To add to your segment on crown molding: it would be more cost effective long term to take that money and invest it in energy efficiencies instead of surface design elements that can be added later. Energy efficiencies are very hard to retrofit, and the money you save doing it upfront will easily create room in your budget for crown molding at some point.

Radiant Heating ... sounds like just for the floors no ? how does it warm in a house if its in the floors ? interested

Great video..👍

I agree, pass on crown moldong. Od rather upgrade the regular trim and baseboards to something wider (the basic builders grade trim is usually narrow and thin and looks cheap)

What was the last thing in contract.

Heated Garage: definitely a nice-to-have and not a should-have Backup Generator: really good nice-to-have, maybe stretching into a should-have. Not a definitely-should-have Radiant Heating: depending on how you do it, it's at best a highly-recommended, but not a should-have.

I plan on having crown molding. With 14 ft ceilings need to decrease negative space

Quote in Pagosa Springs, CO - $350-400+ sq. ft.

LVP is the worst mistake you’ll make. Do not take his advice. Choose engineered wood flooring instead. LVP no matter the marketing is far from luxury. It feels and looks cheap. It will off gas VOCs, even worse with radiant floor heating. It will degrade when exposed to UV from sunlight. There is a reason why vinyl has never been associated with high quality, ever.

I built a custom home (moved in 2 months ago), and added over $200k in upgrades (windows, flooring, cabinets, electrical... ) Ended up at $250/sqft in Michigan..

RE: Land as percentage of build. Very market specific. Can be 1/3 the cost, can be 1/10th the cost. My market is closer to the 1/6th-1/8th the cost of the build. Also, there are finishing methods that can be done by the homeowner, even after drywall, saving nearly $50/sqft. It will be hard, but if you're remotely handy, you can do it. This route is more so you can get a custom layout and not gorgeous unit.

My land is in Angel Fire NM, in the wooded mountains and I'm having a hard time finding anyone under $450/sq ft. WITHOUT a garage even :( Spent a couple hours online at Lowe's trying to bring the finishing cost down as much as possible.

Porch closets are wet and damp. Don't do it. They always leak. All my TVs are smart TVs. No cable TV. 100% wifi. Your garage is usually warmer since it is attached to the house. Radiant heat is not necessary, but ceiling fans are great. Backup generator I did do... then the city trimmed all the trees. Never used.

Luxury vinyl plank and vinyl plank are garbage. Putting the word luxury in front of vinyl doesn't change much. It's garbage.

Skipping crown moulding? This guy probably mounts television sets over fireplace mantels😮

Get to the friggin point. Just say the point.

Agree ice maker. Waste of money and dirty full of bacteria over even a short time.

Man I wish I could afford to have a home with my masters degree from an Ivy

Do what you like , why follow trends. I like simple crown molding. If you will live in a house for a while make it the way you like it

Hello, several of your vidoe's have mentioned LVP. Can you say which brands you prefer or like? Thank you

Agree completely about the flooring because LVP has come so far. Less sure about hardware because it is a tiny portion of the overall budget so a few dollars per piece upgrade can get you to a much higher level of finish and durability for something that gets handled constantly. Better hardware looks better over time while crap hardware just looks worse over time. Also, crap plumbing makes your plumber happy when he gets to come back and repair or replace more often.

I am in northern New Mexico and my architect is telling me they are now building homes in Santa Fe from $500 to $750 per square foot. Those numbers seem high but that is what he is claiming after speaking with numerous home builders. Cost is certainly giving me second thoughts about this retirement home on land I already own. Thank you for a well done video.

It puzzles me. Ice mold trays does the job just fine. It's not like a high end espresso machine : Ice maker machine, fridge integrated or stand alone, does not make ice that has anything special about it. It's just ice.

Thank you for This video. What I missed is the design of the main build. A 2 story rectangular building with standard size windows and doors, simple roof line, is so much cheaper to build. Create curb appeal with landscaping.

I agree with him on all of this. He is refering to upgrades with a builder and what you do on your own latter. All of the hardwood in my home is destroyed has large gaps from shrinking and house settling overtime. Also previous owners pets destroyed itwith theire urine. I went over it with lvp because to replace it would have cost 15000 compared to the 3000 i spent on the lvp. There is addition labor fees associated with hardwood instilation he didnt even mention. And it really adds a minimal amount to a houses value. Marble just say no agreed. Crown molding dosent add value its a personnel preferance do it latter on your own dont spend thousands with a builder. A bankbisnt going to appraise your house 5000 more because of trim it could affect your final appraisal. Too many upgrades could cause you to come up with more money upfront if you are financing your home.

What if i dont meet allowances? Meaning when i spend more or less? Will things get cheaper or more expensive? I would assume so but wondering. So for my understanding is that if lets say roofing is cheaper than expected i will pay less? Do i have a say on what subs builder uses and get quotes myself with cost plus?

Do you ever work with clients that would like to buy things from builddirect or finishes from wayfair? Were planning on building a house and bought several things through them and are highly satisfied.

A few items we added to our 2005 built home were: -Receptacles on each side of the bed, kitchen counter, kitchen desk that has USB A/C built in -GFCI receptacles with nightlight in bathrooms -hot and cold water supply to the outside -French drain in garage floor so melted snow and wash car in garage - medicine cabinets in every bathroom - water spigots on every side of the house - keep can lights far enough away from ceiling fans so you don’t get the flickering from fan blades - two EV chargers access

2:46 I agree, I wish we had a cellar under front porch…a regret…I would want an entry to the basement from my garage. Have a bathroom with shower near the door so can cleanup before heading upstairs

Thank you for sharing these ideas. Video and I agree with all of them. I have Brazilian Cherry and looks beautiful but dents easier than I thought. Can you share 👍🏻 or 👎 for: Steam showers Pools Wet bar in basement Copper gutters

3:12 the homeowner needs to Do their homework. For example the homeowner should decide whether they want a cheap $1 per outlet receptacle or a designer Legrand outlet $10 a piece. The specificity of products ahead of time….going for Halo can lights versus no name brand….

I completely disagree with you on the hard wood floors. The reason LVP has gotten popular even in high end homes is because the cost of housing. If I’m building a million+ home I’m not putting vinyl in it. Also, not all hardwood is the same. If you get red oak floors, janka 1290, they’re easy to dent and scratch with heavy use and large dogs. If you get a Brazilian cherry that’s 2300+ janka they aren’t denting unless you start hitting them with a sledgehammer. I went with white oak 1360 janka and my dogs destroyed them within two years. I tried to save a few bucks and the floors need to be redone. I’m building a home now we’re going with Brazilian chestnut at over 3500 janka. To not need to refinish in 20 years or so is the goal. Oak is not strong enough for high traffic. It’s a long term investment that will work out the same in the end. Not really with you on crown either. Crown is classy in certain rooms. Problem is not many carpenters are skilled enough anymore to do it right so it’s expensive which is why no one does it. The majority of the labor force now is border jumpers and bring in construction I see everyday the shoddy work these people do. Some are okay but there’s few true craftsmen

18:07 I believe rolling appliance allowance into a building contract is a bad idea. Taking $20,000 worth of appliances and rolling it into a mortgage means you end up paying for that appliance long after you replace it. I believe carving out the appliance allowance, dropping the price of the construction is the smarter financial move. I’m suspicious that a builder gets a kickback from any appliance store. They steer customer to. I’d like to see true transparency, like people are currently demanding it in healthcare and other industries.

Thank you for your willingness to share. Very helpful and appreciated. 1. Lot location - far out and not easily accessible is more costly 2. Placement of building on lot -Excavation, utility, and driveway costs 3. Use smart designs to accomplish a similar look - ex. faux beam vs. wood beam 4. Identify large expenses during the design phase and decide whether it is worth it (like minimize steep pitch roof); siding (try variations on house) 5. Build up not out 6. Alternative finishes and materials - like slate tile vs porcelain or ceramic; wood floor vs luxury vinyl 7. Appliances - look for some that look as nice as Viking and Subzero but not as expenses.

Excellent information. My parents built their second house about 10 years ago... They spent a lot of time with an architect planning and planning. Unfortunately one parent (who is an expert in all subjects) at the last min. saw a friend's new house and copied that layout instead. When I hear the complaints which are often, I have to find the nearest exit!

Absolutely, no question and undeniable WORST thing to install at ANY quality is carpet. Yech! Always junky and jenky. It NEVER lasts very long as it will either stain/grungy or compress or wear. And besides… it’s like creepy germ velcro. I always go with tile for the entire home and add area rugs as needed and replace as necessary at very little cost.

We plan on building a custom home in NH. Your channel is great, but our costs are a hell of a lot lower! Sounds like CO has become CA. LOL! We already own a 31 acre lot outright so we're a step ahead. We're still looking for a good home builder.

Bro is taking 30 day vacations 😮 Nice!

With the popularity of cold-plunges, and considering a refrigerator outputs 32-40F (0-4C)... I'd love to remodel a bathroom, such that with a flip of a switch somewhere, 30-minutes later, ice-water will come out of the shower-head (2gallons/min for a few minutes)! Any thoughts if this is do-able , or is a shower's water flow too much for on-demand ice-cold?

I was hoping you would answer the more technical questions.

Are there any good builders who can build a home with 2 floors, and a rooftop? I want a rooftop, not a tiled roof. Also, I want the house to be made out of bricks, not wood. It’s hard to find a home like this, which is why I’m considering building a custom home. I’m just not sure how to plan it all, and hire the right builder. Also, will the builder do everything, or would I have to hire other professionals too?

So, how can we find a good builder? Are there any that you would recommend? Will the builder do all of the work, or do we have to hire other professionals too?

❤

Great video for helping with me understand home builder costs and the best way to approach the quoting process and comparison.

Ice makers have a built in drain, we’re installing a small ice machine that makes clear ice, ice makers make cloudy ice ice machines generally make clear ice. I’m a retired HVAC&R contractor.

Any thoughts on Amish builders. I'm building in Michigan and just received an estimate from a local, knowledgeable builder. I reached out to a few people in the area to see if his number was the going rate for a custom home in the area. They all said I should get a bid from an Amish builder. Don't Amish builders still get supplies from local suppliers? Are you mainly saving on labor costs?

#1 ICF Construction

Question #1: how long do you intend to live in the house? If that answer is more than ten years, DO NOT concern yourself with issues of style or trim. The trending style WILL change over that time and you do not know ow what will be in/out of style by then. Just do whatever makes you happy. If you want crown molding or marble countertops, get it. Your house is likely to double in value every ten years anyway and by the time you want to sell, you’ll need to update the house anyway. We are building our forever custom home. We couldn’t care less about the resale value of the house of if anyone else likes what we build. We’ll be dead and gone if/when that subject comes up.

Clean lines are almost impossible with the shoty building and lumber that is often provided

Something I've learned during my build process: Steeper roof = not only more sheathing/surface material, but also roofers (and solar panel installers if going that route) will charge more for anything after 8:12 because working on that steepness requires more safety equipment, more risk to work on. Even in climate zones 6+ most places Code only requires 4:12 minimum.