The biggest problem that people have with building a new house is that they do not go into the project as prepared as they should be. I suppose that part of it is that it is one of the biggest projects a person will ever undertake, and it can be very daunting. But in my mind, that's all the more reason to spend a lot of time learning about what is involved.
Another problem for most first time owners is that they "accept" whatever the builder tells them as the gospel truth. After all, the builder knows what he's doing, right? Sorry, I don't buy that. Just like I don't buy that my minister is anyone special just because he is a clergyman. You know what, he puts his trousers on the same way I do. I frequently remind him that he works for the congregation, not the other way around.
The last time I built a house, I was shopping around for the builder I was going to hire. I had prepared a complete list of everything that I wanted in the house - kinds of windows, water softener, water heater, furnace, air conditioning, etc. I did this so that when I received all of the bids, I knew I'd be comparing apples to apples (where have I heard that before?? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif). So after I get the bids, 4 of them were within a reasonable amount of each other. But the 5th, which was from the largest builder in the area, was dramatically lower than the others. I went to meet with him to find out why his bid was so much lower. When we met, he began telling me that he didn't include this, or he eliminated that, or whatever. When I asked him why he did that, he said because he didn't think I needed those things. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif Then we discussed the design of our master bedroom, which would include a cathedral ceiling. He said we couldn't build it that way. When I asked why not, he said because it can't be done. I asked him if there was some kind of code that I was not aware of that prohibited that kind of ceiling. He said no, there wasn't. My comment to him was, "As long as I'm willing to pay for it, and as long as it meets codes, I'll build any d _ _ _ thing I want to. I just won't build it with you."
The point is, many people would have accepted his decisions just because he was the builder.
I found building my two homes to be a challenging and enjoyable experience. Sure, there were problems. But I knew there would be problems going into the project, and we were prepared for them. But it felt good when we solved the problems in an efficient way, the end result was what we wanted. But without knowing what to expect from the beginning, and without learning who the builder is and his level of service capability(kind of like a tractor dealer /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif), I can see where the project could be disheartening.
I always feel bad when I hear about someone who has had a bad experience, because that means that they probably won't enjoy their new home as much as they should. But I also tend to think, that at least part of those problems were brought on themselves because they just didn't prepare enough in the beginning.
I hope things turn out well for you so that you and your family can really enjoy your new home. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
