After a few weeks’ delay, we are back on track with preparation of the foundation. Friday and Saturday we were able to get all the footers dug with the help of a rented Ditch Witch. This machine will dig the 24” x 12″ footers using modern building methods.
Through planning the order of the cuts, we were able to minimize the amount of hand work that will be required to fully prepare the footers to support the foundation. We had to go through a slight learning curve as we began the work. Discovering the best way to keep the lines straight, using a two-person team to help with start and stop points, keeping the string lines free of the dirt piles and assisting with raking level the start points for each dig made the work go more easily and enjoyably.
We took a video of the first cut… the cut for the entry door of the house:
Lessons learned:
Place the batter boards at least 8 feet out from the edge of the cut. This allows ample room for the Ditch Witch to maneuver to the end of each cut, minimizing the pickaxe work to be required later.
Make a practice cut on a location well clear of the foundation. This allows you to shorten the learning curve on how to line up the blades and keep the lines straight on the foundation.
On cuts that intersect another cut, don’t cut the first cut completely to the edge. The second cut can remove the material without the risk of caving in the sides.
Wherever possible, orient the Ditch Witch so that the auger is on the inside of the foundation. This will move the majority of the dirt to the inside of the foundation to use for additional fill.
Remember to use sunscreen on your neckline. I ended up with a sunburn there. Face, arms, hands were all fine… just the neckline got scorched.
Now that the footers are rough-cut, we are in the process of hand-cleaning the ditches and evening out the additional fill-dirt from the cleanup.
Amidst a bout with kidney stones, extremely hot and windy weather, we finished our building pad and foundation lay out. I started by staking out a general layout of the foundation, placing corner stakes for the foundation in the location that we wanted the house to sit. This was not an exact layout just a general one done with a tape measure, stakes and string lines. Since we sit on 5 acres with no required set backs and no easements, I was not concerned with citing the corner of the house +/- ¼”. It was sorta a “looks about right” placement methodology. Had we been building in a subdivision, I would have used surveying equipment to place the foundation exactly in accordance with the plot plan.
With my foundation line in place, I used a Bobcat and removed the top few inches of top soil under the foundation and scraped away the vegetation around the foundation for several feet. The solid material under the pad has been undisturbed for millennium and we are about 16-24” above the first rock layer. My footers will extend, in most cases, through the soil and rest on the rock. Combined with rebar, 3000psi, fiberglass impregnated concrete; I think we will have a very solid foundation.
I then placed corner stakes for where I wanted the pad built up. I placed them 5’ on the outside of the foundation perimeter. That will give me a good buffer to work with when doing the trenching for the footers, and provide material to create a suitable run-off grade sloped away from the foundation. I then used the CST/Berger 800’ Dual Beam Rotary Laser to set a perfectly level string line at 6” above the highest grade. The lowest point on the pad was 6” below the existing ground layer.
I ordered more than 200 tons of fill dirt and with a Bobcat I moved layers of dirt around the pad, using the string lines as both a perimeter guide and a height guide. As I moved the dirt I ensured I compacted as I drove the Cat in reverse with a majority of the weight of the machine on a nearly level bucket. The weight of the Cat and bucket being drug across the dirt aided in compaction. It is essential to compact between layers (4-8” recommended depending on soil quality) rather than filling completely and then compacting. Such a manner will result in only the top 6-12” being compacted and the bottom layer rather “fluffy” Over time the ground will settle resulting in foundation complications.
After the boys finished school, the assisted me in getting a fairly level pad (+/- 2”) by running supplemental string lines across the pad. Wherever the string touched the pad it was too high so I removed some dirt. Where the string was above the pad, I added fill and compacted. I was surprisingly able to build a fairly level pad using this method. During the evening and into the next day, we sprinkled the pad heavily allowing the water to trickle down into the layers as best as possible to aid in further compaction. I rented a walk behind vibrating roller and ran across the pad at least 4 times resulting in an even greater compaction.
I waited for the top of the pad to dry somewhat to prevent the caking of mud on the rollers. My concrete sub and a very seasoned home appraiser both were impressed with the work. Since I had never built a pad before I wanted a few folks to look at it.
The next step was to accurately (+/- 1/8”) lay out the exact perimeter of the foundation so that the footers could be trenched and the form boards could be placed. I purchased the CST/Berger 800’ Dual Beam Rotary Laser to do the work. I figured rental on the device for as many days as I would need it for the pad, the foundation, interior work, etc. would begin to add up. It thought it would be well worth my time to buy it. It took me a while to learn the nuances of the device and make sure I was taking accurate readings and properly setting up the level. In the end I will have a lightly used, well cared for device that could be sold. I am certain this is a cost effective decision.
String lines, batter boards and orange marking paint define the outside edges of the foundation.
I established a system of string lines and batter boards which defined the entire perimeter of the foundation. I used conventional methodology for this task, relying on 36” steel stakes rather than wooden stakes, given the density of the ground. I took several diagonal measurements where possible to ensure everything was square. Given the dynamic nature of the perimeter, with lots of corners and 45 degree angles, taking the diagonal measurements was not easy. My worst measurement was 3/8” over a 60’ length. I was striving for ¼”, but moving one stake impacts several others. It’s not as easy as squaring a rectangle with four corners. I think I will leave well alone and refine the “square-ity” in the framing stage. Once I was pleased with the work, I used line marking spray to trace the outline of the foundation, which you can see from the image. The next phase will include trenching the footers and placing the form boards, followed by rough in plumbing.
Before the buildup
This past week has been spent with various aspects of making life a bit more comfortable on the homestead. Such things as repairing a burnt out water heater caused us to learn a few new things(an error made by our electrician after power was supplied caused the tank to fill to only halfway, above which one of the heating elements burned out, shorted out the tank and began leaking).
We also began unpacking those things we will need during our stay in the RV and organizing things to allow some convenience. The bathroom inside the workshop is excellent… the washer and dryer are very handy… this is so much better already than the RV living we did during our evacuation from New Orleans after Katrina.
When we envisioned building ourselves, we really had not planned to do the site preparation ourselves, thinking it must be something to hire out. However, once we got the estimated cost of $7800 to build it up, we decided to put pencil to paper and see if that seemed reasonable.
After calling the local suppliers of fill dirt to compare pricing, getting information from them about compaction and delivery, we calculated how much fill dirt we would need to build up the pad to the desired 9″ or so. We also checked pricing on rental equipment and called up a brother in law with lots of dirt-moving experience. He provided some excellent tips regarding what type of equipment to rent, how to compact the dirt properly, etc.
After all this, we figured we could do it ourselves for less than half the cost. About $2400 in fill dirt ($11/ton in large loads; $16/ton for the last 15-ton load), and about $750 for a 3-day rental on the bobcat came to only $3150. We still need to rent the roller, but don’t expect that to be terribly expensive, perhaps no more than $150. On this first thing, we were able to save about $3500 by doing the work ourselves. Granted, it took a bit of time to master the technique of spreading the fill dirt evenly, so it may have taken an extra day of equipment rental, but it was still well worth the effort.
The work on preparing the site for building the house began on Monday morning with the renting of a bobcat for site preparation. Over the weekend, DH and the boys used the laser leveling gear to determine just how much slope there was to the building site. As it happens, it was only about 6″ total, so pretty level to begin with. After that, DH used the bobcat to scrape away the vegetation and dig the (very hard) surface off to prepare to add fill dirt.
The delivery of the fill dirt was very interesting. Arriving in very large trucks, they delivered 25 tons per truck (100 tons total) the first day… another 100 tons the second day and a final 15 tons in a smaller truck to finish off on the third day. On the second day, during the dumping of the load from the second truck, we had a bit of a scare.
The truck backed up very quickly, coming within 6″ of the RV. My not very excitable husband got excited and yelled at the driver to stop… just in time. I was filming at the time, so it is documented… the noise of the trucks are such that you can’t really hear my husband saying (as he walked away): “Boy, that was close!”
DH took time to teach the boys how to drive the bobcat… both of them thought it was great fun. No doubt their computer game skills helped them a great deal! We have some vids to post showing their skills… The first is of the oldest boy (13 years old), working the magic:
The next video is of the youngest boy (11 years old), at the controls of the Bobcat:
The pad has now been built up to a fairly level state, with extra space built-up around the edges to allow for porches, patios, etc. This weekend has been spent watering the pad in preparation for rolling to compress the soil further next week.
Well… as the infrequent postings have given testament to, the family has been very preoccupied with preparations for the big move to NM. We are packing up belongings in cardboard boxes, finalizing plans and routes, and getting more and more excited about it.
The workshop is nearly complete and we are very happy with the progress. We’ve had a nice driveway finished with stone and a small concrete slab poured at the workshop entrance. The interior is nearly complete. The job was made a bit more difficult for the subcontractors since hooking up the water and electricity are about the last things to happen. It no doubt made the cost higher since a generator had to be used for power, but it seems to have gone very well.
All that remains is the final plumbing hookup to the septic system, the installation of the pressure tank and pump for the well (as well as plumbing and wiring for that system) and the final installation of all electrical fixtures.
Here are a few photos of the progress as of this past weekend:
First, a view of the wall with water heater and laundry hookups. The pressure tank will be in the corner next to the water heater.
Next, a view of the interior of the garage looking toward the bathroom:
The photos were sent to us by my Dad, on a pdf. I’m sorry the quality of the resolution isn’t better, but it still gives a very good idea of the overall appearance.
We will have a somewhat circuitous route in our travels as we make the first trip from Georgia. We will be driving in a northerly route through Oklahoma so that we can pick up a second Clark Airborne bulldozer there. It takes us a bit out of the way, but is still much less time required than to make an entirely separate trip. We’ll be driving a caravan of sorts on this trip, driving both vehicles — the dually with the gooseneck trailer and two bulldozers plus parts and me in the Tahoe pulling a small U-Haul with the WLA motorcycle and bulky items packed to the gills.
{Can you notice the heavy emphasis on military vehicles that are featured in our belongings?}
The guys did a very nice job on the bathroom, adding in a fully tiled shelving area. The glass shower door is still to be installed.
Once those tasks are complete, we’ll have the pad for the RV poured so that convenient living can happen while we build the house.
The move will require us to make another cross-country trek to haul all the belongings. We’ll return with just one vehicle and use a rented truck to load all the rest of our furniture from the house in Georgia back to New Mexico for the final trip.
{Did I mention that we’ll be making another detour on the trip back to Georgia in order to drop off some bulldozer parts in Texas along the way… just thought I’d mention that…}
Have you ever had an exterior door lock mechanism fail? In our last home (a builder’s spec home, as we discovered after buying), we had not only one, but two different exterior door locks fail. After disassembling the locks, we discovered that pieces of the lock mechanism had simply broken and were not repairable. Now I’d never heard of a lock breaking from normal use in only 6 years’ time before this. Our guess was that the locks were very inexpensive locks — perhaps the cheapest the builder could find. They looked nice — had that stylish antique bronze finish that was very popular — but were obviously not robust.
So… we headed down to the local Home Depot (or Lowe’s — I forget which one) to buy replacements. We discovered a wonderful new invention: Kwikset Smartkey sets. Basically this type of door hardware is a middle-of-the-line quality knob set with a unique feature. You can re-key the locks to match your other locks. That allows you to keep the same exterior housekeys from your remaining locks without the expense of paying a locksmith to re-key the new locks.
I had another thought as we were matching the locks to the keys at the old house… if the entire house had Smartkey hardware, we could change the locks on our doors if we ever felt the need all on our own. You could even change them temporarily, say, if you had a housesitter for a particular period of time. This video demonstrates the method:
Since each door hardware set comes with its own key, you already have as many different possibilities as you have keys to begin with.
As we plan the details of our homestead, I am planning to look at Kwikset Smartkey door hardware for the exterior doors. By planning ahead and watching for specials, I should be able to do much better than paying retail locally. If I can find smartkey systems for similar pricing to other similar-quality models, it will be worth the effort. If you are just in the market for a replacement set, this might be just the ticket for you.
I found very reasonable prices on attractive Handlesets at the www.handlesets.com site.
The workshop is taking shape...There’s no doubt a lot of money to be saved by doing some or all of your home construction yourself. There are some simple ways of deciding how to sort that out. In some cases the requirements are governed by law. You may encounter the need for specific equipment, and finally there may be levels of expertise or physical abilities that make it impractical for doing the work yourself.
Building a house is a series of linked projects. Assuming you already own your land the project begins with research , learning all there is about the land, the type of home, construction materials, building codes and permitting procedures. From there it progresses to the design phase. The design phase encompasses everything from the house plans, the plot plan, the interconnection of all utilities, design of landscaping and any supporting infrastructure needed to prepare your homestead. The design phase never really ends. Changes are made up to, and in some cases, well after you move in. The more effort you put into the research and the design phases, the less problems and cost overruns you will encounter due to changes and oversights. You also have the permitting process. This requires lots of time and effort to get your well permit, septic permit, building permit, electricity run to the site, and cable/phone hook up.
The projects continue with excavation/site preparation, foundation work/masonry, , rough-in plumbing , framing, roofing, rough-in electrical , more plumbing, installation of HVAC system, , insulation, drywall installation, exterior finishing, , painting, flooring, bathroom/kitchen installation, finish plumbing , finish electrical, miscellaneous items, punch-out list (completion of all minor items needing touch-up/attention) and a final inspection . Each of these phases (and this is not a complete list) impacts the other. Some can be done concurrently, where others must be completely done before moving to the next phase. If errors are made in one phase, they will compound themselves with each subsequent phase until corrected. That costs time and money. The projects that I’ve highlighted in Blue above are the ones I will definitely do myself. The ones in Red will be subcontacted out. The ones in Black are undecided. As you can see from the list above, we should be able to save a significant amount on labor and project management fees.
The Law
Each state is different. In some portions of the state of New Mexico, a person, who is not a licensed contractor, can act as their own Owner-Builder. We are building in a region where you can perform your own plumbing work. Any electrical work requires that you be a licensed electrician. I suppose you could study and sit through the test and get a license, but there are a lot of aspects relating to electricity that are, in my opinion, worth allowing a professional to handle. One could also make the same argument for allowing a licensed plumber to do the work, but in my case I am going to do that work myself. Legally, in the county where I have submitted my application for my building permit, I am allowed to do everything except electrical work.
Equipment
Some jobs require a minimum of equipment to perform. Installing rolled insulation is one of those. You need to cut the rolls, you need a staple gun to secure them, and you need a ladder, or in some cases a small section of scaffolding to comfortably and safely reach the high spots. You will also need eye protection, respiratory equipment, and a set of coveralls to minimize the intrusion of the fiber material into your drawers! Other phases of the construction require a significant outlay of equipment. Some of the equipment can be purchased and retained for later use on the homestead, whereas others can be rented. Depending on how experienced you are with the equipment, the rental costs could exceed the cost of the tool itself if you keep it rented for 2 weeks! I am comfortable renting trenchers and small tractors, but anything else I plan on buying unless I do not see any utility in having that tool on the homestead. We plan to install a metal roof. Some of the bending and long cutting tools can be expensive; unless you plan on doing sheet metal work on the homestead they are not practical to buy. I’m not sure where you would rent those tools either. Based on tools, I do not plan on doing any of the metal roofing work myself. I will also leave the concrete pouring and finishing to a subcontractor. For most of the rest of the jobs, I have set aside an equipment budget to purchase or rent the hand and power tools needed. Then, after the homestead is built, I will have a suitable variety of practical tools for other projects. It’s also a nice excuse to buy more tools!
Sweat of your Brow and Know How
I’ve never built a house before. I’ve acted as a subcontractor on a home, closely supervised the construction of another, and lived in several other homes ranging from new construction to one built in 1893. We’ve moved 18 times over our 30 year marriage. My level of expertise is wide, but not deep. I have a lot to learn, and I have to gain a lot of experience to get it right so that I save money and build a safe house. Three things will help me here; research, reading and good friends who know what they are doing. The friend is not to ask to do the work, but to ask for advice and guidance. In our case we have such a friend and we are making it a business proposition as mentioned in an earlier thread. The combination of his advice, my back-work should result in victory. There are some things that I feel uncomfortable with. Roofing comes to mind. I know absolutely squat about metal roofing, and as mentioned before I do not have the tools to do a proper job. I’m planning to leave that up to a subcontractor. Stucco is another one of those areas that I consider an art. I could probably learn how to do it over time, but there is a reason why underlings apprentice for awhile before being turned loose. We’ll sub that out also. Things like painting, trim work, installing insulation, installing cabinets, sheet rock installation, tile work, I feel comfortable that with a little guidance and some basic tools, I can do those things myself. Framing is an area that I have not made up my mind on. I think I could frame a custom house, but I think it would take me 5 times as long and in the process I might waste the savings of not using a sub on mistakes and re-work. The home I’ve designed has a rather complex roof line, that if not done properly can be costly. Not to mention, a 10:12 pitch roof is tall and that is not something I can do myself. A final thought on framing is I can probably get the house framed and the roof dried in within 2 weeks before the heat of the NM summer kicks in if I subcontract that portion out. After that, nearly everything else will be done in the shade with a breeze blowing through the open walls.
I suppose time becomes the final aspect of deciding what to do yourself. In our case, I am retiring, so my “retirement job” will be building the house. Rather than paying a general contractor to do all of the coordination and scheduling, I will do that myself. If time is a factor and you do not have everyday free to work on the house, it will either take you much longer to finish an owner-builder home, or you will have to subcontract nearly everything out. As far as the time value of money; many of the Owner-Builder books discuss the saving as being in the 10-15% area for this alone. For a $200,000 house, that is as much as $30,000! When you add up the costs of all of the other labor, the amount subcontactors add on to projects for ordering and delivering the materials it could add another significant amount to the savings. The more you do yourself, the more you save. I estimate that the house will be built for a cost that is approximately 60-70% of a turn-key purchase. For a $200k house, that’s a savings of $60-80k.
Colorado Trout StreamA homestead without water is not worth much. Without your own source of water you are reliant on someone else, your savings/income or yet another government entity to provide you life’s most precious commodity. Checked the price of bottled water lately? A trip into the gas station food mart reveals that water costs 3-5 times more than gas. Granted you can find it cheaper in the food store by the case, but why do we pay such outlandish prices for bottled water? Do we not pay taxes to have clean and healthy water piped into our homes? What are you going to do if the water is contaminated, a pipe breaks, and water taxes go up? If you are totally reliant on the city water supply, you are not in control of the most precious commodity.
In other nations there are wars over water. The continent of Africa and elsewhere is seeing an increasing demand on potable water and water for irrigation. I will not leave my family at the mercies of a government system, municipal worker, or on 75 year old pipes. Do your own research and check it out for yourself. Simply type in Global Water Wars or words to that effect and read the data/news/speculation/hype/scaremongering or however you want to categorize it. As the world’s population grows so too does its demand on water. If you think it does not affect you here in the US you might want to do further research. The demand on the breadbasket of the world (the US) is growing. Our use of water nation wide for irrigation, landscaping and entertainment is growing. Many states have already imposed limitations that impact families and businesses. Check out the news on California, or how about Arizona’s need to secure water for Phoenix and Tucson, how about sink holes in the Southwest, what about the NM/TX water dispute over the flow of the Rio Grande into TX? All of these factors and many others put increased pressure on government agencies to create more restrictions and raise taxes on use of water. NM Capped Well
I have taken matters into my own hands by finding land where drilling a well is permissible. In most cases you cannot do that in the city, and many residential areas of the suburbs do not permit it either. There are cities and other municipalities that ration water usage by law. Each city, county and state has different laws and restrictions. Start by doing some research into where you want to build your homestead. Get the facts; find out which regions are hurting for water, which ones suffer from contaminants and which ones are pushing for more restrictions and taxation. Here is a good start: http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2005/1279/pdf/circ1279.pdf
We have land in New Mexico. We are in a rural area and we are permitted to drill a domestic well. Our well was drilled to a depth of 320’ to secure a consistent supply of fresh water from the aquifer. In NM you can service one acre from a domestic well. That should be enough to grow enough crops and tend a few animals, and if you are inclines, have some productive landscaping. From the enclosed photo, where the stand pipe from the capped off well can be seen, it may not look like a great place to start a homestead, but basic concepts such as hugelkultur, constructions of swales to capture rain water and use of a cistern to collect runoff will turn this into a lush environment within a few years. You can also purchase additional water rights. The cost can be a little as $1,500 per acre up to several thousand depending on quality of water right and source.
We also purchased some land in Colorado. The land has a small year-round stream and we are waiting for our well to be drilled. With any luck it will be complete before the end of January, weather permitting.. We were told it should be between 100’ and 180’ to get consistent, good water. CO requires that you have at least 35 acres before you can drill a well for domestic use. That explains why most parcels of land are at least 35 acres. That is one of Colorado’s measures to restrict water use and keep the aquifers replenished. Each state and regions uses different measures. NM had at one time threatened to put a water meter on every private well. That measure has not passed, but depending on future usage and shortages that could change also.
Wherever you decide to homestead, I urge you to secure a suitable supply of water; one that is controlled by you, with only the minimum of restrictions imposed by others.
Demographics We spent a lot of time trying to figure out where we were going to homestead. There were several practical, personal and emotional considerations. Of course, financial capacity will drive the eventual choice, but the full spectrum of $/acre within a given region can be rather wide. Each of these factors had its influence on where we decided to purchase and finally build. Having moved 18 times during 30 years of service with the military we had the opportunity to live in and travel through many countries, states and regions. Each location in which we spent time had its appeals and detractors. In some places we enjoyed the weather and terrain, in others we enjoyed what the local area had to offer in terms of activities and freedoms. Regardless of where we were, we always asked the same question, “How would we like to retire here?” Many of the considerations which went into our decision seem like common sense, but the emotional aspects of our lives can overshadow our good sense. You may want to begin by using your emotional and personal considerations first, and then apply the practical considerations to your shortened list of places you would consider building a homestead. For purposes of this article I will begin with the practical first.
From the practical standpoint there were numerous considerations that we evaluated. Simple on-line research was available to answer questions about things like local, county, state and property taxes. Tedious analysis of things such as census information, crime statistics, education levels, drug seizures and arrests, population factors, per capita income, vandalism, health risks and EPA information were all valuable in helping us to form an impression of the area. It seems that evaluations by county were the most reasonable way to get a feel for a certain area. Since we weren’t interested in living in a subdivision with restrictive covenants, we were not as worried about the situation in the nearby population centers, although that data provided some clues as to the conditions in the surrounding open areas. We are not opposed to closed-in residential areas with covenants; we are just opposed to further restriction on our lives. Part of sampling the ‘flavor’ of the research is determining how many government, local and civic groups would be telling us what we could and could not do. Granted, a failure to restrict standards in a certain area can impact property value, but freedom is, in our opinion, more important than property value. When establishing a homestead we were in for the long-haul, not for the short-term capital gain. If you evaluate the factors mentioned above, and spend some time getting to know the area it is conceivable that you can find an area with limited restrictions where the neighbors aren’t going to build a human waste disposal and redistribution plant!
Begin with with a state or a few states that you like, pick the type of terrain in the state(s) that you favor (mountainous, near a lake or river, open rolling terrain…whatever), determine how far from a city/town you want to live and then begin digging through all of the data that is available on the area. Eventually you will rule some areas in and exclude others. When you are reasonably sure you have selected a few regions that you think you would be happy living in begin checking property availability and price. There are dozens of land sale sites that will yield tons of information. I like: www.landsofnewmexico.com You can substitute any state in place of New Mexico (i.e. www.landsoftennessee.com) and search for land, farms and ranches in the state of your choice. You can drill down to the county level based on your research. There is also a nifty map search feature.
Personal and Emotional Considerations
Once you have narrowed down your search into several regions or counties you can then apply your personal and or emotional considerations. You may have a particular social or political affiliation to which you are drawn. It’s obvious that in America some of these types of issues can be demographically influenced. Each region, state and in some cases counties, can be polarized for or against issues or values that are near and dear to you. If you are absolutely opposed to 250 pound wolves having 100% protection from hunters because you want to raise sheep in the northwest, then there are probably some places you would choose and avoid. Again…do the research and pick an area that you would feel comfortable with and one which supports your lifestyle. We ended up finding about 3 counties in 2 states that had an appeal to us. We used a small traveling vacation as a method for seeing the terrain, getting a feel for the region and beginning to answer the question, “How would we like to retire here?”
For us, being near to family was an overriding consideration. We feel the proximity to our parents was a necessity for our young children, our family values and for us. We wanted to live near our parents to spend as much time as possible with them. We’ve simply been on the road too long. Although we were drawn by the research to the state of Tennessee due to weather, terrain, limited taxation, and certain freedoms afforded, it was simply too far from where our immediate family lives.
As a compromise we purchased land near both parents, and saved a bit more to buy another plot of land in a region which offers us nearly all of the things that meet our other needs in Tennessee. It is only 5 hours from where we will build the homestead and offers us the opportunity to get to the mountains, do some fishing and enjoy a different climate. Keep in mind that depending on where you purchase, land prices can be in the realm of less than $1,000 per acre. One does not need 100 acres to begin, nor does one “need” to buy in the “select” areas either. In my opinion “select” denotes a region where the inhabitants focus on a lavish lifestyle and/or property values, and that invites restrictions, lawyers, prying eyes and a reduction in privacy. Having been told that my 2007 Chevy C3500 HD dually was barely fit to park in the subdivision because it looks like a “contractor’s vehicle”, I am sensitive to the protection of my “freedom”.
These were simply our considerations. What you chose to focus on is your business. When you spend the time evaluating what you desire and applying it to the regions that you think you would like, then you will begin to zero in on the ideal homestead for you. Good luck…it’s a fun adventure!
During the design phase of the houseplans, the kitchen is always my domain. I pull out my grid paper, mechanical pencils, and, using standard cabinet sizes, draw out my plan. This takes many iterations and, even now, is subject to change.
I’m very flexible about particular cabinet sizes, depending on what I can buy for a very good price. As many people will do when beginning a project like this, I took my initial kitchen dimensions and started with booklets picked up for free from Home Depot. I think people have the idea that buying cabinets from Home Depot will be less expensive than buying them from a custom cabinet installer. I have to say that I am very skeptical that this is a good assumption, after my research. Looking at the cost of cabinets available from the “Ready to Assemble” (RTA) places indicates that there is a generous profit margin between materials cost and delivered, assembled cabinet prices.
Once I had my initial plan put together, I then called the Home Depot cabinet help line and got an actual quote for the cost of the cabinets. In my discussions with the very helpful lady on their cabinet design helpline, I learned that Kraftmaid (which I assumed was a less expensive line) was one of the most expensive… right up there with their Thomasville line. To my surprise, she informed me that the Martha Stewart line was one of the more affordable lines. I also learned that the Hampton Bay cabinets that are offered on their site, are not part of their design services (if you order those, you are on your own!).
Oh, my gosh! They were so very expensive compared to what I thought was a reasonable price. After choosing one of the least expensive designs on the Martha Stewart line, I submitted my plans by email to the lady at the helpline. It took nearly 2 weeks to get a quote back. The quotation (for kitchen cabinets alone — not any bath or laundry cabinetry) was $16,242, not including sales tax or shipping.
I quickly became very motivated to seek out other sources. I discovered something called RTA cabinets (ready-to-assemble). There are many websites that offer discounted cabinets in this form. The main difference it that, as the name implies, you have to assemble the cabinets from the components after they are delivered to you. You can still choose the type of materials, hinges, panels, drawer style, etc. that you would expect from any other cabinet source. Other than the fact that you had to do your own assembly, however, I cannot see much difference between this and the cabinets sold by Home Depot. For the additional work involved in assembling the cabinets yourself, you can save a really huge amount. Not only will many of the sites offer you free shipping for larger orders, but you pay no sales tax because it was purchased out of state.
Taking it one step further, if you are willing to choose cabinets from the selection of cabinets that are on clearance, you can save even more.
One of my favorite sites (so far) is cabinetgiant.com. For example, at their site, if you choose a “closeout” cabinet design, you’ll save over 50% off most of the cabinets compared to their regular price (which is already much less than Home Depot’s comparable assembled products). Choosing a style called Brindleton Maple, which is not on closeout, using my kitchen plan with upper and lower cabinets, crown molding, and all the finishing materials, my estimated total came to only $6,910.
courtesy of CabinetGiant.com
Using closeout cabinets in their Antique White style for Bathrooms and Laundry Room cabinets, the total came to only $2,112. Now, granted, I had to modify my design slightly when certain sizes were not available in the closeout pattern. But for less than half the price at Home Depot, I’d say the extra time is well worth it.
We are not yet to the point where I can push the button and order these cabinets, and the current closeout stock will most likely be depleted by the time we are ready for cabinet ordering. However, this exercise in estimating the expected cost and exploring the possibilities will serve us well when the time comes.
So, although I realize this isn’t for everyone… if you are pretty handy with assembling things using simple tools, and if you are building a homestead, or even just planning to remodel a kitchen or bath, consider ordering ready-to-assemble cabinets and save yourself some big bucks.
Postscript: After Patty’s suggestion, I got started learning SketchUp. I still have a long way to go, but here is a first draft at a new kitchen plan (plan view):
Ah... much better.
Google’s SketchUp is very nice, free to use and offers some nice tutorials. If you are interested in downloading it, you can find it here:
The first place to begin is the web. Most every locale has an official government web site which should contain most of the information you need to start your planning. For this article, I selected a town in Arizona, far away from where we are building to use as an example. I selected Yuma, Arizona. I simply entered the following search and started to explore; “Residential building permit Yuma, AZ”. The first hit took me directly to the government site which answered the basic questions for obtaining a residential building permit. I focused my search on information on the page relating to a permit for an Owner/Builder. After a bit of reading on the first page I found the following:
“For more information about building permits and fees, contact the City of Yuma Department of Community Development.”
A few additional clicks looking for Yuma Department of Community Development I was at the Building Safety Division, where several more questions were answered regarding required documentation, fees, and time required for obtaining a building permit. Within a few more minutes I found this quote,
“The department recommends that an Arizona licensed contractor be hired to coordinate all phases and types of construction for your project; in fact, most commercial construction requires a contractor.”
This led me to believe I could act as an owner builder, although it was not 100% clear. A quick call to the Community Development Office (928-373-5175) will confirm I was correct.
Establish a working relationship with the Clerks
The first call to the city or county offices is where you establish your first relationship with the workers. I always ask for a complete name and phone number so I can readily speak with the same person each time. In big city offices, this is not always possible, but it does save both parties a lot of time explaining who you are and what you are trying to do each and every time you call. After a few short conversations over the course of a few days you get to know your government contact and it will become easier each time to get your answers. I always collect several questions and call fewer times rather than calling several times with every single question. After a while you will be on a first name basis and get nearly all of your questions answered. A few general rules are:
Treat them in the same manner as you want to be treated. Don’t treat them like drones. You might be the 24th caller of the day asking the same, seemingly stupid, question.
Always be respectful and patient. You’ll get more with a kind word than a sharp condescending tongue. You reap what you sow.
Write everything down so you can remember the answers to questions. I sometimes find myself asking the same question twice because I could not remember the answer from the call 2 weeks ago.
Conduct the basic research before you call. You can many times get the answer you need by going to the city/county site for information. Don’t forget to look for the state building codes. Most of your answers about what is required are in the state codes. It will save you several phone calls.
Always remember, the person you peeve off may be the person performing your building inspection. You don’t have to bow and grovel, just treat them kindly.
Get most of the documentation right the first time
You will be required to submit what seems like a mountain of documentation. Make sure you have the correct forms, you have it all filled out correctly, and your details are legible and conform to the state codes. The more work you do up front, the easier it will be to get your permit. In doing so you will begin to build rapport with your city contact and they will probably be the person doing your inspection.
Again, I found a wealth of information on the web. I was able to copy and paste specifications, drawings, sectional drawings and reproduce much of what I needed from things I found on the web as shown below in the foundation sectional diagram.
The use of a computer floor plan program will be a big help as well. I found the Punch! Program to be very useful. I was able to submit about 80% of what the city needed directly from my home computer. None of my drawings were ¼” = 1’. I simply used the “print to fit page” function, made sure the detail was legible, and made annotated notes in the margins using the text mode of the program. I was surprised how easy the process really was.
Framing details from Punch! Software program
Be humble
Most of the folks in the government offices have been doing their work for many years and they are true professionals. In some cases they have over 25 years of experience. Yes, there are the consummate drones working in the office, but that is not the rule. Most know their work very well and have much of the information about codes, requirements, zoning and variances memorized. They will invariably make mistakes, so don’t stick it in their face. When I found discrepancies between what I was told and what was on the site I humbly directed a question to the person with whom I had established a relationship and asked for clarification. It worked every time. I did not care who was right, and I was not concerned about telling the clerk, “I told you so!” I simply wanted my documentation to be correct so I could start the construction project. In my case, the person with whom I worked answered every question I had. I did all of this over the phone while living in a different state 1300 miles from the construction project.
After all my preparations were complete, my father-in-law submitted my plans on my behalf. I was not even there. They were approved within 2 days without question. The foundation and plumbing inspector showed up at the site on separate visits and spent a total of 3 minutes on site. They knew me by name, they had high confidence based on the documentation I had submitted, and there was a greater level of trust based on the work I had done before I even called the office.
A short time after I had submitted my documentation, I got a phone call asking if I wanted to be on the city planning and zoning committee. I ascribe the reason they asked me to be on the board to the fact that I established a good working relationship with the clerks, I got most of my documentation right the first time, and I acted out of humility.
