Build My Own House - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about Being Your Own House Contractor

Have more questions? Ask Carl!


1. BE YOUR OWN GENERAL CONTRACTOR AND SAVE

• How much will I really save building my own home?
• How much more can I save if I do some of the labor?
• How much can I save on remodeling & additions?
• How much do I need to know about building to be my own General Contractor?
• How much of my time is this going to take?

2. PLANNING TO BUILD MY OWN HOME

• How do I know how much I can spend towards a building project?
• How do I know how much I can borrow on a mortgage or construction loan? What's the difference between the two?
• Do I buy land first, or do I decide on a house plan first?
• Where do I find house plans?
• Is the cost per square foot to build the same for any size house?

3. ESTIMATING THE COST TO BUILD MY OWN HOME

• Is there an easy way to figure cost per square foot before I start to look for house plans?
• How long will it take me to complete the cost estimate found on page 33 of Be Your Own House Contractor?
• We just finished our first estimate for a set of plans we thought was going to be our dream house. It's way too expensive. Our dream is turning into a nightmare! What to do?

4. SUBCONTRACTORS

• I have heard some horror stories about subcontractors. How do I know I won't turn out to be in one of those stories?
• How do I win over subcontractors from their regular builders?
• My foundation sub wants 25% down before he will start my job. This makes me nervous. What do you think?
• How do you find good subs?

5. HOME BUILDING SUPPLIERS

• One stop shopping - time equals money

6. CONSTRUCTION FINANCING

• Are combination construction loan/permanent mortgages better than separate loans?