We are building a retirement home in another state about 1,000 miles away. I won’t be there more than once a month. The construction will start in a few weeks, hopefully. I trusted my builder but it is a complicated lot. It has many parameters to consider that they are not always aware. I am the only one involved in all aspects of the project from the beginning. I am no expert in building but I am most aware of issues presented in the site. I would like to stay close and chime in as needed. Cellular connection is not great. I believe it only has 3G network. Any tips?
You have to have a lot of trust in your builder! I would be crystal clear that you want to be consulted if there needs to be any change, no matter how small. I would also go out as often as possible.
We custom built our last house and I was on site daily. Saved us from some costly mistakes. The biggest one is that the masons shorted our basement so it would have been a foot shorter. Thankfully I caught it the day they said they were wrapping up and had the plans with me. They didn’t realize our plans had an extra course.
That’s what I am worried about. They won’t look at the plan closely enough. They won’t think to follow the plan exactly since they have done same kind of things million times. In my plan, there’s a reason for every little thing and not following it to the letter will cause issues later on.
^This + absentee owner = recipe for unhappiness.
Even with the best builders, there will be at least some little things that don’t happen “to the letter.”
The builder is aware of the difficulties.
My husband and I are building a retirement house 500 miles away from our current resident. We chose our builder based on his experience in dealing with clients that are not local and we are relying on his expertise and experience to make the construction process go as smoothly as possible. My husband has experience in the construction industry (commercial) which has helped tremendously but there will always be issue that can come up even if they follow the plan exactly. His foreman or the builder, personally sends us updates and pictures each week and contacts my husband and I immediately if they have questions or they run into issues. We also try to visit the construction site at least monthly (if possible) to check on the progress. Even following the plans exactly does not always mean there will be no issues. We ran into a problem with your fireplace/chimney. The designers/architect plans had the roof of the chimney framed in using wood materials which is not code (resembling a bell tower for our Tuscan theme). After the builder did the framing, we had to remove the roof and replace with a non-combustible metal shroud (extra costs). Also the fireplace was suppose to be wood burning which according to code would require the height of the chimney to go up another 5 feet throwing off the asthetic of the home. We changed to a gas fireplace and no issues and no extra costs. We found on the electrical specs, no wiring for a door bell, so we had to add that in before they drywalled. Little things will come up so you do have to be flexible and always have some extra contingency money.
Best of luck and hope everything works out well in the end.
Every little detail is to the code. It has been scrutinized by the whole town for over 8 months. If there’s anything not to code, I would have heard about it.
You should get cameras that can receive Wi-Fi by itself without a router, such as the Reolink Argus. If it’s to be used outdoors you can mount a solar panel that is an optional feature. They also have cameras with SIM cards built in as well. If there is no cell service, perhaps look into satellite service such as Viasat or Dish Network.
@Iglooo: Our plans passed code and small issues have still cropped up. Our plans were also scrutinized extensively but like wiring for the doorbell and the chimney were not caught until the inspection. I am just saying, make sure your builder keeps you updated weekly, have them take pictures of their progress and if issues should arise, that you are contacted immediately. If you have trust in your builder, the building should go well.
There will be issues daily. Even though you have plans and the City has looked at the plans, some things will have to be moved, some things don’t line up, and many many finishes, systems and appliances have to be purchased and onsite in a timely manner. Some much earlier than you think. Something as small as where the water line is located for your refrigerator’s ice maker will not line up correctly if the exact appliance spec and/or refrigerator isn’t on site.
I am sure there are all little issues popping up. That’s why I would like to monitor.
@ProfessorPlum168 That’s exactly what I am looking for. The cell service is spotty although it is supposed to have 4G, I couldn’t download a picture attachment when I was there. For Reolink Argus tower, am I right thinking I have to order wifi service? I can do that. They only have satellite wifi service.
First, I wouldn’t recommend it. The site is complicated, as you say, and typically, most of the issues arise are once your roof is loaded and your home is sheetrocked. It’s the little things. The site being complicated just compounds the difficulty.
Budget more visits. Phones and cameras just aren’t nearly enough. The only other possibility is to hire a good private building inspector.
@coralbrook I know. Everything will be purchased in advance and stored locally. I did that when I renovated my kitchen and everything went smoothly.
Unless you paid high price for a third pairs of eyes that you can trust. If the builder is of conflict interest, he will skimp whenever he can. Its the nature of the business. Most of the developers(and that was my professional life as a realtor specialize in land sales) will not build one house at a time, just because of that. The developers will hire real high wage professionals to look over every details, it does not pay to just build one house, the overhead is too high. Toll Brothers, for example, will not look at any project less than 50 units, for example.
For a single home project 1000 miles away, if you cannot be there, it spells desaster.
I hope not. They do that all the time. It is a town mostly for out-of-towners.
@ProfessorPlum168 Is there a router free camera? I looked ReoLink Argus. It seems to communicate through a router.
Not every builder is like Toll Brothers. Some are fine with small projects (typically, such builders’ profit is about 10% of the sell price). Some only build on others’ land.
A camera etc. will not be of any help… you need a trusted pair of eyes that can peek inside nooks and crannies. A home build is not comparable to a kitchen remodel.
@Iglooo the Reolink cameras all connect directly to Wi-Fi. Except for one model that has a SIM card built in.
Please look at this clip from Youtube
https://youtu.be/30Jy2RTBd88
A small error in windows installation could spill major desaster. So, videos will not do a thing about the quality of workmanship.
@ProfessorPlum168 When you say connect directly to wifi, what do you mean? My current wifi is cable. So I hav a modem and a router. At the construction site, it will be satellite. Could you walk me through? I call the wifi company and I sign up. Then what happens?
@artloversplus Oh, I am sure there are zillion things video can’t catch. But there may be a few things video will catch and it will be worth it. Besides, I can have a video conference with the builder with him showing what’s going on. This is a small town and they build one house at a time. It is NOT Toll Brothers country.
@Iglooo the camera would search for an available Wi-Fi connection just like say your cell phone or iPad would (if you didn’t have/want to use your cell plan). I would imagine then that you purchase a satellite plan which would then be your Wi-Fi provider.