New home build advice

[bow newby]

Lots of good responses above. I work in Princeton a good bit and have inspected all the different builders' work in Winchester Crossing, Bridgewater, Arcadia, Crossroads, Riverside, etc around Princeton. PM me if you have any questions. I can provide more info with specifics on the builder and location.

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[tpack]

I would have to be a Natural Light and a tuna fish sandwich after spending all that extra money....

That ain`t no lie. We spent our extra money on a bigger covered patio w/rock wall, flooring, cabinets and more sidewalks and concrete driveway to my shop. Two things I wished I would have had put in was a double oven (doesn`t cost that much more) and wired for a generator. The spending can get out of control if you're not careful.

[bow newby]

Due to the housing market and supply issues. Not many upgrades available. So watching upgrade money is not really an issue

[3ChordTruth]

Great advice. Appreciate all the responses

X2

Good question OP, lots of great info posted here, thanks to those who posted.

[DKW II]

When they install the sprinkler system, make sure you go by and take a pictures of where everything is located. This comes in handy down the road.

Seems minor, but this is good advice here.

[Eagle19]

Lots of good info. I use to build homes.

Realize your house is being built by people, and not machines. While the goal is to get everything as straight and level as possible, it is very hard and time consuming to do. Just be reasonable. I’m not advocating on being an absentee client, but also don’t hover. You’ll feel like nothing is happening one week, then the next week 100 things will happen.

I see the mention of warped boards and making sure door frames are square - quiet frankly don’t even worry about it. Door frames have rough openings, and when installed the doors and jambs come “pre-squared” for easy installation. A good painter will unscrew all hinges and doors, if a door rubs later on, a 3” screw will adjust it. Warped studs usually aren’t a big deal once you add sheet rock. If there is a giant bow in a wall once sheet rock is in, tell the builder, they’ll fix it. But any good sheet rock guy will fix the stud that’s a problem before both sides are rocked.

Don’t tell subs about issues, tell your super/builder. I would have people tell my subs stuff that would never relayed to their boss or me. Better to go straight to the source.

Also, I would go blown in insulation in the walls, and foam in the top - save you a little money upfront and in the long run.


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[Mitchell8]

I would have to be a Natural Light and a tuna fish sandwich after spending all that extra money....

Im
On that now by choice rather have all that too

[Big Lee]

I would have to be a Natural Light and a tuna fish sandwich after spending all that extra money....

Make that sandwich a fried bologna. I'm in!

[Zmaxhunter]

Electrical, i would want all outlets and switches, etc to be wired under a screw.. splices to be twisted with wire nuts,.. no back stabbed devices, no leverloc terminations...
Is this slab on grade, basement, crawl space?
If using led disc lighting.. buy 5 or 6 extra to have as spares.
Over size the garage, 40 deep if possible. Extra circuits for additional freezer and fridge.
Prewire the panel for a 50a generator xfer switch to an outdoor power inlet location.

[Txhunter3000]

2x6 exterior walls will save a lot going forward.

[M16]

Put a couple of electrical outlet boxes in the attic.

[JayB]

Speaking of attics/garage's....I went in and changed the switches to motion sensors. Never have to try to find the switch or pull string when entering and don't have to worry about light being left on when leaving.

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[PLBowhunter]

Make sure to not buy a home in Texas haha. I'm just being honest. The new houses here are junk. The labourers are junk and put no effort into building. The sheathing is shoebox cardboard and no longer OSB or plywood. Framing is all crooked. The foundation gets poured and three days later they start framing the house.

I moved into my brand new house by Highland Homes last October. I have had them come twice a month since then, every month for warranty work and it's still not done. It's ridiculous. Just one example... They messed up the door framing initially, so instead of fixing the root cause, they keep adding screws to make it visually look ok, but then the door doesn't close, so they move the door lock. I can complain based my my experience in construction, being a construction manager and architect.

[Budman68]

The garage advice is priceless. Higher doors for SUV's and trucks, none GFCI plug, hot water bib, etc. Those of good basic upgrades that don't cost a lot.

For quality.
Just make sure everything is square and level. If it's not, just document and send in an email with photos. If they don't fix it you have grounds to no accept the house.

Things not to do.
Do not bring beer to the site. Tacos are good, but stay away from alcohol. Don't give them a reason to come back and say you're getting the crew drunk.

Good luck,

[PLBowhunter]

Congrats. We just finished and moved into our house last week. I know you are already under contract but get as much details as possible in writing. Make sure you understand exactly what is being provided and if it’s a custom home make sure you and the builder are on the same page down to small details. Like others have said, check the work often. Don’t be afraid to question things. Document things as you find them so the builder doesn’t forget. Add more plugs than you think you’ll need. Don’t go with contractor grade paint. Check all your openings and go with at least 36” openings. I say openings because it isn’t just doorways that make a difference, check for open header widths as well. Add insulation to interior walls like your rooms for sound. Ask what it would cost to move your breaker panel inside your garage(if you want it inside).
Good luck and know that it will hopefully be worth it when you’re done.

I have no idea if custom in Texas is truly custom or not. They have "custom homes" in the name but custom is : here are 4 paint colours you can choose, 3 types of flooring, two colours of flooring, two colours of countertop and here we gooooo!

No, custom means I don't like that wall there; move it. I don't want that window being so small; bigger! Houses are a joke in Texas. It's just like buying a car at a dealership. Plus they're built so cheap. What happened to the quality materials and craftsmanship?