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Please share experiences with Owner-builder arrangement for homebuilding

Original post made by ownerbuilder, Community Center, on Feb 20, 2016

Hi,

I am in the design phase of a 2-story SFR and to say the least, the approximate quotes of building so far have been scary.

In order to look into other alternatives, Owner Builder arrangement was suggested by our architects. We did get a much lower quote for it (although it is still quite expensive IMO - but I get that the economy is strong).

I wanted to know if others on this forum have tried this approach or know anyone who has, and how the experience has been. To provide input, I am a stay-at-home parent so I will not be juggling this with a job, however, I do have a family and related commitments.

Thanks in advance.

Comments (2)

Posted by palo alto resident
a resident of Crescent Park
on Feb 20, 2016 at 1:14 pm

Owner Builder - by this, I assume you would act as the General Contractor for your project. Some questions to consider -

Do you have access to great sub-contractors? Will they be willing to work for you since its only one project?
How much do you know about construction? Will you be able to see when things are done incorrectly?
Are you very organized and able to manage large projects with many pieces?
Can you troubleshoot construction problems as they come up?
Can you make decisions quickly?
Is your schedule flexible in terms of being on the job site?

Good luck!

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Posted by Roger Overnaut
a resident of Evergreen Park
on Feb 20, 2016 at 9:53 pm

Consider employing a construction manager to hire and supervise your contractors.

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