Ross, sanding and refinishing is not expensive. It is a lot less expensive than replacing a entire vinyl floor. Home ownership does come with costs but most hardwood floors last a lifetime if well taken care of. But I appreciate your comment.

@@GTGCustomHomeBuilders if you purchase a high quality vinyl product and not a builders grade product vinyl will last pretty much just as long and will never warp from water.

@@3rdGenFireChicken no doubt that is true. I don't know what builder quality means but just like most things if you purchase good quality it will last a long time. Most of our experience is that clients either get tired of the color/style before it wears out or it has unusual usage resulting in damage.

@@GTGCustomHomeBuilders I’m sure you know what builders quality is. You’re a home builder. I worked for a lot of builders in the past and I think we both know unless it’s a privately built home or the homeowner upgrades the quality of not only the floor but everything else is not so great.

@3rdGenFireChicken sounds like you have a lot of experience with spec home builders, which makes sense. We aren't looking to build the cheapest, we look to build what out clients want which is very high quality. When I hear buyer quality I think spec homes or Home Depot I guess.

There is no additional material in 2 Story home. Same Sq ft, same amount of sub floor. A ranch has double the roof and foundation of the same size 2 story. That's why they are more expensive to build.

@@GTGCustomHomeBuilders yes but a single story move a long a lot faster do to less labor, so maybe a little more in foundation cost and roof but the labor is less in single story.

Thanks for enjoying the video. Glad you found it helpful.

We have purchased stock plans in the past but now find it a much more rewarding process to start from scratch. If clients come to us with plans we start from there and value engineer plans to work within budget and property constraints. Thanks

@terence4427 Thanks for the questions. Architects can cost anywhere between a few dollars per sq. foot of new home to 10% of the estimated cost to build. It all depends on what your goals and what you need the architect to actually do. Is your second question referring to altering a set of plans or an actual home? If your taking an existing plan to a new architect they would need to redraw the entire plan to add a few feet. As far as cost, see my answer to question one. You should be able to find an architect who would redraw your plans, make modifications and ensure they meet your local code requirements for $3 per foot or so. Good luck

@@GTGCustomHomeBuilders . Excellent! Thank you so much!

I am surprised to hear you say that as I would think that concrete in your climate would suffer from deep frost heaving without proper precautions. We have a significant freeze/thaw/freeze cycle for a few months which can be a death sentence for concrete slabs. There is also the need to have clients use the correct anti-icing compounds to avoid spalding etc.

Great question. Much of the schedule depends on the clients goals and ability to make decisions. Some client want to take their time and get each step perfect, some clients are more concerned with schedule and getting it done. We usually see the design and pricing stage take 3 months and construction 7 to 9 months, depending on the home design and size. Hope that helps!

If cost is a concern then you should definetly bring in a builder asap. Find one who wants to earn your business by helping you develop a true budget based on your preliminary plans. And we dont think handicap accessible needs to mean expensive.

Good morning Joseph. Feel free to email me at Andrew@gtgbuilders.com. Look forward to speaking with you.

Thank you!

Glad you enjoyed the videos and good question. In some ways all of the PSA fees are used towards construction. In our case we are doing Architecture and Pricing which both obviously need to be done. If our clients go into a Construction Contract with us we discount the overall cost by the amount of the PSA. This varies from builder to builder and I don't think there is any right way. Moat importantly, use your PSA time to ensure your builder is a good fit for you!! Best of luck

Thank you Curtis! I appreciate the feedback very much. Best of luck

Tamil1001, great question but there is no way to answer without a detailed conversation. I am lucky to work closely with highly regarded builders all over the country and builders costs vary widely. Materials make up some of that but labor, local regulations and property values make up much much more. Plus, "standard features" is a dangerous game as my standard features are very different than the builder down the street or yours. Be weary of any builder who answers your questions with "oh,yea, we could build that for $xxx per sq. ft.. If you dont understand the details then you dont understand the cost!! Believe me, I wish it was easier and I could give you a simple answer. Find a local builder that comes highly recommended and pick their brain on avg costs.

@@GTGCustomHomeBuilders No I meant if you meet with your builder and go through all the specs in detail how much should that should that costing process cost the customer? Also what is a fair and reasonable percent profit for a cost plus fee structure? Thanks for your response.

@@tamil1001 Oh, got it. Again, it depends on the details. For a new home that a client brings us plans our starting Professional Services Agreement (PSA) starts at $2.500.00. It goes up from there if we are working with an architect or engineer to answer questions, which is sometimes valuable. We want to earn your business. As far as O&P, we have some pretty good national averages available through the National Home Builders Assoc. It is important to remember that each builder defines what makes up O&P their own way. The national average for O&P is 22.5% with 12% to 16% being Profit (roughly). In my experience, anyone charging less than that is either being deceitful or they are desperate. A Custom Home Builder who is charging less than 18% isn't going to be around for long where we come from. Hope that helps, keep in mind these numbers are averages with some geographical areas charging more or less.

Endita, thanks for the question. The answer really depends on your goals and where you are located. Some parts of the U.S. will allow a set of plans drawn on the back of a napkin to suffice for construction other parts, like New Jersey where we build, require a licensed Architect or Engineer to approve plans. I assume you wouldn't expect anyone who provides you a quality product to work for free. Having lots of friends who have built using free plans is great but really you get what you pay for. Free plans don't come with details that are important to developing a quality home project leaving you with a home that is sub-par in many aspects. An investment of $5k to $10k up front can save you huge amounts of money, time and heart ache later. Stay tuned, maybe we will do a follow up video to address your question in more detail.

A patio will be less maintenance than a real wood deck, thus less $$$.

Like everything else, plan and prepare for your goals. Its too early to tell what to do and how to go about it when you don't know what you're working with yet. I'm also sure there are assistance programs that you qualify for to help with your project.

Good morning Latoya. Thanks for the questions. I'm not sure I completely understand them all but here goes: 1. Some locations it would be acceptable to build 3 stories, some not due to height restrictions. A finished attic would be cool! Elevators and other "luxury" features are built into our project design using a Statement of Work. This SOW is used by the bank to provide you a Construction Loan. Our clients see and pay exactly what labor and material costs to build a home including our discounts. Feel free to reach out via website with more questions

Never is a tough work Jonathan. While the process you mention is cheaper, buying stock plans is not a custom home. Any revisions to stock plans will require sign off by an Architect or Engineer, here in NJ, bringing you right back to square one. In some states there is no requirement for a licensed professional to sign off so anyone can do drawings. However, many time lack of detailed drawings like those done by a "designer" result in higher costs during construction for things like field alterations and increased waste. Best of luck.

@@andrewgiannattasio4781 I agree with you, I shouldn’t say never.

@johnathanwelcome3329. What is a crafting and design company? How would I go about finding one? I've never heard of such a company, but now I'm curious.

Thank you

Nah, don't have that skill set! This is a NJ thing, always best to use a local architect.

Not sure what this means but I will take the compliment. How did you get cookie cutter from this?

Hey Ed. We are located and operate in Central NJ.

Missdeeva2266. We understand. Why not take the next step and meet with a custom home builder in your area. Get to know the process and costs. Then you can decide if you want to move forward. One step at a time!

@@GTGCustomHomeBuilders we worry about the housing market and what 2022 will bring. Keep hearing it will crash but that prices and labor will stabilize in 2nd quarter. Hard to know what to think/believe at this point. I'm sure plenty of us are on the fence about building

@@HandcraftedintheFoothills I don't think anyone who is knowledgeable is anticipating a residential real estate crash. All of the indicators point to a robust market for the foreseeable future. If there is a large economic decline material costs may come down, somewhat but probably not dramatically. You mention your age, how many years will you wait to build your dream home?

@@GTGCustomHomeBuilders we have a semi custom home builder in mind who will have lots available in Nov of this yr. So we would be starting end of 2021 with an 8 to 9 month timeframe of completion. We live in an area of TN where there is a housing shortage for sure and houses sell within hrs of being listed. We love our home but things have occurred with our HOA becoming too lenient we feel it's time to move. Our financial planner has told us he doesn't see a housing crash either when we met with him yesterday and that put our minds at ease.

Thank you so much for responding so quickly. I really appreciate it

Yes, agreed. Arizona will obviously have different environmental requirements as well. Good luck!

so if you are paying a contractor in your state, they already know the rule and what they have to do, an offset not being on a plan should not stop you from buying it, if you are doing the labor yourself than you are obviously intelligent enough to look up code and follow it.