@Nailbender
Seems I struck a nerve…..perhaps a little close to home, I reckon.
Just in case reading comprehension is not one of your strong suits, let me recap a few atatements
“while this doesn’t apply to every single person”
“I’ve been in commercial/industrial construction for over 23 years”.
Just because I offered helpful suggestions to people who may have never built a home before, doesn’t mean I didn’t do those exact things I offered. That was your first misconception.
In hindsight, I should have offered a 7th point: if you have to wait to get your preferred builder (we all likely know a builder(s) with exceptional reputations), then wait. They are busy for a reason.
The second misconception was regarding price. My home builder wasn’t the cheapest of the 3 I approached for pricing…..he was in the middle. The high guy obviously was throwing a number at it was way, way in left field. The builder I chose also happened to be the most helpful and thoughtful during the process, which I took as a good sign. Unfortunately, he ended up being a snake in the grass and I didn’t catch it until after we were 40% thru the build…..at that point we were well under contract and there was no easy way out. No matter your preparation, people can still be psychopaths.
Misconception number 3 is that You have absolutely no idea what I did and did not do on the front end of my project. I’m a planner. My wife and I saved for this house for nearly 10 years and had researched and planned what we wanted for easily 4 years before we ever got the ball rolling. The company I work for is essentially a subcontractor, so I understand that role too. We bid, sell, and perform a specific function on projects (structural steel and miscellaneous metals). We work under a GC or a Construction Manager (depending on the contract structure), we are almost never prime. I bid work, negotiate contracts and perform design assist. Heck, I even consult on construction lawsuits in my free time, so I’m not entirely a moron when it comes to the general thrust of modern construction. Do I build homes? No. But I do build things far more complex and with higher price tags than a house.
Misconception #4 is that I had any control over the subcontractors who worked on my home. That was the function of my builder. In fact, our contract strictly prohibited me from hiring my own subcontractors to complete the work without approval from the builder…..and he wasn’t about to approve anyone I suggested (because he was a difficult person).
So yes, I would say I felt I was relatively prepared to take the leap and hire someone to build a measly 3,400 sq ft house. Furthermore, because of the planning we put into place before we signed the contract, we had 1 change order and 3 allowance overages…..whooptee freaking doo. You live and die by the contract, so I’m the one constatntly reminding the builder of the contract language and repeatedly told him I only want what he was bound to in the contract. So ultimately, yes….I know more about the construction process than he did.
So….good morning. And thank you for your assumptions.
If you took my post personally, that’s on you.
