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Building Tips - Choosing Your Builder |
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It's easy to find good builders and contractors, and here's where to look:
* Local lumber company - Go to the "builder/contractor sales" department and ask for the names of two or three good builders who do most of their own work.
* Local bank/real estate lender - Local lenders only make loans to good builders. Ask for the names of two or three good builders who do most of their own work.
* Local building department - Building inspectors know the good builders. Ask for two or three names of good local builders who do most of their own work.
* Referrals - Ask neighbors or friends, or look for new homes nearby. Cabin Kits use standard framing and construction. Any builder or contractor who has built standard homes can help you.
Helpful tips and secrets some builders hope you never read about!
There are two basic costs in any home: Labor and materials. Labor costs represent the time spent... hours, days, etc... doing a particular task. Materials costs represent... the costs of the materials used.
Your Cabin Kit plans and blueprints are important. Builders and contractors will use your plans and blueprints to calculate the labor needed to build your home or cabin. In fact, without plans, you can't get reliable bids and proposals.
But what happens when you supply the materials?
Your Cabin Kit materials package includes all the materials needed to construct the complete weather-tight exterior shell of your home. Walls, roofing, windows, doors, siding... everything (see specs here). There's nothing extra to buy. In other words, you are in total control of materials costs. There are no "hidden extras" or hidden "mark-ups."
Most good builders like having the customer supply the materials... especially when the materials come in one shipment, ready to use, with a complete inventory of everything the builder will need. It saves the builder labor costs and unnecessary trips to the lumberyard. It also provides the builder with a detailed list of which materials are to be used for each task... thus avoiding errors and mistakes.
Note: Some builders feel threatened when customers buy materials. Why? Because the builder can't add his usual mark-ups. Getting more than one labor bid is the smartest way to make sure your new home or cabin gets built on time, on budget, at the lowest cost possible.
Helpful hints that can save you thousands.
Builders who use the old "mark-up" method sometimes claim they can buy the materials locally at the same price. Of course, they can't. But their proposal may try to show lower material costs... while they make up the difference by charging you higher labor costs. (Just like the car salesman who offers a higher trade-in allowance... but gives you no discount on the price of the new car.)
Some builders also "front load" their proposals by over-charging for items you can't trace... like excavation, grading, concrete and foundations. (Front-loaded proposals can also make labor costs appear lower than they really are.)
Tip: Use your Cabin Kit plans to get labor-only bids... in writing... that keep you in control. This way, you can see line-item labor costs, not just lump-sum totals.
Avoiding the hazards of "low-ball" bids and proposals.
"Low-ball" bids and proposals are dangerous. When a project can't be built for the quoted price, you could be left with a half-completed home, thousands of dollars in liens and un-paid bills, and nobody willing to complete the project. And regardless of your rights, the damages and the recovery of lost money can take years to resolve.
Tip: Enjoy the comfort, security and peace of mind that makes building your new home or cabin the thrill of a lifetime. Use your Cabin Kit plans to get written line-item bids and proposals that let you ask questions, get answers, and compare "apples with apples." Your banker will insist, and so should you.
Want more information on making a budget for your project? Click here
Your comments and questions are always welcome. To receive the kinds of information and materials that are most helpful to you, feel free to email us a reply.
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