story homes tend to be similar in price tag.:
A two story home has one roof which covers more living area which makes it it more cost effective. Point for 2-story
A two-story home has one slab/foundation system which works to support more structure - thereby a bit more cost effective. Point for 2-story.
A single story has a simpler structural system - usually simple exterior walls and a roof - whereby the two story has the stairs and the upper floor system. Point for 1- story.
With a two-story one can get away with a smaller lot. Point for 2-story.
With a single story one can utilize, especially with cement block walls, a less expensive finish such as stucco over block. On a two-story we always have the issue of how to cover the second floor. Point for 1-story.
On a single story homes, most through the roof venting, including chimneys, may be run to a lower height. Heating ducts and piping can be complex on a two-story. Point for 1-story.
Though costs tend to balance out, for any given living area, the the call as to which to build will be hinged upon many things - but mostly upon what you want. You may have fond memories in an old 2-story home you were a child in up north. As in all design, you create what you want.
This is the great thing about custom design and built homes. You are the final say! It's up to you. Hire an expert designer and engineer and you can create and build most anything.
As the illusion of ever-increasing complexities and danger is amplified by 24 hour news and the apocalyptic shows on Discovery and the History Channel some may wonder if they need to better protect themselves in their own homes.
Can one’s own home be a safe haven during the worst of storms?
In 2004 and 2005 US was hit by several hurricanes and we saw (or experienced) the destruction of these events. Homes today are being built by high structural standards – however they are designed, in reality, for wind events that occur in mid-sized hurricanes. Get a really big storm (a Category 4 or 5) and all bets are off.
Beyond evacuation and other very wise precautions, you can still provide for a way to get to safety in your own home by building what is called a safe room.. These are sometimes called storm shelters.
A safe room is a small windowless room that has been strengthened to resist the effects of wind pressures and the impact from windborne debris generated by extremely severe weather. These are becoming rather common in Florida and other hurricane state.
A relatively cheap storm shelter can provide you and your family with a sense of security knowing that there is a space in your home that will withstand the forces of the worst hurricanes. These can also act as tornado shelters.
What is a safe room? It is usually a small space within the home that has special walls, ceilings, fastening systems and doors and are (to use an engineering term) really, really strong They can serve the vital purpose of providing safety for you and your lovelies during those scary events.
I’ve designed a few myself for folks who value the room’s existence even if they never actually use it. Seems a lot like insurance, doesn’t it?
These rooms can be separate or can be some part of the home, like a walk-in closet, which is built like the proverbial brick stink house. They need to be isolated from the main structure so that as the main home becomes unglued and turns into countless fragments, this little oasis of space remains unscathed.
The best way to do this, above ground, is to build a concrete storm shelter with walls that are reinforced masonry, with all the cells (the holes in the concrete block that you have seen) filled with reinforcing bars and concrete. Generally we form and pour concrete slab roof over top. This can be relatively inexpensive do to if you are building your home – it is easy to work into the structure.
One of my clients had me design his master walk-in closet and bathroom into a safe room. Its ceiling was designed to be concrete and rest just below the bottom chord of the trusses. The trusses could blow off and basically the entire home could collapse yet he and his family would remain safe.
Any structural engineer can design such as space for you. FEMA has a great guideline called FEMA320A “Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room inside your house”.
Of course, we can’t nor should we worry all the time. Life has its inherent risks. But, like insurance, a safe room can offer peace of mind – even if you never really use it.
I cannot express the joy of watching our hanger home come to life under the detail oriented guide of Ken. His keen ability, to take our ideas and tweak them to be even better, was a talent that quickly impressed. We would use Ken again in a heart beat Thank you Ken!
