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1. CONTRACTOR EXPENSES FOR BUILDING A NEW HOME LIST INSTALL
2. CONTRACTOR EXPENSES FOR BUILDING A NEW HOME LIST CODE

CONTRACTOR EXPENSES FOR BUILDING A NEW HOME LIST CODE

Keep your eye on those electricians although they are bound by code to place sockets and switches at certain intervals and heights, they have enough leeway to make some bad choices! Not to single out electricians. nnigrt has a good point about the overwhelming number of decisions all the way down to which side of the kitchen faucet you want the soap dispenser.

CONTRACTOR EXPENSES FOR BUILDING A NEW HOME LIST INSTALL

We got nice hardwood countertops at IKEA and had a local carpenter install them, and finished them ourselves. There is a convincing fake that does not show fingerprints, and best of all it is not magnetic, so not cluttered with magnets and notes and kids' art (the exposed side is magnetic and is covered with all that stuff, but not visible to guests, only to us). We made the interesting discovery that real stainless steel shows fingerprints. Things that are harder to replace and have a huge impact on looks and life will be a better place for the money saved. Put the money into doors in the more public parts of the house. Hollow core may not be your ideal, but they are fine for bedrooms. By the time they need replacement years from now, your budget will have stabilized and you can get your dream models. Even cheaper ones have nice design options now. Cheaper stove, fridge, dishwasher, washer, dryer, shower-head are fine.

Now and for the first year or two you'll feel like you are bleeding money. I second the advice Sooz gave! Choose simpler but warm options. It doesn't necessarily mean you will use all of it, and whatever's left over can go to "bling" (or, more sensibly, decent landscaping) without digging into your retirement fund. The good thing is, having a contingency fund set aside is just that: for contingencies. We came in bang on with our second house, but we worked very closely with the builder to stay within the allowances he had provided (which were better than builder grade but not top of the line). And if you work well with your designer and builder, don't make any structural changes mid-build, and don't develop a sudden desire for top end finishes, it is possible to come in on budget.

None of this means your retirement dream is over: it means you get a plan and a costing that runs to 75% - 80% of your budget and go from there. It's a lot better to have an 1800 sq ft house and an untouched retirement fund, than a 2000 sq ft house and $50,000 -100,000 less in the fund. That doesn't mean you can't have a lovely retirement home: it just means you may have to scale back your dreams a little. In our first house, the local council threw in a lot of unexpected requirement (roof sprinklers, fire proof shutters - long story, ugh) that added thousands to our costs. You do not want to have every cent committed because yes, there will be unexpected contingencies. It is essential to have a realistic understanding of what it will really cost to get that dream home, and if it's at the very top of your budget before a brick has been laid, you need to do some serious rethinking. And that's where you start deciding whether something has to "give" - either in terms of the actual house design itself, or in terms of the "bling" you might want. When you have the plan, then get the costings based on the level of finish that you want. Start with the architect and a house plan - and the simpler the plan, generally, the better for keeping actual construction costs under control. Karen - I think maybe you're focusing a bit too much on the detail and not enough on the big picture. The pictures I've attached are a general idea of what our kitchen and family area will look like. Any input and advice from those who have gone through this will be much appreciated. Though we are not handy ourselves, I am able to devote time and energy in research and finding good deals online. The same for flooring, light fixtures, plumbing. Of our total building budget are there general guidelines for what percentages go towards specific areas? For example, what percentage of budget should go towards kitchen cabinets, appliances, etc? Because homes in our current area sell very cheaply and where we are building will be considerably more expensive it is important that we make every dollar count. We have a lot purchased as well as a home builder who we thoroughly vetted and feel very comfortable with. my husband is retired and as soon as we sell our home in are fairly rural community of Arkansas we will be moving to the Gulf Coast. and have a question for all you knowledgeable and helpful people on Houzz.