Need An Upstate NY General Contractor?

Selling a House Vs. Building a Home

House retailers will try to persuade you that it’s better to general contract a project yourself. Yet talk to someone who has done it and they will tell you that it’s not that simple. The retailers would like you to believe that you will save money doing it yourself. Here are some things to consider.

• Would you charge the same price to someone you know is only going to do business with you once, and most likely has no experience, as you would charge someone you do 15 homes with every year?
• Would someone be more likely to cut a corner if they knew you had no idea that they did it?
• If their work proves to be flawed, are they likely to come back and fix it if they have been paid and will never do another project with you again?
• Is a retailer saying this because you will really save money, or is it because he likes the idea of shipping you a house, getting a check, and not being responsible for anything after that?

When you hire a general contractor such as MH Imperial Homes to build your house, they are responsible for everything and are your single source for anything that you need. When you are the general contractor and you have “issues” during construction or after, you can call yourself. The retailer is no longer liable when you take the house off the truck and put it on the foundation you had poured for it.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know!

We have learned over the years that the biggest problem with home owner contracting is “You don’t know what you don’t know”! So when the house is there hanging over the foundation on a crane and someone says, “Where are the sill plates and the lolly columns?”, you are responsible, and you’ll pay dearly for every minute until they get there. We want to help you avoid this type of disaster.

Be Very Careful

Retailers will tell you to take the house price and add excavation, foundation, well, and septic costs for a total construction price. They are selling you an illusion. So you’ll get a mortgage, give a deposit, and you’ll be on your way down a very slippery slope.

When you apply for your permit, you’ll find out that you need to have the soil perc tested and the septic system engineered before you can get it approved. You’ll need to have an architect design the foundation and an engineer stamp the design. You’ll need a certified survey and a plot plan of where the house will sit. You’ll need driveways, garages, well, and septic setbacks defined, as well as calculations at the completion of the project.

So, slightly wounded and a little lighter in the wallet, you get your permit and work begins. You’ll then need to supply a dumpster and sanitary services for the workmen. Then you find out that the foundation guy only does the concrete, but the building inspector says you need insulation and waterproofing to pass inspection, as well as those sill plates and lolly columns and, oops, the house does not come with stairs and… I’m sure you get the point.

The problem is that now you have a house coming and, unless you have lots of cash on hand, you’ll probably have to borrow even more money to get it built. Suddenly all the money you thought you were saving was an illusion, and your new dream home is turning into a nightmare.

We have seen this happen to too many people and we don’t want it to happen to you.
The moral of this story is: Don’t just buy a house; Hire a builder.