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Our major news this week is that our home went on the market on last Thursday. Since then we’ve had six showings. Not bad for six days, two of which were Good Friday and Easter.
The weather here in Charlotte has finally shed its wintry countenance. Highs are in the mid-70s and lows are in the mid-50s. I can now paint the side of our the garage that got doodie-bombed by a gaggle of angry geese. Yippee!
On the build front, things are moving along. We got rough estimates on what Groovy Ranch might cost from our three potential builders. All the estimates were in the ballpark of each other, and none of them caused heart palpitations. The next order of business is to get final plans and a spec sheet together so we can get official bids from our three potential builders. Here’s the game plan.
| Task | Completed |
|---|---|
| Michael, our designer, will send the Groovy House plans to his engineer. | Yes |
| While we wait for the engineering stamp, Michael will make two minor tweaks to the plans. He will add an exterior door to the screened-in porch, and he will remove one of the proposed windows over the kitchen sink. | |
| Also, while we wait for the engineering stamp, Mrs. Groovy and I will come up with definitive specifications for the key components of Groovy Ranch. We want our three potential builders bidding on the same thing. This way we can compare apples to apples. | |
| Send final plans and specs to our three potential builders. |
Quick aside on putting together a definitive spec sheet. This is freakin’ hard. When it comes to the major components of a house, I’m woefully ignorant. Just take windows, for instance. There are a million articles and YouTube videos on windows and they all have different opinions. “Vinyl windows suck.” “Vinyl windows are fine.” “Go with a name brand.” “Don’t waste your money on a name brand.” “Make sure the window you choose uses Cardinal Low-E 366 glass.” “And make sure your builder installs your windows properly.” Yeah, right. Like I know what Low-E 366 glass is, and I’ll be able to tell if my builder is installing my windows properly. Serenity now! Serenity now! Anyway, here is the spec I put together for the windows. Wish me luck.
Marvin Integrity
Single hung
Double pane
Low-E glass (SHGC of .25 or less)
Fight-O-Meter
Again, a week with no fights. What the heck is going on?
Final Thoughts
Finally, we reunited with our old friend, Honey, this past week in Crooked Creek Park. She’s part Pomeranian and part something else—her mommy and daddy, Kayla and Joe, aren’t exactly sure what the other part is. Well, regardless of her unknown pedigree, Honey’s adorable and she just celebrated her 12th birthday on Easter Sunday with a special biscuit treat. Her newly adopted brother, Jax, got in on the biscuit treat too.
Congratulations on putting your house to the market and good luck with the showings!
It seems you have a well-established plan for building groovy ranch 🙂 Good luck with the technicalities 😉
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Thanks for the good wishes, The Poor Swiss!
Remember, “serenity now, insanity later”. Best to get the insanity out of the way with all your research and specifying, so you can relax later knowing you got exactly what you wanted/needed. And I’m glad to hear that your current home is generating so much interest, especially over a holiday weekend. Good luck with everything!
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Thanks, Gary. I hope we get a lot of activity this weekend now that folks should be home from spring break vacations.
We added a room to our house about 20 years ago and it has a lot of windows. I remember the engineering sign-off was some kind of massaged calculation that gave us some type of number that we had to have to comply. Comply! Yes, comply. We didn’t and they made us remove our skylights because of it. Then we paid the engineer to redo the calcs and voila, it passed. As a former engineer myself, I just had to say something like “Serenity Now”. Actually, I think it was more like @#$%@!
Wow! I’ve heard of load calculations for HVAC systems but the only compliance I’ve heard of for windows relate to either energy efficiency or hurricane resistance. That sounds crazy!
Hey Mr. Groovy!
Taking your time to put together specs and scope of work for your potential builders is time well invested. We went through a remodel and did the same thing. We ended up interviewing and meeting with like 4-5 different general contractors and were able to provide each with a clear outline of what we wanted, so they would all bid on the same project. The quotes we got varied and we didn’t necessarily go with the cheapest or most expensive, since we factored in other stuff like how experienced they were, the additional services offered, and how diligent each one was in delivering the quote. It’s amazing how some people have so-called profitable businesses, but drag their feet when it’s time to deliver. First impressions count, and in my mind if I’m not even your client yet and you are not making every effort to win me over as a client, then that business doesn’t deserve my hard-earned cash.
At least you don’t need impact windows!!! They’re craaaaazy expeeensive! Like in the 20-35k range. Argh!
Good luck moving forward with the ranch!! 🙂
Oh, and Honey is one cute dog!
Sounds like you guys really had your act together for dealing with the contractors. We feel a little bit like we’re out of our element but we’ll muddle through.
I’m assuming impact windows are for hurricane prone areas? I was totally unaware of how expensive windows can get, especially when you replace them. Better to get it right during construction (and hope that you get a good installer).
Sounds like we’re a lot alike in our expectations of how to do business.
So I’m just holding out hope that decorating the new Groovy Ranch will produce ticks on the fight-o-meter. This is getting to be like a baseball game, everyone’s looking at jumbotron or on their cellphone…
😉
There is bound to be ticks on the FoM when we decorate. On rare occasions Mr. Groovy’s tastes are “out there” and I have to reel him back in. Luckily we mostly have similar taste. For certain things he has the better eye.
We have double hung windows and like them. I have no clue if we have that type of glass or what brand ours are since we bought some on clearance.
Window glass is leaps and bounds better than the ones we had in our old house that were at least a decade old. Even here in East TN in the summer, they do a noticeably better job at keeping the summer heat out when we get the evening sun.
Since we installed our own windows, we made sure to put a bunch of the Great Stuff foam (get the blue can for windows for softer foam) to keep the draft to a minimum.
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I was just reading about that Great Stuff foam today in an article about windows.
In general it seems like there have been great improvements in the way windows are made. A lot of what I’m reading says, there can be defects, for sure, but often it’s the installation process that causes the problems.
Double hung looks pretty good for ventilation. Glad you’re liking yours.
Good luck on the sale! Jealous of your weather. Winter is dragging on up north here. 🙁
Thanks, Mr. DS. And I hear ya about the weather. Family and friends in New York and Boston are totally fed up with spring’s slow arrival.
6 showings in 6 days is great! Your house is sure to go quickly and with a set of handsome offers.
Here’s to a steady dose of serenity through the spec sheet process! Regular cute dog encounters on walks at Crooked Creek Park will set your and Mrs. G’s minds at ease.
Good luck with the de-poopification of the garage. Tell those geese to stay the hell away from the fresh paint!
You are so right, Mrs. G. Without our dog encounters at Crooked Creek, life would be a lot less serene. And here’s the thing about the de-poopification. About three years ago a flock of geese poop-bombed the back of our garage. I went out to clean it and Mrs. Groovy warned me not to use Windex. Sure enough, the Windex removed the poop but reacted poorly with the paint. We have these ugly blotches now adorning the back of our garage. So that’s what I’ve been meaning to correct. The paint is needed to cover the ugly blotches, not poop. And since it’s impossible to match the existing paint perfectly, I have no choice but to paint the whole back of our garage. Sigh. But if there’s anytime to do it, now’s the time. Painting when the weather is in the mid-70s is rather pleasant. Thanks for stopping by, Mrs. G. Give my regards to Mr. G. Cheers.
Good luck with the sale.
So are you going to tell us how much it costs to build a custom home? Just the ballpark would do. I’m curious. 🙂
Definitely. We’re going to provide precise numbers every step of the way. The rough estimates we got from our three potential builders were all around $120 a sq ft. Since our home is 1528 sq ft, that comes to $184K. My guess is that the final cost will be around $125-$130 a sq ft. We’ll see, of course. The plot thickens.
Congrats on the number of showings at your house. Always a relief to see interest and activity after all the work put in to bring it to market. Now, that the hook is baited, just real in the big one.
I would like to celebrate my birthday with a special biscuit treat. But, no sharing with my brother. 🙂 Tom
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Thanks, Tom. And I’m with you. When I’m celebrating my birthday, I don’t want to share any treats I get with my brother either.
Shouldn’t that be ‘double hung’???
Just kidding, I know nothing about windows either. Good luck!
Honey’s a cutie. I’m glad to hear the weather is better there. Having a cold spell and some snow currently in Michigan. Brrr!
No worries, Amy. I think double-hung windows are windows in which the top half and lower half can both move and be titled in. The titled in feature is best for cleaning. But since we’re building a one-story home, the need for the top half of our windows to tilt in for cleaning is less paramount. I can get on a ladder once or twice a year to clean top half of our dozen or so windows. And it looks like a single-hung window is about $100 cheaper than a double-hung window. Thanks for stopping by, Amy. And good luck with the last gasp of winter in Michigan. At this time of the year, snow and cold gets really annoying.
Well, that makes complete sense. I’d go with the single then too!
Oh my gawd! You’re going with Marvin Integrity? Why not Pella or Andersen???? (kidding).
Brian is right – prepare for decision fatigue.
I think you’ve done well to find three competent builders and get estimates on a custom home this quickly.
It literally took us a year to get three estimates to build our house. Finding a builder took longer than building the house.
Haha! I hear ya, Brian. One YouTube builder we follow, Matt Risinger, loves Andersen 100 windows. But he also likes Marvin and Jeld-Wen. Then, of course, there are no shortage of internet and YouTube opinions that savage Andersen, Marvin, and Jeld-Wen. Every night I find my head spinning. And here’s the thing. Right now we have no-name vinyl windows in our ten-year old home and they’re fine. They work as well as they did when we first moved in, and not one has yet leaked.
Sounds like things are clipping along. Congrats on no fighting. Especially when building a house together that’s no mean feat!
Thanks, Abigail. We’re very lucky. We both have the same wants and needs when it comes to housing. A little farmhouse, a little land for a vegetable garden and some chickens–and we’re two very happy souls. Hope all is well on your end. Cheers.
Man, you guys are getting boring. Window specifications, and no fights?? PLEEAASSE!?
We need a good knock-down, bring Mr. G to tears-type of brawl. We all enjoy watching Mrs. G win. You know that, right? Please let her do it again, for our reading pleasure. It’s all about the reader, right?
Congrats on getting the house on the market. Really excited for both of you, and enjoying this series immensely. Can’t wait to start watching The Ranch take shape! Should be some good fights during the build. Can’t wait. Just don’t give Mrs. G a hammer, things could get dangerous. It’d be a great read, tho…..
LOL! Agreed. This no-fight streak is getting very boring. My prediction is that things will start to get nasty again once we get an offer. Mrs. G doesn’t suffer fools–including overly aggressive buyers–lightly. I’m more inclined to tolerate a sh%t sandwich if its the only thing standing between us and a nice win. So be patient, my friend. The Fight-O-Meter will be getting a workout soon enough.
I imagine the good and bad part of the internet’s opinion is making things super hard to choose! I think you could agonize until the cows come home. 🙂
Exactly! The wealth of information on the internet isn’t helping.
Two comments in the space of a week!
Like the old saying in London town on the double-decker bus situation : “You wait forever for one to arrive then two come along at once.”
On windows, I enjoy two fundamental basics. They are made of glass and I can see through them. Yeah, yeah, call me picky!! I know.
Who knew building and selling a house was such a royal pain in the dingleberry region?
Our home went on the market three weeks ago. Two offers at asking price but stupid contingencies that made them both a non-starter. We move on. With our type A planning personality and having everything mapped out for our retirement transition, the inability to do anything meaningful to move the sale along is driving us both a little nuts. Patience, patience Mr. PIE…..
We have a viewing today by a couple who hustled back from an out-of-town trip to see it immediately. Fingers crossed, legs crossed and dingleberries crossed. ….
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“You wait forever for one to arrive then two come along at once.”
Haha! What a wonderful commentary on the inanities of modern life–including the fickleness of the blogosphere. Best of luck on the house sale. Even though it’s a seller’s market, buyers are not above asking for the moon. Crossed dingleberries will surely help against that noxious tendency in buyers. Cheers, my friend.
Glad to see more smooth sailing this week. I’ve said it before and I say it again, get prepared for decision fatigue. It will set in with all the things that will need to be decided upon with building a new home. I got a glimpse of it with a kitchen remodel once. It was painful.
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Agreed. I see a lot of decision fatigue in my future. My good friend on Long Island is going through a kitchen remodel as well. The decisions and costs involved are staggering.
Congrats on another week worth no fights. Very impressive.
I’m m curious, why not get more than three bids? Building a house is a huge project and more bidders can only help drive the price down right?
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Hey, Jason. Not a bad suggestion. Our only problem is that the town we’re building in–Louisberg–is very remote. A lot of builders in Raleigh and Wake Forest don’t want to travel to Louisberg for a job. Finding three builders interested in our project with a good internet reputation was hard enough.
Congrats on the showings and getting the house on the market! We’re getting pictures done on ours and it will be listed next week. Fingers crossed it goes quickly and smoothly. Hoping for the same with you guys.
Also, that’s nice no one came in with heart palpitation inducing costs for your build. Our first builder was like, “yeah, we can do it for that budget, no problem, yeah, that shouldn’t be an issue.” Then when we got down to brass tacks, they were looking at $150-$160/sq ft for all electric, no carpet or tile, just stained concrete floors and some other major cuts to be able to “get the cost down that low”. It was mind boggling how far off they were. Needless to say we decided to work with the other builder we had talked to, lol.
After looking at 15+ houses last weekend, we have some great options that shouldn’t break the bank. The big question now is live in town or “out of town” with out of town still only being 15 minutes to the office for Mrs. SSC. Everything is SO close, it’s amazing.
Can’t wait to hear more updates!
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Good luck with your sale! And with your purchase! It will be interesting to see what you decide in terms of living in or out of town. I’d probably prefer to have a little distance from my work place (I’m assuming in town is where Mrs. SSC will be working.) But if it’s a walkable town, it might be nice to live where you can get around on foot.
I was under the impression stained concrete floors are more expensive than wood. At any rate, if you’re starting off with making a lot of concessions just to get the price lower, something’s not right.
Hey, Mr. SSC. Congratulations on getting your home on the market. Got my fingers crossed for a quick sale. And I hear ya about the sq ft cost of a new home. Right now our builders are estimating around $115 a sq ft, and they know we want 9 ft ceilings, hardwoods throughout, tiled shower stalls, quartz countertops, an encapsulated crawl space, and a metal roof. We expect the final sq ft price to be higher on the final bids, but not exceedingly higher. We’ll see. Thanks for stopping by, Mr. SSC. Always a pleasure hearing from a fellow who’s in the midst of his own real estate maelstrom. Cheers.