If I was to have a house built, how closely should I observe the builders? I mean, how prevalent is cheating on materials and scimping on bulding techniques?

How would I be able to even recognize anything going on?

Is there a way to reduce the cost by helping do the build?

I am not sure of any of teh details myself but found a couple of websites that give detailed information on building a house.

About Building a House

This site has a book you can download and print for $29.95
Will show you how to save thousands when building your new home without being the general contractor.
Contains dozens of money saving and convenience tips. These trinkets of gold will make your life easier for years to come.
Contains important healthy house building tips that will help you build a healthier house. This is especially important information for those with allergies or other chronic illnesses.
Arms you with information and tools that will help you avoid the house building horrors and give you peace of mind.
Sounds like it would be very helpful and more than worth the $29.95 and they guarantee it too.

Also, just found a site with information on building a house on a limited income. check it out.

My parents had our house built when I was five (it was in a neighborhood that the contractor was working on though so it might be different). They said he was a nice guy and they were good friends with him. They'd come by every now and then to check up on the building. My parents are pleased with the result and we've lived in it for 13 years last Halloween and counting.

How much cheating and cutting corners?

LOl - more than most imagine.

Yes we have our building codes and inspectors, but if anyone considers the numbers against inspectors they soon start thinking that there is no way that an inspector can do a bang up job of inspecting each and every single house.

A lot of inspections are cursory, just a glance - there is a random process of selecting a few houses for close inspection - especially in the tract housing where one company is building all of the houses.

The theory is that the Contractor will not know which house is getting the real close look therefore they will not attempt to cut corners.

I am utterly amazed at the number of people who attempt to hire me to build an addition, or do some serious home improvements. I am a handyman, says so in my ad - I am not a contractor - but I could easily take advantage of these people.

I may be honest about it, but the sad truth is that there are many out there who are not honest.

Therefore it should be important to select a contractor who has been around for a while, who can show you pictures of jobs they have done, have a license and have history with the Building Inspectors office - I don't mean bad history, but has been inspected over and over again and have proved they are above board.

One can easily get a history on any contractor by using their license number.

Many contractors will allow you to do some things to reduce cost - this depends on what local building code says.

your best bet is to shop around, see what they say.

Your building inspector is your best freind, they not only know the law but also know what is and is not right in building methods.

cheers

David

I agree with David. Lots of strange events take place.

A good contractor will not be the cheapest by any means. When some contractors are hungry, they'll underbid and hope to get the job. Well, when they come in with the lowest bid, they must cut some corners! (No pun intended.) Sometimes they lose money on a job, for the mere fact that they bid themselves out of any profit. (Other contractors don't like these guys!)

The best way to protect yourself is to get a firm contract price and include a statement to have the construction reviewed by a licensed home inspector.

ask to view the blue prints and ask ?s
if you dont understand blue prints then study up on them a bit so you know a bit then ask ?s. the more info you know the better you are. and if you can under stand the blue prints even just a bit then your off to a good start.
ya it might bug them so what its your house.
as long as they remember that then all is well. remember its your $$$$$$$$$ : whom ever did the design should be able to tell you everything that goes in the house maybe a list too if your really nice $$$.$$
ya ya that bit about the inspector is good too have him there and no corners should be cut. so many crooks these days

I have to add to this post. I manage a professional building. It is only 9 years old and professional built.

I am still find short cuts and mistakes they made. Every to the point that the blue print don't jive with the construction.

If I was having a house built, I would be there at least once a day to see what was happening. If I did not understand what they were doing, I would ask someone who was independent to advise me.

There is a lot of paranoia when building a home. Customers that aren't comfortable with their contractor haven't been careful enough in the selection process. There are a lot of honest and good people in the building industry. There is a lot to lose for a contractor that doesn't satisfy their customers, more so than for the customer if you have a good contract that they work from. I suppose it depends on the strength of the market in your area, but around here I'd venture a guess that most of the middle of the road priced contractors are pretty straight and narrow. They give you a price up front which includes material and labor and then they have the obligation of trying to get the best deal and doing it under their bid. You need not worry about whether they buy too much or too little material when they are building to a previously agreed upon price for the complete work. Contractors that are honest and straight with customers are very likely to be on the look out for customers that are paranoid, unreasonable and likely to sue them... there is a lot to lose when residential customers are the type to sue.

My firm belief is that you spend a lot of time getting to know your contractor, checking references, then you negotiate a contract based on very clear drawings and specifications including the work of an architect, making sure everything you want is clearly noted, that you have a clear warranty and you will end up resting quite easily. If you form an adversarial relationship with the contractor by incessantly bothering them while they try to get work done, they are more likely to not give you the benefit of the doubt in situations that are in the gray area especially regarding extra costs.

It just makes sense that a reasonable responsible person will work better when dealing with customers that treat them well, have confidence in them and ask questions but not make demands... especially because demands from your average person are generally not reasonable and often come from fear rather than informed opinion.

If you are not sure about how to proceed then the services of an architect will provide you with the necessary comfort level while a project is built. Sometimes the architect and builder do not get along but in general that is a better situation than you going it alone.

Building a home is incredibly stressful. I've seen it rip many marriages apart. It's not something that anyone should do if they can be satisfied with an existing home AND especially not a good idea if you are stretching financially to do so. There are always unexpected costs unless the builder has built 100 identical homes and even then, issues arise.

I know that many builders cut corners. You have to find someone you trust... and likely not a good idea to use a friend. Best to find a well recommended and trustworthy stranger.

The worst position I can be in as a builder is when a customer thinks they've made a mistake in their design process. People get very nutty when they feel silly and since most people don't have a keen sense of what something will look like or how it will perform, this happens pretty often. As I've said before, this type of expense and absorbing experience is very stressful and people can often become different people while they are in the thick of it. I've met customers years later and am often shocked at how light their personality is in comparison to the time I was dealing with them.

Ok heres what you need to do. Get a builder who has been around the area for a while. If he's stayed in business a while most likely he don't do shifty work. Secondly, keep a good watch over the work, but don't knitpick the job while the contractor or his workers are there, look at it in the evenings after their gone. If you see any problems bring it up the next day to them. Rule of thumb if it looks like its wrong most likely it is. Also, builders who leave a job trashy at the end of the day should give you a red flag.

I agree with MikeRo. It's your money. Take care of it by making sure it's not going down the drain. Contractors are just people. There are good ones and there are bad ones.



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