Left Side Cabinet |
Right Side Cabinet |
Walnut mantle and rock top |
Whole wall, weird angles are a result of stitching 3 pics together |
Left Side Cabinet |
Right Side Cabinet |
Walnut mantle and rock top |
Whole wall, weird angles are a result of stitching 3 pics together |
Category | $500,000 | % | Comments |
Architectural |
| 4.4 | No interior details |
Structural engineering |
| 1.5 | Highest EQ haz code |
Land surveys |
| 0.4 | Boundary and topo |
Building permits/fees |
| 2.1 | County and HOA |
Cut trees, clear land |
| 1.2 | 60 trees, 0.6 acre |
Pre-Build Expenses | $48,000 | 9.6 |
|
Sub Total (Cumulative) | $48,000 | 9.6 |
|
Excavating and regrading |
| 1.5 | 280 yds removed |
Foundation & basement |
| 7.3 | 750 sq ft basement |
Pre-Framing (Cumulative) | $44,000 | 8.8 |
|
Sub Total (Cumulative) | $92,000 | 18.4 |
|
Framing Labor |
| 8.9 |
|
Framing lumber |
| 9.8 |
|
Windows, skylights, solar tubes (36) |
| 3.6 | Installed tubes |
Doors (27) and locks |
| 2.8 | Installed some doors, all locks |
Garage doors & openers |
| 0.6 | Good deal |
Dried In (Cumulative) | $128,500 | 25.7 |
|
Sub Total (Cumulative) | $220,500 | 44.1 |
|
Radiant flooring system (Warmboard) | $29,675 | 5.0 | Did all Pex tubing |
Roof, gutters, drywells |
| 2.7 | Laid drywells |
Siding and shingles |
| 1.3 | Painted & hung 8,000 |
Plumbing |
| 1.3 | Did all rough in |
Electrical |
| 3.4 | Did ½ of labor, hung all fixtures |
Central Vacuum System |
| 0.4 | In the wall |
Propane tank and piping |
| 0.9 | 500 gal, buried |
Air exchange and power vents, range hood |
| 0.5 |
|
Rock facade (exterior) |
| 1.4 | Eldorado Stone |
Fireplaces (2 gas) |
| 1.4 | Propane |
Fireplace rock and mantles |
| 0.2 | Did all labor |
Insulation |
| 1.0 | Fiberglass batts, 6-12” |
Drywall |
| 3.0 | 5/8" in garage |
Painting (all) |
| 1.3 | Did all trim & exterior painting |
Pre-Finishing (Cumulative) | $119,000 | 23.8 |
|
Sub Total (Cumulative) | $339,500 | 67.9 |
|
Plaster (Amer. Clay) |
| 0.2 | Did all plastering |
Interior trim |
| 0.7 | CVG Fir or Primed FJ Pine |
Tile: flooring and showers |
| 1.7 | Laid all tile |
Wood flooring |
| 2.8 | Finished upstairs |
Carpentry (labor) |
| 0.5 | Cheap @$20/hr |
Cabinets (4 rooms) |
| 6.9 | Installed all units |
Countertops (rock, 4 areas) |
| 2.2 | Big ticket items |
Wood counters (maple, 2 areas) |
| 0.2 | Bargain |
Closet storage |
| 0.8 |
|
Appliances (all) |
| 2.9 | Top end package |
Lighting fixtures (all) |
| 1.2 |
|
Bath (1) and showers (3) |
| 1.0 | Frameless, 3/8” glass (3) |
Plumbing fixtures |
| 0.9 | Kohler and better |
Sauna (wood and heater) |
| 0.3 | Did all labor |
Septic System |
| 2.3 | Pressure type, 3 bath |
Interior Finished (Cumulative) | $123,000 | 24.6 |
|
Sub Total (Cumulative) | $462,500 | 92.5 |
|
Driveway |
| 1.4 | Exposed aggregate |
Decks |
| 0.4 | Trex, 4 areas |
Water conditioner |
| 0.6 | Kinetico |
Tools and tool rentals |
| 1.3 | Paid for themselves |
Electricity, propane, trash and sanitation |
| 0.3 | Expenses during building |
House Complete (Cumulative) | $20,000 | 4.0 |
|
Sub Total (Cumulative) | $482,500 | 96.5 |
|
Landscaping |
| 2.7% | Did all plantings and paths |
Garden Shed |
| 0.8% | Finished after Rough In |
Exterior (Cumulative) | $17,500 | 3.5% |
|
TOTAL EXPENSES | $500,000 | 100.0% |
|
Almost 10% of the bucks were spent before a shovel was turned in the ground. However, changes really started with the tree felling, stump removal and brush clearing.
By the time we were ready for the Ellis boys to nail wood together, we had spent almost 19% of the hypothetical half million. The next real threshold is when a house is dried in (framed and secured), which takes up to the 44% point, or roughly $220k. By then, you're wondering when and when the rest of the money is going to mystically appear in your bank account.
By this point, we started to take on some jobs and reduce labor costs. This phase is what I call the owner-go-slow period. Its when you have visions of savings buckets of cash by doing such trival tasks as the rough-in plumbing and electrical (probably a 6 month delay over having it done). Yeah you save money, but you having to do apprenticeships in both trades. Thank god we had patient and helpful subs for both that kept us on the straight and narrow. The shingle dipping and hanging process was sort of tortureous, especially for the Dipping Lady. Who thought 8,000 shingles would take very long to hand dip—everyone said it was the way to do it , and had obviously never done it themselves or they were just having a giant laugh on us. Anyway, by the time the house was ready for the Kala Point HOA stamp of approval, we'd been building for 12 months and spent 2/3rd of the dwendling hypothetical half mil.
Next came the really labor intensive process for me (Michael) because I wanted to do it all. You'd think that after a year of this and 60 under my belt, I'd have thought a bit more about it. But I'm a type A guy who can't stand to be idle. So I took on the doors, trim, all the tile floors and 3 tiles showers, the plastering, and a host of other things. Now that I'm a fairly skilled home builder, I know that I'd never build another one (at my age). If I was 40, I might try 2 or 3 over a 20 year period. A good/bad thing about building your "one and only house" is that you really can't compromise on anything, or you would be haunted by it for the rest of your pre-Alzheimer life.
Best and Worst
Some good things we did in terms of building the house:
In retrospect, its been a fun, educational, fulfilling, tiring, and expensive adventure. Nancy and I managed to stay married through it all (some don't), and both of us are happy with the result. There are a few things we'd do differently if we had to do it over again, but won't. Little mistakes become Architectural Features, each of which have an interesting story behind them. Now we need to start relaxing a bit more, enjoying the house with friends and neighbors, and getting out to know the Pacific Northwest better. That's it for this blog . . . unless something really noteworthy should happen.