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Mrs. Groovy and I are very happy with our builder. We had a good feeling about Terry right from our first meeting, and nothing has happened since that meeting to alter our opinion of him. This guy is solid. He looks you in the eye when he talks to you, and he does what he says he’s going to do.
But in all honesty, we got lucky on this one. We didn’t do exhaustive research. We didn’t interview any of Terry’s previous customers. We just did the bare minimum amount of due diligence and went with our gut.
So just for poops and giggles, I decided to see how far we strayed from expert advice. Here, then, are 10 tips for choosing and working with a builder from Houzz.
1. Don’t approach a builder too soon. Wait until you have a set of drawings and a list of specs and finishes.
Fail. Mrs. Groovy and I approached three builders right after we bought our land. Drawings, specs, and proposed finishes were nowhere in sight.
2. Consider the scope of the project. Will the build require multiple managers or will a single manager suffice?
Success. Groovy Ranch isn’t complicated. Any experienced builder armed with a smartphone can manage its construction. All three builders we considered had experience and smartphones.
3. Determine whether you need a specialist or a general builder.
Success. This was easy. Our farmhouse is basically a box with a front porch. No need for a specialist here. All the builders we considered had plenty of experience building simple residential homes. Terry was the most experienced of the bunch. He has been building residential homes for over thirty years.
4. Let the builder build the entire house.
Success. We had no interest in saving money by doing any portion of the construction ourselves. Whichever builder we chose was going to be tasked with building the whole magilla—from the big ticket items (foundation, framing, electrical, etc.) to the little ticket items (caulking, outlet covers, door stops, etc.), and everything in between.
5. Let the builder manage the project.
Success. No issues here. Mrs. Groovy and I know our limitations. I picked up dead animals and managed databases during my professional career. Mrs. Groovy acted and set up conferences during her professional career. Neither of us have worked in the trades or built homes with our own hands. So we were prepared to surrender general contracting duties to whoever won the bid.
6. Be specific.
Success. The drawings and the list of specs we submitted to the builders for bids were very specific.
7. Embrace bidding.
Partial success. We had three builders bid on the Groovy Ranch project. We would have liked a couple more, but Groovy Ranch is being built in a very rural area north of Raleigh, NC. In other words, there were only so many builders interested in the project. Mrs. Groovy called a number of builders in Raleigh and Wake Forest, and all of them balked. The location of Groovy Ranch was just too far away.
8. The building contract is extremely important.
Fail. Terry uses a very boilerplate contract. It lists the duties and obligations of both the builder and the homeowner, states the allowances for the various components of the build, and outlines the important specs and requirements (e.g., conditioned crawlspace, 16-seer heat pump, Hardie plank siding, low-E windows, oak floors, granite or quartz countertops, etc.).
But much is left unsaid in the contract. For instance, the contract only specifies that Terry will install a 16-seer heat pump. It doesn’t say whether the heat pump will be supplied by Billy Bob Industrial Supplies or by Trane. Now, if Mrs. Groovy and I were doing this build on Long Island, there’s no way we’d sign such a vague contract. We’d want all the equipment and materials used for the build locked down. Nothing would be left to chance or memory.
So why did Mrs. Groovy and I go with the boilerplate contract? In a word, trust. Terry just strikes us as a man of honor. He says he only installs quality equipment and only builds with quality materials, and we believe him.
Would I recommend you do the same when it comes to building contracts? Hell no. We’re definitely rolling the dice here. I don’t think we’ll get burned. But the possibility is there. We could wind up with Billy Bob flooring, Billy Bob windows, and Billy Bob roofing shingles. [Mrs. Groovy here. Let’s remind our readers about Groovy Ranch Update 20 in which you described how we enlisted the help of a lawyer for the contract. And that lawyer went AWOL. At least we added a few protections to the contract, which Terry readily agreed to.]
9. Determine who will do the rough-in and finishing work.
Success. One of the reasons we chose Terry is because he’s a hands-on builder. He doesn’t just show up to the job site every once in a while to see how things are going, he’s doing a lot of the build himself with his sons. So Terry, his sons, and his subs will be doing all of the rough-in and finishing work. Suppliers of the building materials won’t be doing any of the work.
10. Make a comprehensive inspection list.
To be determined. Haven’t even thought of this one yet. But I’m sure we’ll put together some kind of punch list that must be addressed before we make the final payment to Terry. [Mrs. Groovy here. I don’t see any issues with this at all. Our contract references something called “Substantial Completion”, as well as a punch list for any final “imperfections”. And Terry’s boilerplate language didn’t even include a payment schedule; we added one stating we’d pay him monthly. He has yet to accept a check from us even though he has laid out money for materials. He prefers to bill us after he’s completed specific stages of the build. So I don’t think we need to be concerned about the completion of the work and final payment. The man has been more than honorable.]
Building Update
Things are about to get real. The foundation is complete, and the framing starts tomorrow.
Fight-O-Meter
No fights. But things are tense. I offered to sign a nonaggression pact and recognize Mrs. Groovy’s right to have opinions, but she rejected that overture with extreme prejudice. In fact, right after she stormed out of our Groovy Ranch summit, she went on Twitter and referred to me as “The Great Satan.” [Mrs. Groovy here. Whatchu talkin’ bout Willis? Seriously. I went on Twitter and called you The Great Satan? Nonaggression pact? We need to come up with some better fights.]
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. What say you? Will our way of choosing a builder come back to haunt us? Or will going with our gut prove to be a very effective decision-making tool? Let me know what you think when you get a chance. Peace.
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