Sophie's comment sound like it is based on experience, heed it well.

First- congratulations on starting on your dream! It's a little late if your design is finalized, but be sure it fits your land, style, and climate. If you have thick enough skin, you could post it here, but be warned that some folks are brutally honest.

Read and understand your contract in detail, or have your attorney read it. Read and understand your blueprints, and be prepared to stand your ground when something doesn't add up. It amazes me the mistakes that are made on very expensive homes.

It's fine (and fun) to shop for various things ahead of time. Beware of buying items under warranty, such as appliances. The warranty may run out before you ever get to use it.

I'm a big advocate of strong and energy-efficient construction. 'Code minimum' is just what it says- the minimum. I built our house out of ICF, which is both very strong and energy efficient. Likewise, quality windows will last longer and save energy. Pay me now, or pay me later. Our power bills are tiny, a good thing for us, heading into retirement.

Take lots of pictures from start to finish. Take pictures of the walls before drywall, but after plumbing and electric, so once everything is covered up, you'll know where the pipes and wires are. Label the pictures, as they all tend to look alike. I wrote what the picture was on a piece of paper attached to the framing in the picture. I labeled all of my outlet and switch boxes as I went, so I know exactly which circuit breaker controls what.

Sophie makes good points. Building a house is like raising children. It's expensive and requires tremendous patience and a united front from the 'parents'. The 'children' will do bone-headed things from time to time that will have you thinking, "What were they thinking?" Be prepared that everything will cost more and take longer than anyone said up front.

Many people will focus on the negative, and there are a lot of rants on these forums, but we enjoyed the process and kept a positive attitude throughout. We love our new home, and feel blessed to have a house and property that fits us. Have fun!

Make certain you have an adequate contingency fund, and take the time line provided and count on it being half again as long in the least.

Install a good construction camera or two to capture day by day activity and progress on your new home; I did on mine and it takes a snapshot every minute during daylight hours. You can watch your home come to life.

Have a plan B ( and maybe even a plan C) for things that don't work out or go wrong. Be ready to make hundreds of decisions. Like millworkman advised, have a contingency fund. Also, have lots and lots of patience. Most importantly, try to enjoy the process. :-)

A well documented set of plans and specs is worth more than your contingency fund. BUT you have to have the 'balls' to enforce it. Don't pay extra just because the GC screwed up - hold him and his trades accountable, even if that means taking issues to the building inspector.

Also: become familiar with the building code(s) in your area. Read the manufacturer's instructions for any product they install, and ensure it is done correctly, using the correct products. Suppliers love to invalidate warranties due to improper installation.

Mushcreek, well said!!

My 2 cents are it definitely takes more time and money than you will ever expect. Also, it challenges you on fronts that you may have never been tested on before in terms of smoking through huge sums of hard earned money.

Several times over the build you will likely want to choke a contractor. Either carelessly sloppy, showing up late, or not having the precision you demand. My advice to you is always try and bring out the best of the team. Even though you have a GC coordinating things, you are the leader who must set the spirit of the build.

Keep the job site immaculate. Tell all workers to clean up daily. And even after they do their best to clean up, after they leave you should clean and organize even more. Every morning workers should arrive to a clean and safe job site. Plus, sloppy job sites encourage sloppy workmanship, and the loss of materials and tools. Make sure you have google photos and take hundreds of photos everyday. Even random ones of strange spots you'll never think you have to reference and inevitably it will save the day many times.

great suggestions. We are breaking ground on our new home in Spring 2018 and will follow this advice. Good luck to both of us!

Lots and lots of wine.

Do NOT fall for absurdly low allowances. They are a joke. I spent God only knows how many hours selecting every fixture in the house, electrical and plumbing. Buy your own appliances, fans, garage door openers etc so you’re not financing them for years. Get detailed drawings of your plans and add your electrical. Including today, I’ve spent 4 days on electrical and I just made final changes. Use spread sheets, my spread sheet for every phase of the construction and room by room details, fixtures etc is easily 30 tabs. It’s been 26 months to date and we break ground in December. LOT of work, an AWFUL lot of work.

Lastly learn what you can about various construction methods. As an example, with a metal roof you can go with a standing seam roof (MOST EXPENSIVE) or you can go with an exposed fastener roof. Where you can SAVE $ with an exposed fastener roof for example the most common material is a 5V crimp panels... still somewhat expensive and labor intense. The last option, a panel often referred to as a Tuff Rib, it's a 36" panel with ribs 9" on center. Extremely strong yet the least expensive to install due to reduced labor. If you have friends in the business, pick their brains. It'll save you money.

Learned from cpartist and has saved me much "concern" over builder issues. The build is going smoother now or at least I think so after a few glasses of wine.

Well...an unfortunate tendency by many consumers is to rush to have completed (by someone) a very minimal set of drawings with some added notes, sufficient to get a building permit. And many consumers think they are "saving money" with this approach. With a minimal set of drawings, everything else is left to the builder to identify, figure out, plan for and provide. Or not.

The all too common result with minimal documents, is a lot of (often) very insufficient allowances which will not provide the fixtures, finishes and equipment that a consumer may want, without expensive (and often surprising) additional expenses and possible delays.

In addition, without proper detailing and specifications, discretion is left to the builder to "do it the way he's always done it", which often may not be what a consumer has in mind at all. In the absence of detailed drawings and specifications, which are a part of the construction contract, the consumer often has very little recourse when something is built in an unsatisfactory or undesirable manner, except to either: 1) accept the work, or; 2) pay for a Change Order to remove and replace the work.

Moral: Take the time and spend the money to have a fully completed, detailed set of construction drawings and full specifications of e-v-e-r-y-t-h-I-n-g! No surprises, no substitutions, no change orders, no extra expenses.

It's often the case that the cost of insufficient allowances and unintended change orders will more than exceed the cost and time it would have taken to prepare a more complete and detailed set of drawings and specifications, making the early decision to rush and "save money" false economy.

Final comment: have a very good understanding of the primary types of construction contracts, the one which best fits your situation, and looks after your interests. The three major types are: 1) Lump sum, or fixed fee; 2) Cost plus fee; and 3) Time and materials. Pay close attention to how Change Orders will be handled and expensed. You can propose any of these construction contracts to your builder, or simply allow him/her to use whatever they find in their best interest.

Google "residential construction contracts" for lots more information on these types and their derivatives.

Good luck on your project.

Virgil as always hits the nail on the head and yes indeed "change orders", AKA a way for a builder to make a pretty fair amount of coin based on your changes. Details, details and details. This is exactly the reason I've got an enormous spread sheet down to the finest of fine details. I'll likely still miss a little something but I'll be damned if I can think of what it would be.

Speaking of contracts, make SURE it spells out how a change order will be handled and what will happen IF the builder passes away during construction. It's happened and I've read of that very same issue here. Basically CYA, it should be fair to all parties involved. If it's not in writing, there's no he said, she said. PUT IT IN WRITING.

Plus get to know your subs, it helps so much. I get to know them all, almost personally, treat them like family; no I don't give them any slack however I explain to them need for accuracy and how to do it right if neccessary. At times I come up with design ideas and suggestions they had not thought off and something they can use in their future projects. The last part is of course not simple for anyone but the 'getting to know them' part is possible and helps them connect to your project in much the same way and pride you have (or will have) in your build. If you can get a sub, who does the same or similar work day in and day out, excited about your project, by any means (primarily your attitude), results are nothing short of outstanding. Don't forget to praise them at every stage or every day or time you see them.

Following.....

Make sure you have a great Real Estate attorney in case you have disputes with your GC. Make sure your contract was well reviewed and you and your GC are on the same page.

On my last project my clients were always super nice to me and my trades, they were wonderful people to begin with, but super pleasant to deal with. What that accomplished is a willingness on my end, as their builder, to go above and beyond my agreement with them. This type of relationship made me care about their well being, made me suggest changes and alternatives that were not considered and I was happy to put in the extra effort.

They would also, completely unsolicited, come to the site and bring coffee and bagels or donuts for everyone. This happened on about 8-10 occasions. The atmosphere was just very pleasant.

We definitely encountered some challenges, but there was no contention and finger pointing, there was a lets get it done, and done properly approach by both sides. For example, there were windows that were too small for my clients. They did not notice this until we framed the house (windows were already ordered and not returnable) and window openings. We discussed the changes in cost and time to order new windows and my clients agreed to the change (in writing of course) without blaming me or finger pointing at the architect, since they signed off on the original plans. They then found a buyer for the non-returnable windows on ebay and were able to hedge their change. They were super happy they made this change and were never sour, at least not to me.

Other times, when clients are not as friendly and are much more demanding and guarded I tend to go by the book. I still don't nickel and dime my clients and still want them to have as good of an experience as possible, but its not the same.

When the clients, especially in a custom build when they are around a lot, are nice and cordial it sets up a different atmosphere which yields a better overall project. This of course also depends on your builder's demeanor and attitude.

My two biggest weekly expenses are my trainer at the gym and my weekly massage. Without those two, I wouldn't need to build my house because I would instead be in a nice quiet, padded room.

Find those things that are stress reducers for you and take full advantage of them.

If you have a cost plus contract and are supplying some of the items, lights, faucets, etc find the best price and always ask for a discount. I have been surprised at the number of times that I have been given an additional discount just by asking for one.

- important to repeat what was said above about being prepared to spend way more money and time than you think you will
- look into getting a course of construction insurance policy to cover theft, accidents, etc. that may happen
- be super organized about contracts, invoices, payments, etc. Set up a binder system or electronic files; know the details of your contracts, payment terms, etc.
- don't be afraid to part ways with tradespeople if they can't produce what you need; it's hard to "fire" people but sometimes their vision doesn't align with yours; there is a firm but nice way to do this. On the other hand, don't be surprised (and look out for) people trying to cheat you. It's a cynical view, but it's important to have your eyes open and question everything.

Wow! Most of the time you need to cut through a lot of rind to get to the melon, but not so on this thread.

A big shout out to @Sophie Wheeler, @Virgil Carter and @Girsh Development for shining the light on some important aspects of custom home building.

As @ Sophie Wheeler opined, do the work up front. This means investing in a good set of plans and specifications as @Virgil Carter advised. It might be counter intuitive, but a well-documented, and accurate set of plans and specifications is in your builder's best interest, too--not just yours. The fewer ambiguities, the fewer "issues" will arise that tend to result in bad feelings or change orders. Good plans minimize the time required in the construction phase. It is in your best interest to select your builder early in the process and involve them during the design process. In construction there is usually more than one alternative to achieve the desired outcome and your builder can provide useful insights with regard to the cost and benefits of each alternative during design. In addition, the builder and architect can discuss the required construction details that need to be drawn, reducing the cost of design. Sometimes a detail is redundant since it's specified in the building code or something the builder does on a routine basis. Focus on those details that are unique to your project.

In short, a good set of plans and specs will go a long way to ensure an on-time, on-budget completion

As noted by @Virgil Carter, there are a variety of contract options from which you can choose, provided your builder and your lender are open to them. It is important to understand the risks and benefits of each alternative and choose the one best suited to your needs and the constraints imposed by your lender.

Contrary to popular opinion, most builders--at least the reputable ones-- do not salivate over the prospect of change orders. In our office we have a saying: "A change is an opportunity for a mistake." There is a huge effort in implementing what seems to the client to be a simple change because of the number of individuals and trades affected by the particular change. The cost of delaying the project, researching the feasibility and cost of the change and processing all of the paperwork to all the affected individuals and trades is rarely recovered by the cost of a change order. That said, the change order process should be specified and agreed by all parties when you enter into a contract--not left as something to be worked out later.

Finally, as @Girsh Development noted, nice clients get more for their money than PIA, that is, difficult clients. When issues arise, work them out with your builder in a collaborative fashion.

Best wishes for a successful project.

Well...since this is an old thread...I can't help but wonder just how many tips/tricks the OP received...curious minds want to know.

Such an old thread to be asking this, but what is considered a good architectural plan? What isn't so good? Is there a minimum amount of information I should have on the plans? We have had our plans since April of 2018 and the house building has begun 17 days ago along with some rain and snow. No one seems to have any unusual questions about our plans. I just assume that our architect could do the job since is he well used around the area. Guess if his prices are an indicator, I do believe he is in line with the area he services. For what little I know, although I know alot more than my girl friends, I'd say they are very good. So how do I know for sure?