Any good tips we are planning on building a home?

I have known two of my personal friends to be lucky enough to be in a position to built from the ground up and after the crap I saw I was just as happy we were not in that financial bracket and just happy to be in the home we have. I think the big thing is don't pay them too far in advance because once they have your money they get sloopy and hurry to get the job done so they make their next cash. You need to be sure the cement is poured and is of good guality cement otherwise it cracks and splits which makes for a weaker foundation. Those were the two main concerns my friends had. It's getting hard to get anyone to do a good job these days.

This is going to sound like common sense but not everyone thinks to do this. Ask for 4 references. 2 personal references and 2 from people they have previously done work for. My husband used to run a construction business. On the last house we built we used a plumber who our friend knew. We knew he drank but we assumed that he did this on his own time. Our mistake. The very first day he showed up with a six-pack and a radio. When the six-pack was gone, so was he. He had only worked like 4 hours and he left. It took 2 days to get him back there. And the behaviour continued. This guy put the project a month behind in the end and he regularly argued with my husband about his behaviour.

If we had spoken to two people who knew him and 2 who he had done previous jobs of this type for we might have gotten fair warning and not hired him to begin with.

May God give you patience and a forgiving attitude.

I would say get a number of bids.. and also referral.. ask for addresses of other houses they've built.. or whatever part they built..

I can suggest few tips because when father was building home we got so many unnecessary bills so i paid to the contractor and other related contractors because once we agree that contract we should read their terms and conditions so some times they delays and some time they charge over rates than our contract rates so building rates will go so high.

first question is do you have an existing home on the property? Second is where is the property located is it country or city area? third question you should concern yourself with am I paying to much? Check with your local zoning commission and see the average price for contracting. Also check and see what type of zoning there is in your area. EX: is it low level land or sandy land? The next thing you want to do is get an estimated time of construction and put a cap time on how long it will take. Have the contract drawn out to specific time frame for alloted time for construction. That way if they start dragging there feet to get it done you can penalize them on the price and make them pay you back for extending the time on completing. The biggest thing is make sure you build a good rapport with the contractor and stay in touch with him through every stage. that way if there is any changes to be made you can discuss it as you go along. That happens alot.If I was and I have built my own home I would pull all permits and be in control of the whole job just get you a cordinator to help you with the steps that needs to be taken. you will save $1000's by doing it yourself. The average contractor charges $75-$100 square for your home and more in many areas.In truth you can build it yourself for half that cost. Good luck and best wishes on your new home...