I just found this site and have found some great advice from it already. Dale in Tampa, FL

James's Forum Posts: 5
Journal Entries: 4
Average Forum Rating: 3.67



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Carpet prices up

Posted to Capernall-House by James in Belleville, MI on 5/15/2008

A week has gone by and the bids are slowly returning. I did receive a big bid back for HVAC (geothermal) and the price is a lot higher than I thought and estimated almost 25% higher. I know a ground-source heat pump had extra cost, I just thought the cost wasn't that much higher. I think that the installer has padded the bid, because they also do electrical and that is almost 25% higher. That just makes me want to get more bids and shows how important it is to me that I get more bids, and take my time. The only reason I would take the geothermal bid is the value of the equipment they install and the backing they provide.

Talking to a local flooring company last night; they received letters from most of the major carpet mills and they are going to increase their prices by 5% to 10% sometime after June this year. The increase doesn't seem like much, until you think that 1,000 sq. ft. is going to cost at least $250 or more. The store manager said the store is going to try and keep the price down. So far so good, bids please hurry and get back! Home Depot should be calling back to get their bid. They said that their price will beat my best bid. Only time will tell.

That's all for now,

James

Posted by Jere in Ray Twp., MI on 7/4/2008 Jere's Forum Posts: 45 Journal Entries: 6 Interview Answers: 137 Average Forum Rating: 3.70 Jere's Selected Image 7/4/2008

James, If you are still looking for geo thermal estimates, contact Erv's Heating & Cooling Solutions (810) 357-6479. My parents had their house converted to geo a few months ago and they are extremely happy with the quality and workmanship, plus it was the best estimate that they got. Jere

Waiting Game

Posted to Capernall-House by James in Belleville, MI on 5/7/2008

Moving slowly... being out of town for work doesn't help speed up the process. More bids returned and new bids sent out. I am waiting on a few more bid before we have a complete price list. Some prices you think are good, but then I talk to my framer and find out they are out of line (high). Talk about a good friend to have in your corner.

Gas/oil prices are affecting everything up and down surprisingly differently. I am waiting on HVAC (two geothermal and two standard), plumbing (I have a friend, but need the second price), electrical, siding, excavation (who is also a stone supplier), painting, drywall, more interior finish items (carpet, laminate, tile, vinyl). I am glad I found this site. I am using a spreadsheet from this site to cover all items.

We'll have more hopefully next week.

James

Being Organized

Posted to Capernall-House by James in Belleville, MI on 4/29/2008

Update!

It has been a non-stop run. Having a good source for your subs is helpful. I know a few builders who are very willing to give out their subs; in this market it keeps the subs working and in the area. A lot of people are moving all over for work, and in Michigan it is worse than anywhere else. I have sent plans to many different subs.

It is hard to keep track of the who, what, where, when of getting bids. Being organized is a large part of building a house. I have a list of everything, and anything needed, for building a house. I have found that if you have a table you can keep plans, bids and other misc items and keep it all there in one spot, you will not believe how organized you can be.

I have received a few bids back from subs and the prices are looking good. As long as the trend (prices) stay that way, I will be under my budget goal (at the end I will post my starting numbers and the final numbers). The insulations bid for fiberglass batt/blown and blown-in cellulose are very close. So far the bid are apples to apples and very close in price (if you are interested in hard numbers, send me a message). I hope to have the big bids back by the end of the this week. Of all the bids, we will see if the house package breakout (two bids from local lumberyards the big builders are using) and HVAC (geothermal) bids (three bids) are good, or if I need to get a couple more. Waiting is the worst part of budgeting for a house.

The house we are planning is not a large house: 1,802 sq. ft., but a modest one. I like The Owner-Builder Book site, and all the items that people put into their own house. My wife and I like clean, simple items. We are putting in nicer things, but in a modern kind of way. We are being mindful of the cost of owning and operating a house.

At this time the total cost of the permits for TWP, Health Dept., driveway and drain are going to be about $2,000, not including inspections.

That is all for now.

Jim

Posted by Dave in Richmond, CA on 4/30/2008 Dave's Forum Posts: 7 Average Forum Rating: 3.50 Randomly Selected Image 4/30/2008	Congrats on your progress! If you are able to post budget info I would love to learn more. Dave
Posted by Grant in Blacksburg, VA on 8/9/2008 2008, 2009 Merit Award Winner Grant's Forum Posts: 363 Journal Entries: 20 Interview Answers: 164 Average Forum Rating: 4.05 Grant's Selected Image 8/9/2008	Any chance you'd be willing to share the tables you are using for organization? I'm looking at various spreadsheets right now trying to figure out which method will work best for me and I'd love to see what you are doing. Regards, Grant

First Entry

Posted to Capernall-House by James in Belleville, MI on 4/23/2008

The first post on the construction of our new house. I finalized the plans a week ago and am getting bids in. Jason Farmer did a great job on our plan and getting them out in two weeks. If anyone is interested, I will send you his info. I sent him an idea and had the main floor and elevations in a week, and any changes were done very quickly. I received the plan set, but Jason also provided scaled PDF file - and that is helpful to send out to subs without having to drop off prints everywhere. We are very pleased with the results.

Photos

Elevations

Main floor