Build Your House Yourself University

I thought I could fill out my building permit application in just a few minutes, but I couldn’t because I didn’t have all the information I needed.  Learn what information is needed for a building permit application and how I went back and forth with the builder I wanted as my consultant.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

When choosing kitchen and bathroom cabinets, you already know you’ll need to consider material, cabinet sizes, paint or stain colors and style. But what about the cabinet sheen or finish? Have you thought about whether you’ll choose flat, matte cabinets or shiny, high gloss cabinets?

No matter what material your cabinets are made of, you have a choice of whether to go with a glossy, matte or semi-gloss finish for the end product. What sheen you should choose for your cabinets initially seems like a trivial decision that is based purely on aesthetics. 

But the sheen of your cabinets can not only dramatically affect the way your kitchen and bathrooms look, but also how well the cabinets function and how durable they’ll be.  Plus the amount of cleaning they’ll need. So, this week we’ll compare and contrast flat, matte surfaces with shiny, high gloss surfaces.   And we’ll end with some facts about semi-gloss finishes.

Before making any final decisions about the sheen of our kitchen and bathroom cabinets, it’s a good idea to familiarize ourselves with the pros and cons of each.  That way, we can make an informed decision and prepare ourselves for the cleaning and maintenance requirements of our selection.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

This week I have a few quick tips for dealing with contractors.  These tips come from a 2017 article written in Consumer Reports called “Home Renovations without Aggravation—Learn how to combat shady contractor practices and avoid common and costly mistakes many homeowners make.” 

Although the article addresses home renovations, most of the information in the article is also relevant for those of us who will be building new homes.   

That consumer reports article highlights information from a recent survey of 300 general contractors from around the United States.  The survey was conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

In the survey, contractors admitted to some shady practices that are found in the construction industry.  Some of the shady industry practices include:

-contractors using unskilled laborers to carry out their work

-winning jobs with lowball bids and then jacking up the cost later with “unforeseen problems”.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

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The kitchen stove is a visual and functional focal point in many kitchens. And there are several options from which to choose.  This week’s mini-lesson will give you an overview of many of those options, including, ranges vs cooktops, plus electric, gas, induction, convection, and dual fuel cooking.  This lesson should help you choose the best stove for your new kitchen.  We’ll also talk about the very basic differences between cooking with gas versus cooking with electric.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

I’ve been wondering for a while now about the current trends and rules for crown molding, baseboards and other types of interior trim and molding. In my internet search, I didn’t find a lot of articles on the subject.  There’s some information defining the different types of trim, but not a lot of hard and fast rules to go by.  In this week’s episode, we're going over the few rules that I did find, I’ll cover whether it’s acceptable to paint the trim in different parts of the house different colors and I’ll discuss some less traditional trim options that you may not have heard of or considered. 

Show notes at BYHYU.com

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This week I want to give you a quick update on the status of my project.  My structural engineer finally completed my foundation plan (kind of), I got the official plot plan done and my POA approved my design.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

I’ve hesitated to do an episode on the cost of construction because homebuilding costs can vary greatly from house to house and region to region.  But, “How much does it cost to build a house?” is a question that comes up a lot.  So I decided to give you some information collected by the National Association of Home Builders.  They did a cost of construction survey which asked builders from around the United States to break down their construction costs for the typical home they built in 2017.

This week’s episode will cover a lot of numbers that you cant possibly remember, but I want to give some points of reference for our own project. 

I’ll not only share the average cost for each major category of the building process, such as site work, framing and the foundation, but I’ll also tell you what percentage of the total cost of construction each segment represents. 

Here are some quick averages: 

The average single-family home built in 2017 was 2,776 square feet, so almost 2800 square feet.

The average lot size was about 11,186 square feet.

The average construction cost of a typical single-family home in 2017 was $237,760. 

Show notes at BYHYU.com

This past week in my area, it rained almost non-stop for 3 days.  And although I haven’t started building, I was thinking I’d pretty nervous if I had started and my house was being framed and exposed to all that water.

It got me to wondering… Is it ok if it rains while your house is being framed before the house is dried in?  If it’s not ok, what can you do if it does rain?  Do you need to wait for the lumber to dry?

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Outdoor living spaces are more important than ever.  Most folks building new homes want a deck, porch and/or patio where they can entertain or just relax as a family. 

When choosing the materials for the construction of your porch, deck or patio, the style of your home and your personal preference should definitely be considered.  A traditional colonial-style home would look nice with a brick patio, for example, whereas a more contemporary house might look better with an outdoor space made of poured concrete or sleek pavers. 

But, in addition to aesthetic considerations, we should also think about maintenance, cost, and the pros and cons of each material.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

This week I have a quick episode telling you about 7 house layout mistakes you should avoid when designing your home.  Most of them are mistakes that I almost made until I mentally walked through the house.  Some of them are mistakes that my architect didn’t even see until I brought them to his attention.  So do your due diligence, even if you are working with a professional, and literally study your house plan before you finalize it.

Show notes at BYHYU.com