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Planning
Designing
City Hall
Financing
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Designing
Architects:
We decided to hire one. Was
it a good idea? We think so. It took a little while to find one though. We
talked to a few of them and found that you really need someone you click with.
We had ideas about what we wanted in our addition but really needed some help
putting it down on paper. We also realized we had a few "holes" in
our concept that needed the attention of a professional.
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Our Architect (Blue Moon
Design) was good and reasonable. For $3,500 we got a full set of
"working" plans that were arrived at after a maximum of three
iterations (after that it starts costing more). Keep in mind this was in '99
so Blue Moon's prices may have gone up but even if they have, they are well
worth the money. We had a plan nailed down after
the second try but I could see it going longer. By working plans I mean these
were not the 40 page CAD plans you see on Dream Builders or other HGTV shows.
They allowed a knowledgeable carpenter to build the house. There was not a
detail for every square inch of the house. Many dimensions were labeled VIF
(verify in field) which means "I'm not sure how these roof lines will
meet so see what happens when you do it". Many other things (window and
door trim, ridge design, soffits,...) are labeled "match existing"
which makes sense. We had a few surprises but all in all he (Todd) was
excellent. After going through it I now realize that you can have all the
plans you want, with remodeling, most things wind up being VIF.
How much could it cost? We
got quotes as high as $15,000. The average was around $4,000 so we did good
with Blue Moon Design and as I have said, we'd recommend them.
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Contractors:
After four quotes we decided
to pass on this one. Why? Because we couldn't afford the addition if we did.
Visit our Financing section to look at how we arrived at our mortgage amount (we
guessed). Once we had the mortgage and set out to get some real numbers we
realized there was no way we were going to get this done for $100,000. We had
quotes from $125,000 to $250,000 and that was without the cost of windows,
garage doors (we really wanted fancy ones) and bathroom fixtures. We figured
we do it ourselves and hope for the best.
A general contractor (GC) is
the guy that pulls together all the disciplines (foundation, framer, roofer,
painter, plumber,...) that make up a house and makes sure they all show up
when they should. He also makes sure dumpsters are there when needed, subs
(sub-contractors) don't show up until they are needed and the project is ready
for them (can't have the electrician there before the walls are up). For all
this phone calling and scheduling he gets anywhere from 10% to 15% of the cost
of the job. He may also make a buck here or there by marking up supplies.
Another option is to find a
good carpenter. This person is usually skilled in all the disciplines and
depending the scope of the job may be all you need. Even if he can't wire or
hook up plumbing he usually has a pool of sub he can tap into to get it done
for you. I talked to a few carpenters who went as far as doing foundation
work.
Do It Yourself:
Finding a good framer is the
first
step in doing this yourself. We lucked out and found a family member to do the
job. We were not lucky that he was a family member but that he was really
good. The framer is the guy that makes a house look like a house. He puts up
the floors, roof, walls, exterior plywood, installs windows and exterior doors
and does the roof trim. Most importantly he's the guy that has to make sense
of all those VIF's on your plans. This is so important in remodeling. He has
to mate the new with the old. He has to uncover all the surprises when the old
roof or walls come off. Make sure he's comfortable with renovation work and
not strictly a new house framer.
Ask him if there is other
subs he usually works with. It's a good idea to have subs that know each other
and work well together. Chances are he knows many of the local people in
the industry and has seen their work. He may also hook you up with a lumber
yard (open an account) and help you with a materials list. This person is
crucial to getting things going once the excavation and foundation work is
done.
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