Purchased big project home, certain will need suggestions/advise/moral support too :)

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Floridagal

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We recently purchased a home was permitted as owner/builder construction. The home was going to be this couples dream home but as life changes so did their plans to finish the home we just purchased.

Our history of DIY projects have been complete remodels of bathrooms, and kitchen, and flooring (wood & tile). Husband is very handily, and is a licensed elevator contractor (new installation and complete tear downs/installing new).

The home is a 2 story 2788 sq ft 4 bedrooms/3 bath concrete home. The home has metal roof, all windows and doors (except for front door), 2 central AC units, all duct work complete, rough plumbing/electric is complete, shower pans installed, all framework done.

Brief list of what needs to be done (which I'm certain will grow)
Insulation walls and ceiling
Drywall
flooring
kitchen and bathroom cabinets, tile installation and fixtures
installing front door
finish staircase
railings around approx 12 x 10 area that is open to 1st level
light fixtures interior and exterior
landscaping
paint part of exterior/all interior

Once we start the project after the 1st of the year, I'm sure we will have many questions, and maybe even a plead for HELP now and then…we are going to transfer the owner/builder permit into our name and the engineer has agreed to allow us to use existing plans filed with the building department. We will sub-contract out jobs that we know are too much for us to do or something we don't want to tackle (knowing our limits) and when to let the pros do what they do, and take on the projects that we know we can do, and feel confident about being able to complete.

First question I have is, what is the average savings on labor when doing a lot of the work yourself?
 
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I don't think you can get a true average savings because of all the variables. What's your time worth, how long will you take, how does the quality of your finished work compare to that of a hired pro, equipment and tools you have or will need. To say you can save 50% in labor wouldn't be accurate if it took you 3 times as long to finish plus calculate the tools you had to buy and any mistakes you made.
I've done a lot of work on my own and for me it was more of an issue getting it done when I wanted, learning the project and self satisfaction of doing the job...even if it wasn't perfect.
I also know that I've paid contractors for jobs done that I had to repair after they left and even one that almost killed me.
 
If you know what you're doing I'd say at least 30%. Got a quote 10k for my patio. Did it myself and saved about $6500 . Fix the house roof myself for about $200 but the original quote was $1200. Most of the stuff on list you shouldn't have much problem with, just a matter of how much time have you got. BOL!
 
looks like your house is at the inspection stage for dry wall

questions>>>

have the inspections been done?
you need, framing/insulation
electrical
plumbing/hvac. do not proceed with out these

also. most residential permits are good for a year. you might want to ck if the permit you have is
1 transferable
2 still valid

befors sheet rock, using a 4' level, check walls for bows, ck door frames for plumb
ck windows for plumb/square
has cable been run? Dsl? smoke detectors? alarms? dryer vent? door bell?

is backing installed for cabinets? towel bars? TP holder?
 
looks like your house is at the inspection stage for dry wall

questions>>>
Frodo
have the inspections been done?
you need, framing/insulation
electrical
plumbing/hvac. do not proceed with out these

Yes many inspections have been done and passed, plumbing/hvac, electrical, framing, all that has been done has been inspected so far and passed.
Haven't started insulation or drywall yet.


also. most residential permits are good for a year. you might want to ck if the permit you have is
1 transferable
2 still valid

Yes, the seller pulled extension 2 year owner/builder permit, it's $200. to transfer into our name, that was one of the 1st things I did, as they only issue a certain amount of new building permits per year. If it wasn't transferable that would have meant it could take up to 6 mths before they issued new.

befors sheet rock, using a 4' level, check walls for bows, ck door frames for plumb
ck windows for plumb/square
has cable been run? Dsl? smoke detectors? alarms? dryer vent? door bell?

Dryer vent is in, all the electrical is above necessary… is exceptional work. Electric is run underground from road to home, city water is hooked up and all lines are in, along with county sewer system.

Cable is not hooked up yet, no permanent smoke defectors are installed yet.

is backing installed for cabinets? towel bars? TP holder?

There is no drywall or backing for cabinets or any fixtures in yet in bathrooms or kitchen. Washer/dryer hookups are in, water heater system is ready to be installed.

Checked all the permits, and pulled a history of all so that we have it at hand, in case we need to refer back to anything.

Thank you for all your suggestions and questions. All is helpful!
 
Frodo,

I answered your questions following yours in the blue box, not sure why the last part wasn't under your questions as well. But thank you for all your helpful questions.
 
If you know what you're doing I'd say at least 30%. Got a quote 10k for my patio. Did it myself and saved about $6500 . Fix the house roof myself for about $200 but the original quote was $1200. Most of the stuff on list you shouldn't have much problem with, just a matter of how much time have you got. BOL!


Johnv,

That's close to what we were thinking, we won't take on anything unless we are totally confident in being able to do it right. We feel confident in installing flooring, cabinets, appliances, insulation, hanging drywall, railings, all bathroom vanity's, hooking up existing plumbing, fixtures, interior doors, ceiling fans, interior lighting in the ceiling, and exterior lighting. There are a couple things that we will hire to have work done, such as staircase if it appears to be too difficult to finish, and drywall mudding/sanding for sure.

Do you feel it is in the final stages of construction, or maybe 70% to 85% complete?
 
Question regarding insulation….Since this home has a metal roof, and the warm climate most of the year, what would be the best insulation for the ceiling? Ultimately we want something that will help the AC be more energy efficient especially in the summers.
 
You haven't mentioned the approx location which may affect some of the answers you get. JohnV makes a good point, but remember the calculation will be different for each project - more like Beachguy mentioned.

Keep in mind other optional projects that you will eventually want. For instance, if you're considering central vacuum, HDMI cables, wired internet, remote speakers, you'll want to add parts before drywall.

But above all, safety first. A railing around the open the open area sounds like a high priority, even if it's temporary.
 
Slownsteady,

It is down in the Florida Keys, the home has been completely wired for any system, the previous owner wanted everything done, actually we won't need all that he has it wired for but will keep the availability just in case. I don't think a central vac is needed. If we were using carpet I'd consider but don't really see a point in it for us anyway.

I agree with you 110% about the railing, I was kind of surprised the inspector didn't require a temporary right away. Totally unsafe the way it is right now, so that will be the first thing we do. Our plans are to start after the 1st of Jan. We have 4 day work weeks, and a reasonable amount of time to take off whenever necessary.
 
We won't be getting building supplies in the Keys, we will get all from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. Some supplies we've ordered and shipped to the house, which has saved a lot compared to the prices of the same to the Keys.
 
I could be overstepping my welcome here. but i have a word of advice about living in florida

NIX--GET RID of the carpet. I lived in Orlando, titusville, and Christmas Fla.

sand gets in/on everything and is brutal on carpet. its called sugar sand, it filters thru the carpet to the mat...

with sand the way it is. a central vac. system is not a bad idea.

also, wire it for a generator. where you are is pounded by hurricanes, loose power a lot

tile and wood floors. use throw rugs, JMO :2cents: :beer:
 
Ahh...the Keys. Your issue down there will be with the dreaded keys disease. Nice place to live but hard to get much done. I used to spend a lot of time with friends on Key Largo. I'm over on the Gulf coast now.
 
Beachguy,

That's so true, we will try hard to not enjoy the time down there while working, and yes boating, etc, etc…it may take us the entire two years of the owner/builder permit…haha. We love it down there, and just happened to come across this home. The dreaded keys disease is partly why we will be doing a lot of the work ourselves, it's hard to find anyone not living on island time down there. We have friends that have purchased small fixer uppers, and that was their biggest problem…getting the guys to work a full day was unheard of down there. :)

Like the west coast too, we often go over to Lovers Key.
 
Frodo,

Yes, yes, a must down there in the Keys and even where we live now a "Generator". We have one where we are in Florida, and would never live without one. As far as the sand and such, you made a good point about the central vac. Not only because of the sand but the salt as well. We will defiantly check into what it all involves. That's something I think we would have to hire for installation if purchased.

I've lived in Florida my entire life….I would never have carpet in a home in Florida, area rugs yes…but never carpet. When we purchased our home where we live it was wall to wall carpet…. needless to say was the 1st improvement we made getting rid of it, and getting wood & tile.
 
Someone mentioned you've to buy your own tools and sometime they ain't cheap. They'll pay for themselves in the long run though. What are you trying to do with the stair case? Dont know enough to help ta there, just curious.
 
Consider the cost of living else about while you are working on this place. At that stage, we would be about six week to completion with contractors and a general contractor.
 
Someone mentioned you've to buy your own tools and sometime they ain't cheap. They'll pay for themselves in the long run though. What are you trying to do with the stair case? Dont know enough to help ta there, just curious.


John,

Since my husband is a elevator contractor he has a lot of tools, plus we know a lot of friends in different trades, all have offered their help by letting us borrow the tools that we don't have, we also can rent and buy some as well. Not sure what you mean about cost of living? Our primary home that we are keeping for a couple more years is fairly close to the home we've purchased. The cost of living is pretty much the same as where we live. Possibly you're referring to the cost of accommodations while we're working on the home? That will be an additional cost here and there but not much as we will be staying at one of our friends vacation homes down there. Once we get the CO we will be staying in the home.

If we lived far away, a few hours or more, the travel back and forth would be expensive but that's not the case. To our amazement we have found that gas nearby the island where the house is much cheaper then where are our primary home is, grocery stores are the same as where we live, the island where we purchased is a tiny island there is absolutely nothing on the island other then residences, and a big resort as soon as you cross over the bridge to get on the island. However, everything is within a few miles or less.

The staircase is up but, it's raw. No nearly finished, we can order a staircase kit, or we can have someone come in to finish what's there, living in Florida my entire we're not too familiar with staircases either.
 
Consider the cost of living else about while you are working on this place. At that stage, we would be about six week to completion with contractors and a general contractor.



Thanks, I was thinking about 8 - 10 weeks with a contractor and crews. The problem in the Keys is the contractors down there are double the cost then out of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach county because theres not a lot of them down there. This is partly why we will be doing a lot of the work ourselves, and sub contracting out some of the work.
 

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