A Boulder Custom Home

Ever wonder what it would be like to build your own custom home? It's a tough process. Most buyers prefer a "turnkey" property, but there are some people masochistic enthusiastic enough to want to do it themselves.

Here's one story of a Boulder custom home, built from the ground up and written by the homeowner.

A few quick thoughts if I am crazy enough to do this again:
1.) Read the approved plans. The chimney cap was circled in red saying it had to be approved for use with the appliance. The insulation requirement was also there.
2.) Install cabinets after the first coat of the hardwood is done and/or paint on site. Painting cabinets ahead of time still leaves so much touch up and trim its not worth it. The little furniture feet don't work so well after you sand (in our case twice (: ) the floor.
3.) Budget much more than $10,000 in contingencies. It was more like $50,000 in over budget/ non budgeted items. Plus budget another amount for unplanned upgrades. All told about 10-12% for contingencies and upgrades.
4.) Don't be too optimistic on the schedule. 10 months seemed like no problem in the beginning, but it should have been obvious when we were off schedule around drywall time by 6 weeks that we weren't going to make it up. With the extra hardwood delay we were 2 months late. I originally had thought of using Microsoft Project to manage all the steps and dependencies; this wouldn't have been a bad idea.
5.) Have a system to improve communication with subs. So much information is passed on from the builder to the contractor owner to the actual worker. I was constantly being told I'd didn't know this or that by the workers. A big board with notes and info for the various subs wouldn't be bad. My punch list at the end broken out by trades seemed to be helpful.

The blog covers only 13 months, but it began after the owner acquired the property and arranged for the fire department to use the existing house for training purposes. If you're just starting out, at a minimum add at least another 4-5 months to the time frame. So nearly 18 months is what you're probably looking at for this sort of project.

After spending some time on his blog, you can see why most people decide they'd rather just buy a finished custom home than build their own. Sure, you lose the customization, but what you see is what you get.

Which reminds me. If you're interested in custom homes, Dallice is hosting an open house this weekend at one of our listings, 820 Hartford Drive. Technically, it's not a custom built property, but this home was completely gutted and rebuilt with a second story. It's in turn-key condition and has many of the features of custom homes. She'll be there from 10am to 12pm on Saturday and Sunday. If you're in the area, swing by and say hello.

Since moving in, the writer of the custom home blog hasn't updated (last post, June 2007). I think it's safe to assume they're too busy enjoying their new house.

images: Andrew Batson

Note: Our goal is to become the best real estate resource for Boulder Colorado and surrounding communities. The ideas and strategies in this blog are the opinion of the writer and subject to market uncertainties. Silver Fern Homes recommends careful and complete due diligence before buying or selling real estate or other investments. Consult with your professional advisers before making investment decisions. This article is not legal, tax, or investment advice. Silver Fern Homes will not be held liable for investment choices derived from this article.

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