bump

We had a summer home built in CO while living in AL. What is it you want to know?

Yes, and it didn't go well. The building and quality were fine, but the contractor had a multitude of personal disasters (mom died, daughter got pregnant, son on drugs, house taken by IRS, dog ran away - not kidding about this) so he fell way behind schedule and we got a lien slapped on us by the IRS (illegally, it turns out). Having to work with the bank to get each sub paid and trying to verify their work (they didn't trust the contractor anymore) from 6 hours away was the worst part. We begged and pleaded and had to get a local lawyer to get to final inspection, with unfinished items that we had planned to complete ourselves.
Example, we were going to make nice oak railings to go with the oak spiral staircase. We put up quick pine railings that met code to pass inspection. Because of the delay, the house wasn't finished until after we had moved all the way across the country (vice "only" 6 hours away) and then we had to pay people to refinish the things we hoped to do ourselves.
Be careful.

Yes, we built from 500 miles away...and though we're happily living in the house now (and pretty much on time)...we were fooled and over-charged by some people...promised pictures via email...promised monthly invoices that were never produced...and there were some pretty big requests of ours that were either forgotten or ignored because we weren't there to make sure things were done correctly.

We chose a custom cabinet guy on one of our visits to the new house...he had drawn up a very rough proposed layout right in front of us. He assured us several times that it was "rough and quick" and if we went with him...he'd make us a much more detailed drawing to refer to during the cabinet install.

Never happened. Every time I had a question or a suggestion--he'd say "Remember that drawing I gave you"?

Sigh. He was a very nice guy--but we found out AFTER going with him that he couldn't figure out how to resize pictures to send via email...so never once did he even try to email us anything. It was a very difficult process. I have said that I'd never do it again, but if we had to...
I would be so vigilant about making sure that everyone followed through with whatever I needed to feel comfortable about the build going on so far away.

I let many people convince me that everything was going great, and was just what I'd asked for. It was a different story when we'd arrived. The day we got here we had each sub coming to us complaining about each other (and each other's work)......complaining about the GC, and the shortcuts he tried to convince them to take. It was a slap in the face after "working" with these people for a year and a half.

I think that a long-distance build is an option...but we had a rough time with some of the people we chose...and I was also going through a high-risk pregnancy at the time so I know my focus was not always on the house. I honestly could've driven myself nuts trying to keep in touch with our GC to make sure things were getting done correctly--and because it was a disfunctional build--there were many times I had to MEDIATE from 500 miles away between the builder and the sub-contractors to keep everyone from walking away before finishing the house.

My parents built about half a mile away and were there daily -- often 2 or 3 times a day, and still had to have things changed.

Even the best of contractors and subs will have differences in how they interpret or understand things, remember some things differently -- or some just ignore what you say and do things the way they are used to or think they should be. I was here every day of our kitchen remodel, had detailed drawings and the specs and installation instructions for every appliance taped up on the walls. I went over the details with them -- I still had to have too much redone and got lip from them that I didn't need it that way. The plumber thought that since he and his wife didn't use their DW I certainly didn't need two, and he couldn't understand why I cared where the water lines ran and where the disposal would be or that I had planned every inch of under sink space. He didn't seem to think it mattered which side teh gas line ran behind my cooktop of that he cut a hole in my drawer when he put it in the wrong place. No hole was needed when he corrected it, but I have the monument to his work ethic to remember him by. And even on the things that were done well, there are questions that come up or something that might not be going as planned. If you aren't there, you may not have any say in how things get resolved. They could be good changes -- we did some work where we saw the option of adding a small closet instead of having wasted space. If we hadn't been there, the wall would have been closed up as planned. Now that room has some hanging space and shelves as well as the funky short storage. :-)

When I couldn't even leave the kitchen area and go paint our bedroom as planned, I don't think I could ever build long distance. I would look into renting a trailer or something and being there to make sure the home you plan to retire in is the home you want to retire in. I might take a chance earlier in life, but not in a forever home.

I'm pretty sure that's not the answer you'd prefer, but I'd rather you get the results you prefer. :-)

Thanks for sharing.
We may be in a position to build from Wisconsin to Washington to save an extra move....no cash savings, simply headache of relocation postponing.
Thanks for your feedback.
I was hoping I'd hear otherwise, but expected the "ick" factor.

Our story is different from the above; we hired a contractor after several interviews with three companies and the build went well. There were no surprises, we stayed within the budget and the house was finished two months after the projected date - not bad, imo. Site visits were not often from such a long distance, but done at key points in the build to inspect (foundation/framing, after electrical/plumbing before walls were enclosed and a few more times). There were a lot of phone calls and several overnight deliveries. Having everything picked up before you start helps, as with any build, and not making changes during construction unless necessary.

Circumstances may be different for a builder not used to working with someone long distance, which isn't the case in CO where many have 2nd/3rd homes.

Good luck with your project.