Some builders like to make it sound impossible for people to build their own projects. I suppose it’s natural to want to protect their livelihood. But the truth is, the average person can take on the general contractor role to remodel a kitchen, basement, or even build a new home from the ground up. There […]

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  It’s important to carefully evaluate land before making an offer for purchase to build your dream home. You don’t want to end up with an asset that is a hassle, doesn’t meet your building requirements or that causes you unforeseen expenses. As a home builder, I have a checklist that I go through prior […]

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What do people mean when they say owner builder or build your own house?  Does this translate into swinging a hammer and physically building the home yourself or is this more about managing trade contractors?  Actually, both of these are correct.  When you take on a project to build a new home without a general […]

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As your family’s needs change, your home needs to change as well.  Maybe a new baby is on the way and a second bathroom or third bedroom is needed.  If you’ve already finished your basement or don’t have a basement, you may have decided that putting a new addition onto your home is the best […]

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There a several good options available to those wanting to add space to their existing home.  But which is the most cost efficient?  Here we take a look at some of the more popular ways to add living space and discuss the relative costs of each. The most cost effective way to add space to […]

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Bidding out your project is like shopping for a new car.  It’s important to, 1) know what you want, 2) never take the first price, 3) compare apples to apples.  That’s it.  You’re welcome.  But seriously, using good technique when bidding out your home building projects and repairs to contractors can save you thousands of […]

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It’s interesting to see how many homes are built by owner builders each year in the permit numbers put out by the U.S. Census Bureau.  One of the more common questions asked by people wanting to build a new home is, “Can an average person manage the construction of their own home as an owner […]

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Armchair Builder was created by a builder to give regular folks access to professional builder tools and resources.  These tools have been adapted to make them easier to use by novice owner builders looking to save money and gain control over their larger building projects.  One of our readers asked the question this week, “I […]

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An owner builder reached out to us this week asking how our products would help in determining the price for his new home.  Determining the cost for a new build is one of the biggest questions people have when venturing into a new home build.  The good news is Armchair Builder was created to provide […]

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If you are visiting Armchair Builder for the first time you may be asking yourself, “exactly how many people built their own home in 2014?”  After all, it can be a complicated, time consuming endeavor that many people aren’t prepared to handle.  To answer this question we take a look at the latest U.S. Census […]

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