CAT | Build Your Own Home
Underground Utilities: Call Before You Dig
3 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
It’s building season and that means we are all diligently working on our new projects. Whether your goal is to build a fence or a new addition for your home, be sure to call your local utility locate service to mark your underground utilities prior to digging. The call before you dig service is free […]
House Foundation Excavation: High Water Table Issues
4 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
It’s a great time of year to install your new house foundation. Starting construction in the spring allows you to maximize the building season for your schedule and budget. It can however create problems with high water tables. Here we will discuss a few builder tips for dealing with water in your new home excavation. […]
Housing Affordability at All-Time High
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Bath Remodel, Build Your Own Home, Home Addition, Kitchen Remodel, Owner-Builder, Save Money
Housing affordability has reached a new all-time high for the first quarter of this year. Along with this, mortgage rates are now at an all-time low (3.75 for 30 year fixed). But what does that really mean? For anyone who doesn’t yet own, now is a great time to buy a home and make it […]
Tear Down The House
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
Tear Down the House: Purchasing an Existing Property to Build Your Dream Home. One way to get the lot to build your dream home on is to buy an existing property and tear down the house. A house can be torn down and hauled away in just a day or two. This can be a […]
Structural Problems: What are Your Chances?
1 Comment | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Fix it!, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
What are the chances your new home building project will have structural problems? This is one of those good questions owner builders frequently ask. Here we will discuss the more common types of structural problems, their causes, and we will give you some statistics relating to their occurrence in homes. A recent article,” Lessons Learned […]
Save Money and Time, Check it
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Quality Check, Save Money
My granite subcontractor showed up to a house today to measure…they always measure once the cabinets are installed to make sure the granite is cut to the exact size. As we were going through the cabinet layout and architectural plans we noticed a kneewall (short wall) was missing that would support the bar top. I […]
Owner Building: What Are the Savings Really?
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Save Money
So you’re tossing around the idea of owner building your new project. Whether you are wanting to build a new home from the ground up or just re-work your existing place, it is a huge decision to make. Should you hire a full service general contractor? Recently we posted about the risks and rewards of […]
Habitat for Humanity: Build. Help. Learn.
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Great Products, Save Money
Have you ever wondered how you might be able to learn more about building homes with a hands on experience? People are always asking me what skills are needed to build your own house. Well, it doesn’t hurt to have some actual experience on the job site. There really is nothing like working alongside professionals […]
Building Your Own Home: What is the Liability?
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder
In a recent post, Owner Building: Risks vs. Rewards, we talked about the specific risks you’re exposed to when building your own home. One of the risks we talked about was the liability associated with the project. The truth is, the building process is dangerous. A perfect example of this is the home builder in […]
For the Owner Builder: Seven Things to Never Say to Your Subcontractor
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Fix it!, Owner-Builder
Armchair Builder is all about helping the owner builder save money on their building projects. In addition to helping you save money, we also like to help protect you from the unscrupulous people in the building industry. I don’t want to give the impression that all people in the building industry are bad…quite the contrary. […]
