Joan, Having a good builder is going to be your biggest key in this case I believe. Get reliable references for them Get good specs and plans. Know whats included and whats NOT included. Ask lots of questions no matter how silly they may seem. Get it in writing not a simple answer over the phone or at very least confirm what was discussed and accepted on the phone. Email will be your lifeline in this situation. I would require extensive digital pictures or video documenting daily progress or lack thereof. This will allow you to ask questions and see whats going on and discuss any potential issues. Its not as good as being there but most likely the next best thing and its simple and inexpensive. It also promotes daily interaction with those involved. Schedule a weekly teleconference or video conference to discuss issues, schedules,selections, changes and so on. A pizza or two sent to the framing crew or major subs on a Friday can gain some good will and possibly a bit of extra attention. Possibly even meet with a few of the major subs up front at a site visit to ask for imput and answer questions from them to help insure and encourage communication and put a face to the players from both sides. I think its only common sense to feel you might get a bit more attention and care from someone you have met and talked to than if you are a faceless client who they has little involvement or in common with them...You know the fat cat client flying in for meetings when they can fit it in ! ( even if this is not a big home and is simply a retirement home that is a modest one.
Good Luck

Thanks, Big Kahuna. DH has met the builder who is president of the G'ville builders assn. and talked to a reference F2F. He's built 85+ houses, builds in the Cliffs ($1M+ homes) and built the personal home of the developer of Acadia (hot, new TND), so I think we're doing pretty well wrt rep.

We've worked on our plans for so long, that I think we've wrung it out as well as anyone could (OK, OK, might expand the width of the master closets by 1' based on your excellent picture and advice.) The first pass at the spec's is already down to the detail of how many recessed floor outlets & sconces there will be.

Luckily, the builder is adept with e-mail so that won't be an issue. I already have a Google Docs site set up as a place for collaboration. We can put pictures, videos, schedules, etc. there. When we talk on the phone we take notes, so we'll just get in the habit of putting the most important points into e-mail to make sure everyone agrees to what has been discussed. Also, he has sent us copies of quotes from several suppliers as well as their phone numbers and websites so we can see exactly what is being quoted and ask them questions. Communication had been great, so far, with the builder, so I feel comfortable.

We're going up there next week to work a bunch of details, including siting the house, in person. I planned to meet with the cabinet maker & granite fabricator to make sure we are on the same page. I think DH wants to talk to the HVAC & electrical guys. It makes sense to see if we can meet some of the other subs just so all of us can put names to faces. I'll take your advice about the pizza and visit the local pizza place to establish the logistics for sending food.

DH is already retired, so he plans to make the trek about every 6 weeks or when some situation requires it. I'll go there, too, but less frequently. I don't plan to ask our neighbors to act as "spies", but I know they will be naturally curious and walk over to the site, so we'll talk to them as an independent set of eyes.

I know that we will have dozens of decisions to make, but we've done so much upfront research, that I feel we are ready to make them in a timely manner. Also, even though we have perfectionist tendencies, we both know that, sometimes, you just do your best with incomplete information and accept the results. Generally, it will be good enough.

Thanks for the advice and insights - Jo Ann

Good luck, Jo Ann! It sounds like you have things planned out in detail, which should go along way towards keeping things running smoothly. I've heard lots of horror stories about change orders, especially how much they can cost! It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that you need to have good, detailed, airtight contracts for everything. The more that's in writing, and signed to, the easier it is to keep everyone honest. I'm looking forward to pictures of your build- make sure your husband brings his camera!

Jay

Jo Ann seems like you are doing pretty well and have a great handle on all the key points. Im sure some others will also have a few hints I haven't considered. When meeting with GC and Subs ask them what you are forgetting or for any suggestions upfront. Its easier than later having them chime in with I was going to ask you if you wanted to.... They are the experts in their fields and you should pick their brains on the latest and greatest ideas and trends. You never know when they will bring up something that saves you money, improves efficiency, works better or saves time. Other than that enjoy the process and dont sweat the small stuff.

JoAnn,
I think you will be pleased with your builder.You definitely have done your homework!

Jim Anthony is very particular in choosing what builders build at the Cliffs.

Good Luck with your build and before you know it you will be here in G'Ville!

We built while we were selling our home-1000 miles away from the construction site. Temp housing (beach house) was 300 miles away while the house was finished. Here's what we learned and did well/not so well:

-Weekly conference call with a list of questions and timeframe was essential. It was the only way to maintain accountability on both sides.

- Monthly site visit. You have no idea how much we learned at these monthly visits. I shudder to think what would have happened had we not visited regularly.

-Emails to summarize every call and potential change order.

- Comprehensive contract that protects all parties.

- Brought lunch to the men that were wielding the hammers every time we were in town. Learned a ton about what was going well, what needed work, and we were able to say thank you.

- Wish we'd rented in the same town. There were still things that were missed and not managed the same way as if we'd been local.

- Nothing replaces a face to face meeting. The phone doesn't cut it. Body language is everything and I think the only way to tell if someone is full of it.

-We were at the mercy of what we were being told, rather than seeing the process with our own eyes.

- You have to have an architect that is local. They will be your eyes and ears and will hopefully fight some of these battles for you, or at least make you aware of the issues you can't see with your own eyes.

Best of luck- hope this helps- sounds like you've built many times before so you are aware of the potential pitfalls.

My parents built in Florida while living up north. They were very lucky that their very good friends already lived in the development. The friend checked the site regularly and took photos. He found many major errors that would have been too clostly to fix after the fact. Also many small errors that would have been annoying to have to live with.

We are currently building a home near Asheville, while living in Florida. We chose a builder who had good references from other out of state owners, including a couple who will be our new neighbors once the house is done. We talk with the builder by phone at least every other day and follow up with e-mails confirming any decisions. We have made several visits so far and expect to be up there every 4 weeks or so. We are still in the early stages, but so far everything is going well. "Remote" building is very common in the Carolina mountains. Builders know they have to satisfy their out of town owners or risk losing a significant part of their business. I think I would be much more apprehensive if we were building somewhere where remote building was much less common. Best of luck to you. "The Cliffs" is beautiful.

Sorry for not responding sooner to y'all's great inputs. Saturday evening, I got a virus on my computer & didn't get it all cleaned up until yesterday evening so I was too tired to get on the net, last night.

While I was waiting for virus scans that took 2.5 hours, I made notes on some of the things we need to get straight when we go to SC. I think we should block out a few hours with the architect, the builder and us sitting around table pouring over the plans and making sure we have everything possible, at this point, nailed down. We're pulling together digital "tearsheets" of our ideas for trim, fireplace surrounds, etc., etc. Once we & the builder agree on the details with the architect's guidance, we'll burn a CD with the data and that will be the baseline.

Big Kahuna - thanks for the tip about asking the subs "What should we be asking you?" They are the experts and we need to try to educate ourselves enough not to second guess them, but to be able to ask questions and absorb answers.

lsst - we put the trip off for a week to be more prepared. I'll PM you about when we will be in town. We wanted to be in G'ville for V-Day which is also our anniversary, but this will give us once last chance to do Mardi Gras in Galveston. My guess is that Fat Tuesday is not such a big deal Upstate.

In addition to phone calls, we'll see if our builder has a webcam so we can Skype. Not as good as F2F, but it really does help. DD is in Perth, Australia training for an outreach mission to Mexico City. We Skype often, and it makes a big difference when we both have our webcams up. Of course, with the time difference, one of us is usually in our jammies. ;^)

Y'all have given me reassurance and some good ideas. Thanks, so much - Jo Ann