I just found your page. Doing some research on being the GC on our new home. I bought 3 acres of land on some pretty rocky terrain. I called to get a estimate for some excavating and that’s the first thing they asked for, was soil testing. 😩. Now I need to work on that. I Can’t wait learn from you.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

see howtobuildyourownhome.com for more help. A very detailed program for owner builders.

When we bid on a property, I made sure we could back out if the property won't pass the soils test. The seller didn't have one done, so had to do it. So far, no joy. Probably should have titled the video "Before you even get your plans, do THIS first".. Good points you've made.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

Жыл бұрын

Very correct.

After building 4 homes in the last 20 years, it cost me about half of what it would cost to buy one. But I built it all myself.

I just found your channel and although we’re probably still 5 years out before we can qualify for the loan we need to build out dream home I am already researching how to be my own general contractor. I’ve already watched several of your videos and I’m so grateful for the wealth of knowledge 🙏 thank you so much! I’ll be referring to these over and over!

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

4 жыл бұрын

I built an Owner Builder training system at howtobuildyourownhome.com. Take the first course for free. The best resource is a mentor with experience in the trades and with experience as a General Contractor.

I just found your channel. You Are AWESOME!! Very easy to understand!!! Im a retired teacher and purchased a 1924 home in a Flood Zone. I have always wanted to leave near the water. Now Im seeing the cost is even higher. I must have the home demolished and then build. All of this is very stressful but Im trying to learn. I have interviewed contractors but have not signed any proposals. I am currently having the borings done on the land by an engineer. I have so many questions Im not even sure where to start. But so glad I found your channel.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

See howtobuildyourownhome.com for more.

Thanks for the information. What you are saying meshes with what I'm seeing from other established builders' websites and vlogs. Very helpful.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful! Looking forward to your comments on my channel in the future.

so glad I found you! thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge, experience, and insight. this is Exactly the information i've been looking for. it seems no one - except for you - is saying 'this part of the construction process is where you can save money'. Subscribed! Also, please continue with the direct, no nonsense communication, as in "Don't do that" :D love it.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the confidence, I will keep it up.

These videos are so helpful! Thank you, Keith

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I will keep it up

This is such a wealth of information! Succinct and straightforward!

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Glad to help. See howtobuildyourownhome.com for a complete system for owner builders.

Very helpful.

Thank you so much

Thanks for the great lesson you taught me.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped. See howtobuildyourownhome.com for more.

We are now trying to build and we have rock on the property but it will work for us because we are doing the unthinkable building with cement and steel all around. Watching your video really helps

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Glad to help.

I really appreciate this information, thank you so much, I would love to speak with you sometime soon

You are awesome! Thank you

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

Жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

Glad to help

So helpful!

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Thank you!

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

Great content thanks!

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Excellent information.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

I found our after the fact that I need water line easement from next door lot owner. Unfortunately, the owner next door would not let us have water line easement even we offer to pay some money. ( i wish I watched this video before the purchase of this land). The option we have now is, to go longer distance through city right of way / side walk et.. , the civil engineer is working on that and it is going to be around at least 150 feet to bring the water line to the property. what is the most effective way to bring the line ? Trenching or trenchless ? Your feedback is appreciated

Great video

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I will keep it up

🏡 good info

Here in Southern Nevada (2024) our soil report is running $2500-$3000(David DuPont) . Grading and Survey(JPL Engineering out of Vegas) reports are $6000 with a $300 discount if paying in cash. Residential designer(designing home and septic plan) plus they are getting all initial permits and walking us through process of owner builders is $7200. Upgrading water pipe because we will have 2 home on property and Clark County is now requiring all residential homes to have fire sprinklers in the home and that is another 7100. Does this all sound about right to you? We did Get several different prices from other engineers, etc. and these were the lowest possible, and these people had the best reviews and reputation for our area.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

8 күн бұрын

If they are helping to get permit, that is great. It is a headache removed.

August 2021: Here’s a look at the 10 most overvalued markets and the premium buyers are currently paying: Boise City, Idaho - 80.64% Austin, Texas - 50.72% Ogden, Utah - 49.70% Provo, Utah - 46.16% Detroit, Mich. - 45.57% Spokane, Wash. - 45.21% Salt Lake City, Utah - 42.41% Phoenix, Ariz. - 42.31% Las Vegas, Nev. - 41.88% Stockton, Calif. - 38.50%

Keith, Your videos are very helpful. Is there a such thing as a FHA construction loan that allows to purchase land and new build? when i ask lenders they are not familiar and say its only avaible to pay for rehab costs and not a new build.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

Try looking into the USDA home lending, it's mostly for rural areas. They do allow for new construction.

When you talk about soil test. Are you talking about the perk test? I had that done on my 18 acres and it did perk. They even gave me a blueprint telling me exactly where the field lines need to be. What other soil test are you talking about?

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Getting a geotechnical report before you buy is a very good thing to do.

Another caution. I own a flooring and cabinet store, we also do complete kitchen and bathroom remodels. For people building their own house, they usually want kitchens and bathrooms that suit their particular desires, but never give them much thought in advance. Architects and builders DO NOT KNOW HARDLY ANYTHING ABOUT KITCHEN AND BATH DESIGN. These areas are very detailed. A 1.5" difference in window placement, door placement, or width of a wall can have a huge impact on a kitchen layout. My suggestion is take your plans to a GOOD cabinet contractor (and flooring too, preferably). THIS DOES NOT MEAN LOWE'S OR HOME DEPOT OR THE "WE SELL CHEAP CRAP" PLACE. Ask them to do an actual layout and price the kitchen. Either state you will pay them for doing so, or actually select your cabinets then and commit to buying them from that store, i.e., sign the order and pay a deposit. A good store will also do countertops, knobs and handles, sinks, and backsplashes. Pick all that, AND your floor and paint, at that point so it all coordinates. It's easy to change the position of a window or wall on paper at this stage. It's impossible to fix a screwed up design to have a great kitchen after it is built.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

I wish appraisers would know the difference in real value in kitchens and baths and not just lump all homes in the same market analysis. Some rare coins are worth more because they have that value verses other coins. I wish homes were valued in the same way. Good points, thanks for the comment.

Need an update on this video for 2022 and how the market is. Huge price increase in everything. God speed

Hey Mr. Keith, what would be a good way of contacting a local drafter to translate plans I've created? Would it be more advantageous to have them looked at by a firm or hire a draftsman separately and then have a structural engineer take a look at it?? Much thanks.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

4 жыл бұрын

Hire a draftsperson, this is typically cheaper. Make sure they can do a site plan for you and ask if he or she can do electrical plans as well.

Keith; Question: I am the retired teacher. I have a garage on the same property that only needs to have an apartment on The top so I can then take My time trying to build the home on the property. The builder is charging me over 130,000$. Im thinking I can start with the garage and hiring contractor to put a 500sf apartment on top. The separate garage is in much better condition than the 1924 house. I think the garage was built at a much later date. The foundation of the garage seems much better. Since I will only be adding an Apartment to the existing garage I really do not have to pull any permits. Must I have a license to hire contractors to complete the garage apartment as a start to my learning process?? Thanks. Rhonda

Excellent video! I'm assuming this advice applies outside the US too? e.g. in the UK?

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Mostly the U.S.

Hello! Once the soil test is received, will it be something I need to take somewhere for them to tell me ‘yes it’s good for building’ or will I be able to read that information myself? Do I send it to a foundation contractor or an excavation contractor? In another episode, you said that search engines are not the place to find your sub contractors. Is this the same for finding a structural engineer to work up your engineered plans? When contacting a sub contractor to get a bid, what information do you include besides blueprints and engineered plans? Will the foundation company know what type of foundation you need based on the soil tests?

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

You should be able to read it. You can also ask the geotech engineer who drafted it to walk you through it to be better informed. See howtobuildyourownhome.com for more help.

Awesome content. You've mentioned buying a land checklist, can't find it on your site. Can you share a direct link, thanks.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Go to www.howtobuildyourownhome.com/. Scroll down and you will see the form. Also see the courses page for in-depth instruction.

@RidiPwn

3 жыл бұрын

@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome thank you found it

Can you elaborate on what a framing engineer does or how it effects the bids process

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

I think you are talking about a structural engineer. You cannot get accurate bids from framers, concrete and all structural build without fully engineered plans.

*Hello.* *I got this important question to ask.* *I am purchasing a land that has high elevation on two sides and there is a valley in the middle. And the county map shows a creek runs through this valley. This creek does not come from any other property into this land, but this creek BEGINS in this land. Can we build on it and reroute the creek flow a little but to get more area for the building pad?*

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

I am not a geotech engineer so I cannot really give you an answer. I would contact a geotech Engineer to get the answers you need.

I'm trying to get a feel for building costs in my area (for a garage, not a house). Local building permits list a "Job Value" which, according to one of the Permit Coordinators, is supposed to represent "materials and labor". I imagine that there are other factors that would influence the final price to the customer (contractor fees, sales taxes, permit fees, etc.), but do you think these Job Values are useful for price comparison? Or are they completely meaningless? The values listed - even for very recent permits (2021) - appear to be half to 1/3 the quotes I'm getting. In other words, what apparently was $50psf (for a garage) 2 months ago is now $100psf (or even higher).

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Take the first course at howtobuildyourownhome.com. It is called the starter course. I will help.

I am purchasing a piece of land, and the code for the soil once I googled the name of the soil listed at the county records, says that its one of the best soils to build on. Do I still need a geotech soil test, the location is in the city of goldsboro nc

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

Ask your local city or county building department. They will tell you if you need geotech.

You said ask for a soils test but what are you looking for with that test to know if its good or not?

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

I am not looking, the geotech engineer is looking and then he or she gives a report to the structural engineer.

Looks like I already screwed up Step 1, haha!

Hey Keith. We have a module home in Georgia near Savannah. We want to build a home behind that. We have the plan that we want to build. Do you know or recommend a architect near here? I am having trouble locating one?

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

I do not have someone in that area, but look for a draft-person and not so much an architect.

@BatRider20071

3 жыл бұрын

@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome How do I go about searching for one? I have tried. Having a difficult time .

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

@@BatRider20071 Look up engineers and then ask them who they recommend. Also go to your local building department and ask if they have names of draft people locally. Also local home builder associations. There are a lot of places you can look.

Could you please talk about fees?… make a video? 2:10 I always though about electricity when building a home like how would it be provided…

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

Will do. Thanks for asking. It is now added to my list.

50$ sq foot materials costs ?

I found a house plan online that I want to build. In your experience, are these plans a safe option when building?

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

4 жыл бұрын

Don't buy those. Grab a screen shot and copy as best you can then get a draftperson to recreate. You will find too many problems and increased costs buying one of those

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

4 жыл бұрын

Not a best option. I find plans online and then I pay my draft person to copy them with my changes.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

FYI, changes need to be at least 25% greater than what the original is or you can be found in copyright issues. I look at other plans for layout only that fits any build need. Start with floor plan layout first, then the rest will follow.

I’m so sorry but what does it mean to scale

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

Жыл бұрын

It means to build up, to grow a business or system to handle more work.

Owner builder designs his own complex roof system, different pitches lots of valleys... smh

What is a typical architect cost? 5% 10% ?

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

Usually a cost per sq ft, which can range from .75 cents to $5 per. sq ft.

@johnwhite2576

2 жыл бұрын

Ummm how about $30 plus per square foot….ouch….Please send me your architects contact info….these are 1/4 prices quoted by most architects between Philadelphia and Richmond ….i could fly your best man/woman out here every week and still be ahead….

My question is what do you really save by owner building?

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

The contractor fee for starters, which can be anywhere from 10-23% of the total cost to build. This could be anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 and up. And that is just their fee. You can save more by knowing the real costs and managing those costs. See howtobuildyourownhome.com. take the starter course if you want to know more.

10,000 for full architectural and engineered plans ?? Man, you are off by an order of magnitude in non flyover country…

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

It would help to be specific, "order of magnitude in non flyover" does not help. In some markets, it is much more, in other markets it can be half this. I deal with owner builders all over the country, in Canada, and the UK. The range people are paying from low to high is quite distant from each other.

@johnwhite2576

2 жыл бұрын

@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome ok-washington dc, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta , SF, Seattle, LA San Diego, Miami- all areas my family members or myself have built houses in the last five years, 4500-5500 square feet sized, standard excavations etc, no pools…structural engineer alone 10,000 in each case, architects min of 5% of costs (tho they claim the work by the hour) construction costs running 250 a sq for for anything custom , often pushing 500 without elevators, safe rooms, wine cellars, etc. seriously not trying to be difficult or catty, but I could pay for you to come out here , rent you a house, and build my next house and you’d end up with a greater profit.

@johnwhite2576

2 жыл бұрын

Its really quite facile to end up with 200,000 in architect, MEP structural design without hiring an interior decorator! Housing prices in these areas have gone up 25%-40% in past few years and these consultants have in effect raised their total fees accordingly without requiring any more hours to do the design work.thsi si just an awful time for anyone to be building a home. If you don’t HAVE to, don’t….

@johnwhite2576

2 жыл бұрын

Again, I apologize if I am coming across too strong, but just gobsmacked by that figure. Please send me name of any architects you know in t metro dc area va or Maryland who will design for those rates or even close.i am ready to to build two houses but have been holding off.

I've built 2 homes, with zero subcontractors, for under $20 sqf BEFORE osb and lumber prices tripled.....local counties will perk-test lots for $250.00 in my area (NC..) Really easy question....why do you think all of these Home Building companies have sprung-up, building an entire house in under a month??...lol...they are raking in the cash as they use a HUGE labor force of mostly desperate (and mostly illegal...) workers. Go to a Lowes or HD and price a few things....(the builders are paying much less mind you due to volume discount...).....and run the numbers with a little basic math. And you thought car dealers were thieves?....BIGGEST racket going, and I didn't even mention the banks.

God I love you! I will be contacting you!

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

Glad to help

1500 to 2500$ soil test is for huge jobs- thousands of loads of dirt taken out from a jobsite in Chicago..it costs 60$ to do a soil test for a small job like a residential house .Please don't lie to the viewers.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the feedback but I get getotech reports from all over the country and the cost range is accurate. Plus I have had many geotechnical reports from several geologists and this prices is accurate. $60 for a geotech report is not accurate at all. Not sure where you are getting this number.

@itsmisterchris

3 жыл бұрын

@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome every single time we do a house excavation we pay 60$ for a lab.in order for the dump site to allow us to dump dirt n open up a new account for every house excavation..If test doesn't pass we won't get a account oopened up on the specific excavation site adress

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

@@itsmisterchris That's a soil lab test not geotechnical engineering.

@OldBoldGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Not a soils test but a geotechnical report, so his numbers are accurate for what he's talking about:)

@seanm3226

3 жыл бұрын

@@OldBoldGuy The video, several times, refers to “soils tests”. It’s made no reference to a geotechnical report.

You need to PAY for a soil test. Somebody paid for that. Its not free.

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

3 жыл бұрын

Get the seller of the land to pay for it, that's what I ask for.

@justinfranks8222

3 жыл бұрын

@@HowToBuildYourOwnHome So what else should sellers pay for? Whatever a seller pays for, a remodel, a well, a septic system perc test, etc... that is passed to the buyer. All incurred fees expenses are passed to a buyer.

Slab alone is around 30k no house just the foundation and concrete slab

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

8 күн бұрын

About right for many homes. The foundation one of the bigs ones.

I found our after the fact that I need water line easement from next door lot owner. Unfortunately, the owner next door would not let us have water line easement even we offer to pay some money. ( i wish I watched this video before the purchase of this land). The option we have now is, to go longer distance through city right of way / side walk et.. , the civil engineer is working on that and it is going to be around at least 150 feet to bring the water line to the property. what is the most effective way to bring the line ? Trenching or trenchless ? Your feedback is appreciated

@HowToBuildYourOwnHome

2 жыл бұрын

Trench-less can run into problems with unforeseen boulders and rocks that a backhoe can easily pull out through trenching.