attn: builders and building material salesman and heating and ac guys..

[MadJack]

i need advice and help on a few things...

i'm going way over budget on kitchen and bath cabinets. what and where should i look? looking at and getting close to buying the kraftmaid cabinets.

countertops - hate laminate but can't see spending so much more on the stone, granite, marble, solid surface, etc. thinking about getting the solid surface but, man, the price. ugh!

flooring- need advice on hardwood, ceramic tile and carpet. heading for over budget there too (thinking bruce pre-finished (not laminate) for the wood floors).

heating and a/c - 5 bedroom, 5 bath, big kitchen, big family room, cathedral ceilings, office, big bonus room, huge laundry, and basement to be finished in the spring. about 5200 square feet. a few have told me i need two units. not sure what the builder is thinking on this subject yet, it just came up oiver the weekend and i haven't talked to him yet. i know...this should have already been discussed but i fuked up. BUT...maybe he did too. who wins here if i and others think i need two and he feels like i only need one?

the builder seemed to get an 'attitude' when i met with him and the electrician last week and the electrician said we need 400 amp service. WTF? he shoulda thought of that, no? builder is eating that one (i'm not sure it's that expensive...i have no idea but HE makes it seem like it's my fault)

cabinets, floors and lighting are done with an 'allowance' which i am finding i accepted too low and he's getting an attitude about little things that weren't talked about before we made the deal. "this is extra, that is extra", etc, etc. know what i mean?

example: a little thing like faucets, you can spend $50 or $300 for a sink in the bathroom. i'm not looking to fuk him over on the $300 ones (not that he would let me anyway) but i certainly don't want the $30 ones. who wins this battle should it come to that?

here's one; fireplace area. this was never discussed. there are fireplace mantels and whatnot for $5000 and ones for $500. what am i 'allowed' to get?

how about crown molding? he might have a shitfit when i tell him i have to have it, period, but where do we draw the line? you can spend $1 a foot or $20 a foot for that chit. what am i 'allowed' to have since it wasn't discussed at contract time?

i'm starting to think he has me by the balls since everything isn't in writing.

how should i handle this dude?

any advice appreciated.

thanks

 

[yak merchant]

Okay, I'm not an expert in building houses but I used to be an HVAC designer (commercial) in my previous life. As a rule of thumb general contractors don't know jack about A/C systems. They just use rule of thumb things like 1 ton per every 500 sq ft or something some salty old veteran told them long ago. They usually over size the A/C because if they screw up and undersize it you'll definitely raise hell until the temperature is right, which means replacing the unit. If they oversize it, it never really comes back to hurt them but cost you by costing you more on your electric bill each month and lowers the life expectancy of the unit as it will cycle more often. Now that being said, it sounds like you'll need more than one unit as I don't think a single 5 ton unit will suffice . Plus the ability to zone your house will most likely save you money as you can temper the energy usage in areas during times they are not in use. Now all that being said, you'll hear lots of stories. How some of the high efficiency heat pumps will save you money, how this or that will pay for itself in the long run. That all depends on your situation, house design and weather. With the size of your house and the amount of money you stand to lose in electricity bills I would almost be inclined to pay a couple of hundred bucks for a expert in your area to run a load calculation and make a recommendation. As the number of windows you have and which direction they are facing along with the estimated number of heat producing appliances and computers will affect your peak loads. So with the size of your house and all of the improved technology, such as dual compressor units, variable speed fans and zoning, it probably all depends on what you are willing to pay today for "potential savings in the future". Not that any of that helped, but I might try to find a Trane Dealer in your area that is a "comfort specialist" and see if they can help you. Or you may want to find some independent consultant that will have no stake in the recommendation he gives you. Best of Luck.

 

[RAZ]

Hi Jack,
Just got finished spec house similar in size...email your number and I'll give you a call...what are your allowances? he should be responsible for electric upgrade unless you added extras that forced it ....you need 2 units for that size house, z0ne it w/min. 3 zones and upgrade basement unit to cover any potential living area, you also want to get a continuous running unit, it runs around 30% percent, moving air around and picks up when heat is called for, it eliminates that loud rumbling and blasting hot air out then shutting down and recycling, costs the same as a 100 watt light bulb left on all day....you might also want to get tankless hot water system, Rinnai?sp. put tandem unit in, this spec had 5 full and 1 half baths, 75 gal air tub and custom master shower w/2 heads, 4 body sprays and handheld..the units produce 22 gals of hot water a minute, they also come w/temp. settings..they are extremely efficient and eliminate blending of coldw/the hot reducing your water usage, shoulkd run you around 2500 more than typical hot water tank, pays for itself, also make sure you have a recirculating lines and pump for your hot water....not a big fan of prefinished floors, durability is not the same in my experience...
Gl!
Raz

 

[skulldog]

Jack, having built 2 homes for myself and sold over 300 new homes for various developers, I know what I'm talking about.

When you signed the contract there have been specs for each and every item. ex. Lights, $ 500.00 allowance etc. it also should have said crown molding in x. buyer to choose from builder's samples or something like that, or an allowance for that item. The a/c units should be built according to the contract specs and if it's not spelled out, then YOU tell him how you want it.

Under electrical in your contract, what does it say. 200 etc. If if it's not spelled out, then again tell him what you want. It's not a huge difference $$ wise.

Kitchen cabinets and countertops prices are crazy!! Building the size home that you are, I wouldn't put anything in but either corian or granite, there are ways to cut expenses, IMO the kitchen it not one.

I would negoiate everything thing in writing w/him and should he not cooperate, then fire him!!! He shouldn't make you feel that your annoying him, your fuking paying him.

Looking for to your response.

GL

 

[Franky Wright]

First off Jack, I would tell this guy to quit with the "Attitude" or your done with him........

I have been building Custom homes for over 20+ years and that is NO way to treat your customers! :scared
Once you do that, watch his response...........is he defensive, does he fess up, pass the buck, get more argumentive, or become apologetic? Your answer on how to deal with him will become much clearer

I will take your other questions one at a time:

Countertops: There are many laminate contractors that can make "double edged" chamfored corners to match your wood floor. cost maybe 10-15% more, but alot less than corian or granite, check them out.

Flooring: Find out your allowance for this. Then start calling around to every solid floor subcontractor around, have them come out one after another and look at the job so they see there competion coming and going. Are you leaning towards Maple, Oak, Cherry? I have other thoughts on that.

HVAC: The advice above should do you well.

Electrical: Upgrading to 400 amp should not be that expensive.....another option is to put seperate 200amp services in. I have done this at my one of my electricians suggestions when they have had offices or hobbies in the homes.

Allowances: When I put together a bid for my clients, I tell them to go out with their plans in hand and pick out things they like. Tally up the total, and then we add that to the base price when I get that. Then the onus is on the consumer to determine what is "important" to them(what do they want to spend their money on). Over 1/2 my houses I end up giving back a check to the buyers, because they decided they could live without that expensive cieling fan or high priced faucet.
Your biggest problem here Jack, is you guessed it......its not in writing! But how the HELL are you supposed to know what should be in writing or not! :help:

I have built over 100 homes..........before I got into this business..........I sold over 500 for other builders, and the biggest complaint was exactly what you are going thru.........


My business model addresses these things up front, and 98% of my clients are happy(yep, there is always that 2% :moon: )

There is so much more to this deal you have going here........so if you need to talk, have me review your contract, talk with your builder, I would be more than happy. Let me know

Franky

 

[bsucards]

Jack, where is this home being built, if this is in Indiana let me know, I know a great flooring contractor who goes all over the state.

 

[MadJack]

yak, i'm going to take your advice and have a heating guy check the place out. thanks.

RAZ, thanks for the help. i already sent my builder the specs on the fireplace you recommended. i'll let you know if he hedges on that. nice talking to you and i'll be in touch again when the occasion arises.

skulldog, very, very basic contract with hardly anything in writing. the only thing in writing are the allowances for flooring, lighting and cabinets. the rest was left completely open. he did understand, although only verbally, that we want quality and not junk. since nothing is specific in writing my question is; who decides how much i can spend on faucets, moldings, wall tile, etc, etc? i made a stupid agreement for sure. i have thought about bluffing to fire him though. that might make him understand that i'm not going to be a pushover. we're almost dried in and he has only taken 70k in draws so far, so i might be ahead of him at this point especially since the windows and doors should be in when i get back in 2 weeks. i know i'll be ahead at that point.

franky, send me your number or i'll send you mine and we can talk later in the day or week. i'm off in an hour or so to go cabinet shopping again. ugh! a lot of my replies above will answer your other questions. thanks for the reply.

bsu, the house is being built in columbus indiana. i think i am going to take RAZ's advice and have them build the wood floor from scrath as opposed to pre-finished. maybe your guy can help, i'll let you know if i need help in that area.

thanks for the replies so far. i really appreciate the help and knew i could get the help here. what a great bunch of people

 

[beantownjim]

JACK YOUR BUILDING A MANSION AND YOU ARE ASKING THESE PEASENTS FOR ADVICE.JESUS CHRIST JACK IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO START A PROPANE TANK SURE ASK THE DEADBEATS IN THIS FORUM BECAUSE THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH PROPANE WHEN THEY ARE HEATING THERE TRAILORS,BUT AS FAR A A MODERN KITCHEN GOES THESE LOSERS WONT BE ABLE TO HELP.JACK I HAVE NOTICED THE BILLS ARE PILING UP IN OUR FORUM YOU ARE NOT SKIMMING OFF THE TOP ARE YOU JUST WONDERING ALL THESE WEEKEND VACATIONS TRIPS TO VEGAS ATLANTIC CITY JESUS CHRIST JACK YOU ARE BECOMING THE HOWARD HUGHES OF SPORTS FORUMS.JACK I KNOW YOUR BUSY WITH YOUR FANCY KITCHEN AND THIS MIGHT NOT BE A GOOD TIME BUT WOULD YOU CONSIDER HIRING ME BACK AS A FULL TIME EMPOYEE I MISS THE 2,000.00 A WEEK AND THE HEALTH INSURANCE SO GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT.YOU HAVE MY CELL PHONE NUMBER GIVE ME A RING.

 

[freelancc]

JACK I HAVE NOTICED THE BILLS ARE PILING UP IN OUR FORUM YOU ARE NOT SKIMMING OFF THE TOP ARE YOU ?

:142smilie

 

[Franky Wright]

Jack,
Wondering how you came out the last couple of days here? You have my email........right?
Franky

 

[MadJack]

franky, i won't be back to indy until the 19th and won't meet with the builder again untl the 20th. will report back then.

i did send him some selections we picked out (some expensive, some middle of the road prices) and he didn't balk at any of that so it's positive so far. but, that doean't mean he won't have an 'overage' bill for me to sign when i get there. i didn't get that feeling from him over the phone though.

i'll let you know how it goes.

 

[sportsnut13]

you need two units for that size house. the best way to do that is one unit for the upstairs and one for the down stair. this will help you with your bills too only cool/heat the spaces you use at that time of day. next thing talk to him about Attic exhaust fans and whole house fans will save you so money on milder days.(i would never build a house without a whole house fan) if your going to be in the house for a long time spend the money on good equipment trane/carrier or york. builders will put some cheap of brand shit that you will be fixing later. been in the ac business for 20 years email me if you have more question.