Thank you Mr.Hetzel, I think that many of you think you are being helping and I really do want to thank you all for your advice but I think all the doom and gloom comments are NOT helpful because of the way it is said that makes it sound so negative (I shouldn't do it myself because "?" could to happen to me--type of advice). Organicfarmer gave me Useful advice in a Possitive way that can help me (and others) in a "can do" way. I look forward to hearing from you all, Southern Gal

Hey Southerngal,
I have always found you can call your inspector anytime you want and ask questions. If you have that attitude, on of teachability, they will take an interest in your project. I have never seen an inspector yet who was 'driven' to get to the next site. By and large most contrators are negative toward them. The are human and will respond to human kindness like anyone else. what a bunch of crap these naysayers put out...Whatever we focus on gets bigger in our lives, if you focus on problems, WELL...
nuf said. I for one Live in Solutions. Buiding a house is not rocket science. I cannot tell you how many times I have been given plans by architects that cannot be built as drawn. Yes there are plenty of nightmare stories out there. Usually those stories are the product of a "I know it all attitude". Someone who is thirsty for knowledge, and who is able to learn from the mistake of others usually has a good result.

Hi Organicfarmer, Thank you for your up-beat advice. I called our parish permit office a couple of weeks ago and talked to one of the building inspectors, he couldn't have been nicer. He answered my questions and gave me some good (positive) advice that I didn't even ask for. I appreciate guidance, such as advice on the pros and cons of metal over seal tab on a roof or pex vs copper pipe for plumbing (I have a water well). How about smart ways to save money that a novice doesn't know about. Thank you all for your comments.

Man, am I sick of this.

You asked for advice and opinions, and that's exactly what you have received. Maybe you should have been clearer and asked for support and blind optimism.

I for one am sick of hearing all of the valid opinions you've received described as "negative". Next time I won't waste my time giving my opinions and advice based on 18 years of industry experience.

At no point did anyone tell you that it CAN'T be done, we merely pointed out the possible pitfalls and related the difficulties we've seen in the course of our careers.

organicfarmer makes an interesting contradiction in his post from July 27 when he first calls us "naysayers" and later points out that "...Someone who is thirsty for knowledge, and who is able to learn from the mistake of others usually has a good result."

If it hadn't been for all of us "naysayers" you wouldn't have even HEARD about the mistakes of others. That's EXACTLY what we've been imparting to you all of this time.

I guarantee that you will have occasion to use much of the "negative feedback" we've given that has so frustrated you up until now. Of course, you'll likely only remember organicfarmers cheerful posts and consider the other knowledge you've gained as "common sense" as you've discounted it out-of-hand from day one.

So this is me, signing off from this thread. I wish you only the best in your project, and hope that your obvious intelligence and forethought serve you well. I'm sure they will.

Well said CowboyGP, thank you.

Hmmm, I thought this thread was about construction managers. It seems to have drifted to 'why one should not be a general contractor'

and the latest question is 'how to save money'.
First since I have been accused on conrtadicting myself, I need to address that.

My interpretation of several of these posts is that this couple should not be in charge of their own house. I call those naysayer posts.
If I remember correctly, more than one even had the words, "don't do it".

These same posts, can be used as 'experience of others' as they point to potholes along the way. I expect life to throw me curveballs and oddballs. That does not mean I cannot simply run around the end and accomplish my goal. Just cause I stub my toe does not make me invalid.
I knew nothing about Organic farming when I fell off my scaffold and had to give up building. I am now a farmer nine years later.
I expect to gross over 10 grand per acre this year, no small feat for a very small farm. Many folks told me I could not do it. The farmer who sold me this land said "you'll never make a crop there, the land is too wet". I am disabled and have had four back surgeries, melanoma problems, and I won't go into the latest problems. This farm keeps me active and involved in life to the fullest. It is only because we have been having so much rain, like 5 inches a week lately, that I found this list interesting again. I initially signed on while helping out in MS with Katrina reconstruction.

I will address how to save money in the next post.

Hi, been busy sorry for the delay.
First of all there is no way to save money on building a house. The project will always cost more than you figure. I always add 10 percent to the bottom line for Murphy's Law. Spending a little more in the beginning will pay off later.

I prefer ICF, (insulated concrete forms) because of the R value, bug proof, sound proof and a stucco outside for low maint. I would plaster the inside and save on the sheetrock. You can save big bucks by buying discount windows and making your design fit them. You also save putting plumbing walls back to back. Tile is available at closeout prices on discontinued runs if you look for it. Stay away from discounted laminate flooring. You could do your own tile work, it is time consuming. Same with interior painting. If using ICF, I like metal studs for interior walls, they are cheap and save time for plumbers and electrician.
Metal roofs survive Hurricanes, three tabs don't. I prefer foam insulation, which costs more in the front end but will pay for itself in the long run. Same with geothermal heat pumps. If you use some solar design; that will cost more up front, (longer overhang to screen the summer sun but let in the winter) but save in the long run. Look for discounted doors that were ordered but not picked up. If you want to look for cheap windows and doors, do that before starting construction and change the plans to fit. Don't make changes after starting construction. That blows all budgets. I prefer to insulate the rafters instead of the ceiling joists in hot climates. That saves on the duct differentials and will lower your heating cooling costs. I also like radiant floor heating which costs a little more up front.

Catch my drift. Whatever you are planning on spending on this project, you can bet you will go over budget. Just plan for it and save the stress.

Most of this is just personal preference. I don't like square houses, built too many of them. Round walls always cost more up front, but are easy with ICF> Concrete drive is probably cheaper than asphalt, at least it is here. Flatwork you can form yourself and hire a crew to pour it. (drive and sidewalk)

I also put my own plumbing in under the direction of a plumber and drop the pump in the well, saving hundreds. The last house I built was in Maine and we did all the inside wiring ourselves. The electrician did the panel and the stubout for the power company, we were allowed to do the rest ourselves. If you use bat insulation, you could do that yourself, but would not probably save enough to warrant the agravation. I also use Mills Pride cabinets, a knock down product. You could put those together yourself. I saved about two grand over ready made boxes in my own kitchen. Recyled light fixtures can save too.

Thank you for the good advice, I really appreciate that you took the time. I am going to acid stain the concrete floors. My neighbors new house has stained floors and they look GREAT. They did the whole house themselves and it only cost them $350. I understand some things will cost more in the beginning to be able to save money in the long run and I will make sure I have extra in the budget for cost over runs. I am going to put a metal roof on my new house and was wondering what type of insulation do you recomend and would you also insulate the metal? Thanks again!

I would use minimum R 30 overhead. R 45 would be better. Metal is usually applied to stripping, 2x4 2' on center, run perpendicular to the trusse, that space is needed for air circulation to keep the metal from sweating. Insulation would be applied either in the ceiling joists or in the rafter with special attention to the air flow and ventilation at the ridge. Blown is cheaper and put on top of the sheetrock, can be applied to whatever values you need. Just put a raised platform for the air handler. The reason I prefer to keep the insulation in the rafter is to keep those parts of the A/C system protected from the high temps in most attics. You would have to use 9 inches of fiberglass to get R30 and it would be hard to install because the depth of the truss is only 3.5 inches. Wires would be needed to hold it, lot of hard, painful labor and most people won't do it.
Metal will sweat in slight differentials, the idea being to keep the temperatures as close as possible on both side of the metal. Metal roofing is easy if you have a simple straight gable design. Just be careful to not scratch the finish. We always did our own, metal comes cut to specified length or you can get a blade that fits in a skill saw. You don't need steep pitches down south where you are. 4 or 5 in 12 is walkable. A hip roof is always much stronger and more stable than a gable. The scrap from one side fits the opposite side when roofing or sheathing.

Hi, I just went to a builders expo yesterday and talked to a couple of vendors about foam insulation. They recomended 1 pound in the attic and 1/2 pound in the walls. My roofer said I didn't need to insulate the metal of the roof but of course the insulation guys said I should. That 1# foam would be better for all the way around cooling especially for the AC. I thought an attic (house) had to "breathe"? They said that was "old school". I like the foam insulation but I don't want mold or house sweating problems. My roof is basic gable 8-12 pitch with another gable over the 2 front bedrooms. I want to put a window in each gable end, mostly because I like the way they look. Thanks for the very useful info!

If you plan to use foam in the space between the rafters, that will require sheathing the entire roof. I would not recommend putting metal directly on the sheathing unless adding cross stripping of at least 1x4 to increase the air venting directly under the metal. In the case of fiberglass, baffles are made to keep the space open directly under the roof decking for ventilation which is accomplished by soffit vents for intake and ridge vent for exhaust. That is how conventional vaulted ceilings are vented and insulated.

I am sure you already know to get extra insulation in walls using standard fiberglass batts, 2x6 studs are required. The other method is to apply 1" foam board under the siding and frame with 2x4's. None of that is necessary with foam insulation sprayed jobsite. It is a superior insulating material and R 19 or better can be had in 3.5 inches which is the normal cavity produced using 2x4 studs.

Your design would produce enough attic space for additonal living area if you use a hand framed roof design. Increasing the ceiling joist size now would not cost that much extra. Trusses will not allow future expansion upstairs. Insulating the rafters would be a logical thing to do in that case.

Sweating and mold comes from humid air. The attic is insulated. It will be more or less what the temp is in the house so that differential that is needed, (cold moist air hitting a warm slick surface) cannot happen as would say in the case of a cold A/C unit in a hot humid attic.

One tip for Southergal or anyone else doing thier own GCing. Get a personal liability policy on yourself before work begins. Normally $1,000,000.00 in coverage. This is just in case you are sued by someone who is injured or killed (probably be his family sueing in this case)on YOUR jobsite. This could be a tradesman or even a neighbor just checking things out who gets whacked. These policies are very minimal when added to your bottom line and are available as an add-on to your homeowners policy.

Just a side note: General contracting is not rocket science. Anyone with a good amount of common sense can do a fair job at it...providing they choose wisely on the subs. Subs will make or break a budget. As I saw in an earlier post; it is very smart to have the next in line check the sub before him for work quality; ie the sheet rocker checks the framer, the rocker primes and the painter checks for flaws before begining his work. Just remember that as the GC you should have checked the work WHILE it was happening. Even if the sheet rocker finds flaws with the framing it means delays in the sheet rock going up AND trying to get the framer back to correct AND if you are running a tight schedule you may be P.O.ing the painter and trim guy becuase you aren't ready for them when they are scheduled. If you GC your own house......BE THERE AND MAKE IT SQUARE. (I had to rhyme in here somewhere.)

Now THIS is what I call good, "positive", useful advice! You and Organicfarmer are giving the kind of advice that is needed. Keep up the great suggestions! Now, what do ya'll think of pex pipe? Keep in mind that I have well water and copper is super outrageous. You would not believe the stealing that is going on since the hurricane, even in broad daylight. A church in New Orleans got robbed 3 times and the last time it flooded because the water was turned on. Thanks again!!!

I really like pex, we used it for baseboard heating and water in a house I built in Maine. It is fast and cheap and easy to add on to if needed. It can freeze without rupture.

Another thing is wire. We have had the wire stolen out of the last job in Pass Christian. The panel was on the first floor and the A/C handlers and units were in the attic and on roof. The theives removed all the heavy wire to the stove, oven, A/C, and sauna. The house is listed at 1.1M.
Another way to save money is to eliminate those long runs in the design stage if possible. The total cost for those wires was over 2K. If you can locate the panel box close to the major electricity users that will save more money.

Don't forget builders risk. That will cover theft should that occur.

Great ideas!! Thank you!

If you use pex be sure to spend a little more for a manifold setup. This is like a breaker box for your plumbing and lets you turn off fixtures individually anywhere in the house from a central location. Also I would advise a water softner if the water in your area is hard. Hard water can cause mineral build up in your lines and pex does have a smaller diameter at any fittings. I am sure you researched the added cost of the pex plumbing. The pay back SHOULD be in labor savings during installation. This is only true if you hire a plumbing contractor who works with pex on a regular basis so be sure to find out. Be sure to do plenty of research online on new technology that may be available for energy savings BEFORE you finalize plans with subs; ie tankless water heaters are great and efficent but require additional expensive venting that may require a different placement than a standard tank style. Anyway, best of luck to you and the Mcknights who started this thread with thier question that prompeted a war. As a parting shot for my brother contracters, Narrow mindedness and greed seem to fuel some responses I have seen here. I for one know for a fact that I am not the smartest person in the world and many, many people could do my job (the same job that you do) probably as well as I. In fact there are thousands of general contracters in the U.S. alone, so what makes you think that a home owner who PROBABLY IS better educated than most of us, can't do a reasonable job? End of rant.

I can't speak for the others, but what makes me think it is experience. Many have tried, and none have succeeded, and that's over a nearly 50-year career doing residential work. The best of the attempts left a little to be desired on workmanship or content, and took weeks longer to finish than they would have with a good general contractor. I guess it all depends on what one will settle for.