CAT | Build Your Own Home
Build Your Own Home…Is it Possible?
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Save Money
…… Can you really build your own home or addition? But don’t you need a license? These are two of the more frequent questions I get from friends as a professional builder. The quick answer is yes and no. But if you are serious about wanting to build your own home or addition, we should […]
Owner Building: Risks vs. Rewards
3 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder
Owner building isn’t for everyone. As with anything worth doing in life, there are risks and rewards associated with it. Having built hundreds of homes for other people, while also being an advocate for owner building, I’m a reasonably good candidate to give you the major good and bad points to think about when deciding […]
Owner Builder: What Does it Really Mean?
6 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Save Money
Owner Builder Defined You may have heard the term owner builder tossed around but you’re not really sure what it means. Since Armchair Builder is about helping people save money by becoming owner builders, let us give you our best definition. An owner builder is anyone who decides to take control of their building and […]
Every now and then someone asks me…why build green? This is one of those questions where you have to decide whether to give the long or the short answer. There are so many positive things that come out of green building that pay both the homeowner and the environment back with huge dividends. But one […]
Home Building Process: Project Planning
3 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder
The home building process can be complicated. It involves a great deal of planning and design prior to digging the hole for the foundation. By getting the key players involved early on, your project will be built exactly how you want it and will provide years of trouble free enjoyment. Here are some tips for […]
Green Building: Changing Attitudes
1 Comment | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder
I was in a green building seminar this past week and one of the people attending mentioned that changing the building industry is like trying to turn a cruise ship. It’s an overused cliche…but VERY true. The one thing you’ll find if you are building a new cutting edge project is that certain subcontractors don’t […]
Your Dream Home: How to Make it a Reality
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder
This guest post is by Miguel Salcido. Building your dream home takes time, money and courage. Not everyone is prepared for the amount of work, planning and time it takes to make your dream into a reality. That said, it is entirely possible, and it starts from the ground up. House plans are the life […]
Your Home Foundation: Frost Protection
3 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
The recent photo above shows a newly excavated hole for a new home foundation being built in a cold weather climate. The vinyl materials on the ground are insulating blankets used for frost protection when building in freezing temperatures. These blankets are placed in the spread footing locations immediately after digging the hole to help […]
Preventing Home Foundation Problems
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Quality Check
Have you experienced home foundation problems? Do you have settlement cracks, bulging walls, or moisture in your basement? I was driving down the road the other day and noticed this excavation for a new home. I decided to get out and take a look…because it’s what I do. I took a picture as I thought…this […]
Insurance During and After Construction
4 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder
As an owner-builder, you want to make sure you have insurance coverage for your new project both during and after construction. This insurance should protect you in case of fire and weather damage, theft and accidental injury. There are several different types of insurance available to protect you…let’s take a look at each. General liability […]
