Building a home

[Munchkin03]

I'm not directly involved in buildings, just construction observation from the client's side. Obviously, I deal more with condos and co-ops than free-standing houses, but I've seen so many people who buy $2M apartments that become serious money traps because they were developed by fly-by-night building companies:

• Have an independent inspector go through the building. The builder will want to provide their "own," but pick someone you're comfortable with.
  
  Make sure that the roof is watertight. Make sure that the contractor is willing to have a 20-year No Dollar Limit warranty on the roof.
  
  Make sure that the windows, doors, and skylights are properly caulked, are installed properly, and have 5 to 10-year warranties and acceptable Energy Star ratings.
  
  How are the walls? Gypsum board is what's common, but a bad leak (see above) can require an entire re-plastering of the affected room.
  
  Have your own architect and engineer review the plans. The builders work for themselves, but the architect/engineer work for you. You'll want the house to keep you cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and dry year-round.
  

Good luck!

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Have an independent inspector go through the building. The builder will want to provide their "own," but pick someone you're comfortable with.

Make sure that the roof is watertight. Make sure that the contractor is willing to have a 20-year No Dollar Limit warranty on the roof.

Make sure that the windows, doors, and skylights are properly caulked, are installed properly, and have 5 to 10-year warranties and acceptable Energy Star ratings.

Can't believe I forgot these three - all of these are EXTREMELY important. Some builders get pushy about their own home inspectors ("I've worked with this guy before, he's the best, yadda yadda.") but at the end of the day, it's your house, and you'll have to live with the consequences if there's a problem.

The roof is a BIG deal, as it costs an arm and a leg to make any renovations. Along those lines, if you have chimneys, make sure that the masonry work is solid, because you don't want any leaks or to have brick falling off.

One more thing to think about - if you need heating, give a lot of thought to whether you want electric heating or gas heating (a lot of times a cost decision), and (if you have a furnace/oil tank) what type you'd want installed. If you're living in a cold area, it could mean the difference between a comfortable winter, and hours spent on the phone with the repair people.