Your new home project’s success will be largely determined by choosing the right contractor. We’ve already suggested some ideas if you’re deciding to be your own contractor. It’s not as arduous as one may thing, but others simply don’t have the time to be their own contractor for their project. The advice in this article will help you choose the right contractor and ensure that your building experience is a positive one.

Construction and Technical Expertise

The first suggestion is to look for a contractor who specializes in the type of project you’re attempting. A contractor who is familiar with your type of project will understand important issues, such as the material specifications and the scheduling required to finish the job within your timetable.

A well-established contractor should also have an in-depth structural knowledge of the homes in your area - types of materials best for the climate, regional building permits and warranty requirements for the structure, etc. The more familiar a contractor is with your style of home, the better equipped he is to deal with structural issues that may arise during construction. Also, a contractor who is familiar with the structure of your home can give you a more reliable estimate than a contractor who is not familiar with your type of home.

Customer Service and Communication

It is very important for a contractor to listen and understand your needs and wants. While discussing your project with a contractor, he should show enthusiasm for your ideas and suggest ways to make them work within your budget. A contractor should also alleviate any concerns you may have about your project. Ask the contractor for examples of how he has solved home building challenges that are similar to yours in the past.

Be sure your contractor maintains a permanent phone line for easy communication. You will have questions and concerns during your project, and you will want to have them addressed as soon as possible. Communication is a key component in a successful customer/contractor relationship.

Look for a contractor who places an emphasis on customer service. He should be friendly, professional, and attentive to your ideas. When you check a contractor’s references, ask questions concerning the contractor’s customer service and how he/she deals with people. Previous customers can tell you if the contractor offers the customer service you deserve.

Business Experience

It is generally pretty important that a contractor have an established presence in your community with previous projects in the area for you to perhaps visit and check the quality of workmanship. A contractor that has worked five or more years in your community is more likely to have a stable business foundation, and therefore is in a better position to back up his workmanship and warranty.

You should also examine the contractor’s relationships with other experienced trade contractors (such as an electrician or plumber) in your area. Contact a specialist that you trust and ask him about a potential contractor’s professional relationships.

There are many other factors that comprise a contractor’s business experience, such as insurance coverage, licensing, and membership to trade associations, and these will be discussed in later posts. Until then, thanks for visiting!

For many, trying to read blueprints can feel like learning a new language. With all those lines, symbols and abbreviations, blueprints can boggle even the most intuitive among us.

At BestBuyHousePlans.com, we believe informed, educated clients can best communicate their needs, desires and dreams. During the home building process, new homeowners need to discuss their home plans with the bank, builder, subcontractors and maybe even a designer who will modify the plans. A simple understanding of blueprints assures that all the parties involved envision the end product in the same way.

While every designer creates and assembles home plans differently, an overview of the most common notations used in blueprints will come in handy.

Listed below are answers to our customers’ most frequently asked questions:

What sort of paper will my plans appear on?
Plans from Homeplans.com typically appear on large paper, similar to office paper, which comes in three standard sizes—’C’ (18″x24″), ‘D’ (24″x36″) and ‘E’ (36″x48″).

Reproducible blueprints are drawn on paper known as “vellum.” Plans on vellum paper, which is very thin and almost transparent, can be erased and redrawn. Plans need to be on vellum paper if the client intends to hire a professional designer, architect or engineer to make modifications.

Because the designers’ copyrights have been lifted, reproducible plans cost a bit more than regular blueprints. Without a copyright, unlimited copies can be made of the plans for construction of a single home. Vellums can be flipped over before copying to create a mirror-reverse set that can be used to build a home in the opposite orientation from the one shown in the original floor plan.

Vellums can be flipped over before copying to create a mirror-reverse set.

What do all these symbols mean?
All of the drawings in a set of plans appear in a specific scale, usually one-quarter or one-eighth of an inch. This means that every quarter or eighth of an inch measured on the blueprint translates to one foot in actual size. So, for example, a wall that measures two inches long in quarter-inch scale on the blueprints will be eight feet when built. All drawings are labeled to indicate the scale used.

A solid line with a mark at either end usually denotes a dimension line. This means that the area covered between the two marks equals the length marked above or below that section of line.

To determine the sizes and types of doors and windows specified in the blueprints, check out the floor plans and the window and door schedules. On many floor plans, beside each window and door on the floor plan is a letter or number in a circle, triangle or hexagon. These notations correspond with the window and door schedules, which indicate the sizes and types of doors specified by the designer, and are usually found toward the end of the blueprints.

What are the circles with numbers and letters inside them?
A line with, at one or both ends, a circle containing a number and letter serves as a cross section call-out. A cross section call-out indicates the areas of the design that include cross section drawings elsewhere in the blueprints. Cross sections show detailed features, such as ceiling heights, stair formations, and wall, ceiling and roof framing construction.

The number in the circle indicates the page where the cross section drawing is located. The letter denotes which sketch to refer to on that page. The arrow on the side of the circle shows the direction of the cross section’s view.

by Michael Romain

Welcome to our new blog. We’ll be posting info on home ideas, being an owner builder and all the steps of the various aspects of home construction.

The challenges and rewards of doing it yourself

You’ve decided to build a home. Sure, you’ve never done it before—but when have you ever let that stop you?

Stop right there. While acting as the contractor for your home can be rewarding—psychologically and possibly financially—the decision to do so is not one to be taken lightly. You would be wise to consider first whether you have the time to spare, the expertise necessary and the extra money the job may unexpectedly require.

Time to spare?
Contracting a home—your first or your fifty-first—is a time-consuming process. “Being your own contractor is a full-time job,” says Brad Johnson, president of the Minnesota Society of the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD). “If you don’t have the time for it, don’t do it.”

Your job as general contractor will be to gather several bids from and draw up proposals for subcontractors for each part of the building process, coordinate detailed work schedules and work with a lender to acquire financing. Tom Montgomery, president of Plan-It Consulting, a Minneapolis-based company that specializes in building company consulting, says, “There are roughly 30 to 40 different home-building categories that require subcontractors. The contractor will have to get three or four bids from subcontractors for each separate category. It takes a lot of time.”

After the bids are collected and decisions are made on tradespeople, contracts are signed and the contractor—that’s you—must choreograph the intricate ballet of material deliveries and work schedules. Subcontractor A does his job; then it’s time for Subcontractor B to come in; these jobs are inspected while Subcontractors C and D wait in the wings. Barring any unforeseen delays like weather or poor craftsmanship—in which case schedules must be adjusted and subcontractors summoned back to the building site (this involves several phone calls generated by you, the general contractor)—Subcontractors E through Z will (cross your fingers) be on time, complete their contributions to your home-in-progress and exit on the correct note.

As the project nears completion, you will be required to spend more time at the site, as much as an hour or two each day while the building crews are there, in the last one or two months of construction. Punch lists, quality checks and safety inspections are in your future.

You know your schedule and your limitations. If your regular job and your commitments at home are flexible, taking on these extra responsibilities may be feasible. If not, the decision to act as general contractor of your home should be made accordingly.

Know your know-how

If you’re heading into unknown territory, here’s the good news: Intrepid souls like you have weathered the same storms, and have published books and articles to assist those who choose to follow in their footsteps. Seek out these gurus and study their road maps.

A working knowledge of residential construction does matter when you’re a self-contractor. Many begin this project knowing that since they are personally invested in the house, the quality of the finished product will be higher than if a disinterested third party were acting as contractor. This may be true. But that means you must assess the quality of the work that’s done on the structure. Be honest with yourself: Do you know what to look for? If a job is done poorly, you must schedule the appropriate tradesperson to return and fix the problem, often resulting in other deadline setbacks.

After a frank examination of your expertise, you decide to go for it. You’re convinced you know the signs of good craftsmanship. Plus, your family is behind you. Now all that’s left is to convince everybody else.

Liability for safety and conditions on the site will generally fall upon your shoulders, although subcontractors will often be covered under their employers’ insurance. Talk to your insurance agent about whether your homeowners policy will be sufficient coverage or whether you should temporarily assume a more comprehensive policy.

The other professionals to contact are at the bank. Because self-contracting is often done by people who are not licensed, experienced professionals, don’t be surprised if getting financed is a bit more of a hassle. Don’t give up too easily, though. Lenders do exist that will take on the extra risk—you may just have to swallow a few more conditions, such as an overall project deadline or a slightly higher interest rate.

Which leads to the next consideration regarding this decision . . .

Money

Saving money is one of the attractive features of self-contracting, since a general contractor’s fees can total 20 percent of the building costs. Doing it yourself means getting more house for your buck. Just remember to figure in the time you’ll spend and the costs you may be forced to absorb as a result of poor workmanship, bad weather conditions and a multitude of other occurrences that professional contractors and their deeper pockets are more prepared to handle. “If you’re doing it just to save money, chances are you won’t. The industry will beat you up,” says Montgomery. The experts advise against making the builder decision solely based on money.

If you’re bent on doing it yourself, acknowledge your limitations and consider hiring a construction consultant. This person is typically an experienced contractor or building professional who can guide you through the home-building process. This person knows the industry inside out and can recognize an unreasonable bid. He or she has developed complicated work schedules before and can make suggestions for yours. His or her keen eye will catch craftsmanship flaws you might miss.

Perhaps best of all, engaging a construction consultant costs much less than hiring a general contractor. Plus, you’ll still have the satisfaction of being intimately involved in the building process.

You know yourself best. Before taking the home-building bull by the horns, take an honest look at your time, expertise and resources. The building process will be a memorable part of the finished product, and you want to be fully satisfied with your results.