Dave Ramsey's Guide To Building Your Own Home

[@TheRamseyShow]

Work with a trusted real estate agent who can help you with building your new home: bit.ly/3sZJYtb

[@dr.kikipsychnp5731]

Yes! As a former real estate broker, use a buyers agent!!! It truly doesn’t cost YOU anything, but you are protected.

[@samwdavis]

THIS JUST DIRVES ME CRAZY!!! Pretending that you have performed some miracle because you've worked with a builder, and architect, etc.... I've done major construction without a builder or an architect. I dealt directly with the bricklayer, the floor layer, etc. This is just ridiculous. If you have project management skills, you don't have to deal with all these middlemen. Admittedly, the US laws on codes and regulations make it an horrific experience. but that's more a reflection on the US than what makes sense to do.

[@AnnMitt]

1. Buyer's Realtor 2. Project blueprint 3. Detailed schedule 4. Budget 5. Select the fixtures 6. Stay in your lane 7. Don't drive builder crazy 8. Have a clear path

[@brianshishnia3278]

Good luck on the detailed schedule! Been building houses and dealing with contractors for 40 years, the detailed part will often simply not be possible. Flexible detailed schedule, sure, or build in buffer hours/days where contractor run together in an area. Buyer's realtor, everything they do a good GC can do without the added 1-4% overhead.

[@christopherbeddoe406]

Detailed schedule is there to help understand where slips are going to impact the overall project.

[@wd269]

Get the contract and costs right and then 'Drive the builder crazy' if that is what it takes to get what you contracted....this is the largest purchase of your life---treat it as such and NOT like buying a dish washer.

[@Watermelon_Shuga]

@@wd269 good point

[@SHAUN646]

Every one gets paid on Friday I guess 👀🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️💭💭😩😩2-3 change orders oh 😯

[@erikhay3519]

I am general contractor, and everything David said is 100% true. Facts.

[@Turin-Fett]

@Lauren Romero how old are you?

[@borp6912]

@@Turin-Fett how old are you?!

[@christopherbeddoe406]

@Borp, How old are you? Sorry I couldn't resist.

[@dec1slh]

@@christopherbeddoe406 how old are you?

[@TRUYORK718]

Facts ?? How old are you ?

[@ggslitlife9545]

My dream is to own land and build my own home I’m glad I have DAVE to give me that dad advice

[@bethanystill3449]

Same

[@Fazman81]

Thats my dream too! I can actually do a lot of the finishing work myself because I’ve worked doing trim carpentry, installing doors and windows, building cabinets and installing fixtures. Dave is really helping me get to a place where I can achieve my dream.

[@yongfaces]

Omg me too. And we will make it happen. We must!!! 💕

[@isidoramartinez6510]

Me too and it’s on my vision board too

[@lindakincaid4530]

I'd suggest buying one that's already built first. Live in it, breath it, feel it. make a list of things you like and don't like. THis way when you to build your house you will have a better feel for what things you want. look at lots of plans. But if you look at too many they will all start to look the same. Our home is 2700 sq foot. big enough, but i'd lay things out a little different. I'd focus more on storage in a space. big is great, but it doesn't give you storage. I'd have smaller bedrooms with bigger custom closets, custom mud room and a custom pantry rather than lots and lost of cabinets.

[@yamamancha]

This process Dave described is exactly how our house-building process went. I would add that another piece of paper required is a detailed estimate outlining all parts with serial numbers. This forces you to pick out materials before the project starts and ensures accountability to the budget.

[@Icrownqueens]

Thanks for this @yamamancha

[@Natedoc808]

I’d go back into building professionally again instead of just building spec homes on the side of the clients would follow your advice

[@hawktuft7028]

Material costs fluctuate

[@carmp3fan]

@@hawktuft7028 It's called an estimate for a reason.

[@carmp3fan]

I believe you mean part/model numbers. Serial numbers are unique.

[@smokey4343]

I built my house back in 2000. I did a lot of the work myself. Skipped the contractor and hired subcontractors. I bought and old backhoe to dig a full basement on my 40'x28' two story house. Took me a year to build but only cost $60k for material and labor. The only permits i had to buy was electrical and septic. I built outside the city limits on land I already owned with an old house that i lived in. I sold the old house with 2 acres and recooped most of my money on the new house with it's 8 acres.

[@enriquebruce1928]

Pete S how big is the house you built? It’s costed 60k to build your home?

[@DylanBegazo]

Pete S you are an inspiration sir.

[@DylanBegazo]

General Education TV why move from Cali? I live New York City. Never been away from the east coast but just curious. Why leave Cali? I thought everybody wants to move there cause it’s where Hollywood is.

[@DylanBegazo]

General Education TV Good point. 😂

[@RobertRyanThompson]

Pete S post a picture of it

[@Edgarrre]

I’m 16 right now. I’m watching this video to be prepared and to have the knowledge that I need to be able to build my own house. It’s been my dream forever.

[@Candorous7]

Don't give up on your dream. Rely on elders and take your time.

[@fletch397]

Same here

[@blaze-uz6or]

Dont get married lol

[@tylerleigh3264]

I’m 13

[@14samueld]

blaze, why not?

[@elliottaltman8832]

I’m a production home builder and used to work in the custom home business. Now looking to build my own house and about to get my residential contracting license. Hearing Dave talk about change orders and how you the homebuyer should conduct yourself was so refreshing. Find a builder you trust, and trust them to handle the process. Starting to go grey at 27 but I’m still loving my career choice in building.

[@brianadixon8995]

My grandfather also had pre-ordered all the supplies needed. Then had it delivered when it was needed. He was able to shop around and get sales of supplies. My grandma was even able to vintage shop and get some gorgeous peices that only come from taking time to look for.

[@PaperBagMedia83]

As a paint contractor Dave had me rolling during this segment. So many times people want to change their minds on paint colors AFTER the paint has been painted on the walls. Killing me smalls! Lol

[@johndavis8746]

Then they wanna go off on the contractor for the cost going up when they make changes after things have already been installed. Yikes

[@accordv6er]

Painter here... Can confirm lol

[@VictorGuerrero-zd9by]

I work in the construction industry as an engineer. Dave nails it. All this is good and 100% true. Make up your mind and stick to it. Make selections, keep your single point of contact with the Prime Contractor. Contract documents include the contract itself, drawings, schedule, and budget. On bigger projects than a house you use specifications too, where you have to select everything before you even bid out the work. Don't be the bottle neck. Great advice.

[@Welcometomyworld4754]

Nothing more important than a good builder. Not the easiest thing to find though. You need to take your time and talk to a bunch of them before you pick one. Building my first home now, it took a long time to sort through the local builders and pick one, but it was worth the wait. I have the right guy on the job, we work together well as a team, and I am moving in in 3 weeks, ahead of schedule and under budget!!

[@BoomStickTactical]

I was the GC, the electrician, plumber and general labourer on mine. Saved a fortune.

[@stec1808]

nice, how did it turn out?

[@jeffersonlink9882]

I have been in construction for over 25 years and have never seen a house stay on schedule. Coupled with the labor shortage i know it is worse yet. The one variable that was not present in all of my experience was the "developer"; this case given is Dave, was conducting assessment meetings every Friday with cash in hand. Theres the incentive to keep things on schedule.

[@keithp115]

My wife and I built our own house in 2000. My background was a book and two how-to videos. The banker said we were more prepared than anyone he has seen. Built it in 11 months to perfection. I plan on doing this again when I downsize. Education, planning, budgeting. Great advice Dave!

[@anjin77]

Any recommended reading/viewing materials for someone who wants to do the same? I would like to be just as prepared!

[@keithp115]

@@anjin77 you can find anything for this process on Amazon nowadays or at book stores. The videotapes I viewed were from the PBS series Hometime, back in 1999. We began to plan six months before the lot was purchased. Best of luck Les!

[@jamesdufrene3572]

did you have trouble getting homeowners insurance since you built yourself?

[@keithp115]

Not at all at the time

[@SherryEllesson]

Dave, I'm watching this is August of 2020 and can tell you that I actually walked away from what would have been a good project (I built upscale, one-off custom homes that were well above code). The job I refused, after meeting twice with the prospective owners, involved a husband and wife who couldn't agree on anything. I'm a flexible designer, and normally I could find creative solutions to accommodate what seemed like disparate ideas; but these two were actually sabotaging each other, calling me individually and "instructing" me as to how to change the basic concepts their spouses had insisted on during our in-person meetings. I was not only ready to take on all the permitting and subcontracting work but was saving them tens of thousands in architects' fees. Please encourage your listeners to be sure they're on the same page with their spouse before they even think about having a house built.

[@t.j.7789]

Sounds like fun!!

[@DrgnTmrSirGawain]

how far apart where these two meetings?

[@SherryEllesson]

@@DrgnTmrSirGawain About two weeks. Why are you asking now?

[@DrgnTmrSirGawain]

just trying to get a better picture of the case

[@randykuhns4515]

I bought a piece of land back in 86 and bought a used trailer and was wowed that we put a hundred dollars down, and then with our refund money and working with a friend on the side paid the 800 dollars to close the deal on the land, this was in March, and we move onto the land in August,... I borrowed the money for the trailer on a three year loan, we paid cash for the well ($750.00)and septic tank($1250.00) and deposit on the electricity,.. so from March to August we were Blessed with the $2,400 it TOOK to make the move with NO payments on the well OR septic tank as we could never have afforded that much monthly debt with me being the only one working and at that time was grossing less than $20,000.00 and with two boys to raise,..this was such a surprise we decided to pray and ask again to build our own house rather than upgrade later to a better mobile home,.. I began in 1988 with a permit and drew up my own drawings of the house,beginning on paper napkins while sipping coffee with a friend at a small restaurant, I drew the house so many times on paper that I learned HOW to build it ON paper before I even picked up a hammer,..I had bought an 84 Nissan (bought new IN 84) base pickup at $166.00 a month, a tv at $35.00 a month, $99.00 a month land payment (2and a half acres) electric was 30 to 40 dollars a month yet when we began to build I had saved $4000.00 to buy all the lumber and plywood for a 32x48 house,..all earnestly earned,.. JUST working at a creosote plant on very meager pay,... it took me five years to build the house but I never once ran out of money OR supplies to work with, I ALWAYS had MORE money and supplies than I had time to work on the house, And this house was built with absolutely NO corners cut on quality. I saved on the free labor that I provided, We moved in in 93, with the house PAID for and WITH all receipts to prove the material was bought with earnest money,.. and the land was paid for in 96 never having had a mortgage, escrow accounts, or the ghastly 33 year monthly payments that I simply could NOT abide in peace,.. The gist of this is when we began on this property we prayed for help and began to make the attempt and NEVER found ourselves needing,.. we were frightened to even purchase a piece of land, much less find a trailer we could afford to get us on the land, yet with GODS True Blessing, we made it with flying colors, When we began to build, I prayed for success,.. and IF it DIDN'T work out I would simply bury it and quit, but at least, gratefully I wouldn't owe ANYONE for what I DID get built as I was building out of my pocket,.. and the money continuously flowed out of that pocket and never once ran dry. This is a true story and it's reflects what happens when prayer and hope mingles with an idea and is pursued to achieve such a goal.

[@genxmurse7019]

That's quite an accomplishment, you ought to post photos of it here. There's a guy in a trailer park adjacent to my neighborhood, that's been building a home, (brick by brick) for the last 6 years. Just recently, he finished the roof and is preparing his driveway for the concrete.

[@DylanBegazo]

Hi. I’m 23 years old. Still in college. But I’m already picking out the type of concrete and the type of concrete pour and the solar panel system and house design I want. I’m planning now. Just like you though Gonna start building it before I turn 30. Not gonna rely on the bank to give me a 30 year loan. Instead of a trailer though, I’m going to purchase an School Bus for $3000. Renovate it easily on a budget of $15000 and that will be my RV Substitute while my house is being built. Thanks for your story. I am nervous and scared too but I read in the Old Testament that the Israelites didn’t like owing anybody anything. They loved being debt free. Think it was in Proverbs. I want to be the same way. Free. Free man. My wife and I want to scuba dive and motorcycle and travel and stay fit. Hopefully in following in your footsteps we can accomplish the same feat instead of being broke and slaves to the bank. We don’t have kids yet though. I want to wait until the house is almost done. With God’s help because I don’t have the courage without Him. But yea. I’ve got the drainage system figured out. I got the kitchen figured out and the floors and the stair case and everything. I even got the electrical systems figured out too. I’m still nervous though.

[@vicktory4712]

A true inspiration

[@cavy95]

Catalyst - D B insulate and ventilate that bus, will make sleeping and living more enjoyable.

[@ghostthesnake1805]

Randy Kuhns congratulations Looking to build a small place for me too

[@OpenBookBuild]

Like the video. I've built a couple thousand homes and totally agree with the idea of the schedule and budget being massively important. I would also suggest getting as much education as possible about the building process to hold your builder accountable...some are good and some not so good. Stay involved. Hire an inspector or architect to check things out just before drywall. I agree with Dave here in that so many people hire a builder and then they show up every day to check things out. If you can't find a builder you trust and you have the time, build it yourself as an owner builder. You'll put the time in but you'll also save the money.

[@Chocolate.barbie444]

I feel like dave is my dad talking to me... ok dad

[@erikacausor4110]

Hashtag Addictt seriously lol

[@julietibbetts9262]

OMG SAME 😂

[@gabriellesitek8532]

Exactly!!!

[@VivaLaNikita]

Me too! I like it he’s real

[@amyc328]

He's so annoying.

[@PhantomSavage]

I'm happy to say that even though I didn't pick out the exact materials ahead of time I never had to change anything, but I do wish I had made the builder adhere to a schedule, but in my case I'm not sure it actually would have helped much. My project was one born out of no longer having the income to sustain the rental property we were living on due to the passing of the main breadwinner of the family, one of the very earliest casualties of Covid in Feburary of 2020. Used the small life insurance and big chunk of my inheritance to have a 550ft efficiency apartment built on the land of the house I was now living with my grandmother, which was only a 2 bedroom home built in the 40's which now three people were living in... Because of the timing of the construction, however, schedules were completely out of the window because of availability of parts and materials. I had to wait 4 to 6 months just for glass because it was literally impossible to get in my area due to the pandemic and the amount of construction and window replacements that were already underway in my area. My builder, at the time of building my little house, was also working 14 other projects at once, and he's a damn good builder but he was in incredible high demand, which meant we got put on the back burned a bunch of times in addition to the issue of material availability. Material shortage was so bad I was having to wait a significant amount of time on amazon for even just normal door handles and basic stuff like that, not to mention the lumber was not only in extremely short supply at the time but a single pylon of lumber was up 3x the price of what it would have normally been in other circumstances. It took a year and a half to two years to have it built, inspected, and moved in on a project that probably should have been done in 6 to 8 months. It was a nightmare, but I'm glad I'm here..

[@kbcinmedusn]

The schedule is very important. If you don't have a schedule, the workers will milk the job.

[@toddkennedy449]

The contractor won’t milk a job. As a contractor I can tell you that time is money. The longer it takes the more money a contractor loses. Cracking a whip on a home builder is ridiculous and very immature and counter-productive

[@brnt034]

@@toddkennedy449 Just make sure your boss, the homeowner, is kept 100% informed and communication is constant and ongoing. Then you won't have to worry about that cracked whip!

[@1stzard]

@@toddkennedy449 Time and material or cost plus you have to watch the job and try not to change too much stuff and just let them know what you want when the time comes. be the boss if your owner builder. If not like brnt034 said, communication is key.

[@kreteman777]

Really? Are you paying them hourly? Just stop.

[@vze21gwa]

You'd be surprised how many people forget to take this into consideration.

[@cadmando18]

I am a BIM Manager and have worked in construction for 25 years. I have run coordination meetings for over 10 years on libraries, hospitals and data centers. Let me tell you, building your own home is different, and I'm glad I have watched a lot of these types of videos. I can't wait to start, build and then live in my own home on property my great grandmother owned. This video has been a good overall. Can't wait to see more of them.

[@richardbourestontn]

Don't pay your contractor until you get conditional and unconditional lien releases. And make sure your contractor doesn't touch your site until the land loan has recorded.

[@richardbourestontn]

The short answer is: It means that you always have to protect your property against liens, whether for your own protection or to protect your lender - so they can stay first. The shorter answer is: It's too long to explain with clarity in a comment. You'll have to look it up.

[@AMindInOverdrive]

I'm a construction estimator. Change Orders are big extra costs. The initial project is priced competitively (minimim cost) to beat the price of the other guys. Once the sub-trades are awarded the contracts, they price additional work (changes) based on maximum amount of labor and material required (no risk for the sub-trade). Making changes during the project is expensive

[@joshuapirolo6263]

This is my first time coming across your videos, and in one throw away sentence, you've changed my life. I don't know if its your catch phrase, or if you heard it somewhere and liked it, but "Begin with the end in mind." is the most simple and most prolific sentence I've come across. Thank you.

[@jdbjoshua]

I quit building houses after 25 years because of crazy, but I think I'd build one for Dave Ramsey, he's the kind of customer I can get along with

[@erikhopkins9488]

Excellent advice [manage it like a project] Blueprint [Design] Schedule [pace of work] Budget [paying for work] Meeting each week to monitor progress.

[@jasonJones-ks5co]

Dave you nailed it on this one. Those of you that are or are planning on building a house please watch this video at least 10 times.

[@061banyon]

Thank you Dave for being like an extra dad with all this great advice! God bless you and your family! 🌟

[@kendalcabrera4376]

Everything here is spot on. As a person who produces detailed blueprint drawings for builders on large scale buildings (hospitals, corporate hq, etc.) knowing what you want, not changing anything, and allowing us to stick to our written schedule makes everyone’s life working in the project much easier. If you don’t, you’ll end up still getting blueprints produced far after you expected it to be built and way be over budget.

[@DrgnTmrSirGawain]

and the key "knowing what you want" comes from hiring an architect!

[@davep2945]

This is an old thread but while many of you say Dave is annoying, when it comes to building a house he is pretty much spot on. If you know what you want and stick to the plan then you won't have many, if any, problems with the process. I've remodeled two homes on my own, designed complete homes for two friends and designed/helped remodel roughly a dozen other projects and the hardest part is getting people who really don't have a vision to understand that they really do need to see everything as it will be finished in their minds before ever starting. Sure, if you have millions of dollars and plenty of time you can go along and revise everything as you finally see it in the flesh and either like or dislike it. However, most of us don't have those unlimited resources. I asked my friends when designing their homes what sort of faucet they wanted. Why do I need to know that now, they asked. Well, because you wanted a certain type of pre-fab counter top and there are single hole, twin hole and even three hole faucets with different center spreads on the faucets. So you have to match the counter you order to the physical specs of the faucet you desire. Oh, we didn't think of that. Right, and that's the simple stuff but if you've never considered it before then it comes as a surprise that even seemingly simple choices have hidden considerations.

[@shaverlocal]

As a former contractor, my two favorite words- change order

[@robmadiyan2716]

shaverlocal olo

[@jasonJones-ks5co]

Ditto.

[@fortuzikedmd]

The sweetest words in the world !

[@CesarLopez-iw3wm]

Well, Those words can be a nightmare. Positive Change orders depend on what it is and if it’s going to extend your dead line because of some stupid undeceive decisions therefore not making the profit you should due to time extension and Even if you charge more the scheduled time may be a affected and not worth the money or the headaches.

[@theguyinthehelmet1875]

@@CesarLopez-iw3wm I agree about the nightmare part...

[@zone4garlicfarm]

I've been a painting contractor for over 20 years. Disorganized general contractors who can't stay on schedule is why I stopped working on new houses. There have been too many times I showed up when scheduled to find that the project was weeks behind schedule and I wasn't informed. Now I work directly for homeowners specializing in exterior repaints. I make my own schedule and I don't get to blame anyone else if I fall behind.

[@levilarsen]

“Take food, smile, and tell everyone how good they are” great advice

[@frankish5314]

Doubled the size of our house back in 2001. The only contractor I hired was to pour the concrete for the foundations.. We did everything else ourselves from framing to finish carpentry. Cost us $40k to go from 650 to 1400 sqft on 5.5 acres of land..:)

[@elisscaliving5864]

Frank Hinde nice

[@j.olin-harris9126]

This is the first video of yours that I've watched and I absolutely LOVE your non-nonsense way about you! YES!!! THIS is what I've been looking for. Finally. Thank you!

[@jordansoucy]

The piece about change orders is very true. They are hard on everybody. It’s especially hard on morale if it means having to undo work that’s well done.

[@aidancash1]

We are building. Supposed to be done next couple weeks. Ours was on our own land. Not a subdivision. Had property a year and a half before we started. My sister worked with my dad for a year coming up with the blue print. She is a draftsman with our builder. We didn’t have a detailed scheduled but did have a date it was to be finished. It was on our papers with the bank. We had a one time close. We had everything picked out before the bid went to the bank. So we haven’t had any big change orders. Just a few tiny things that were not anything expensive. We had everything picked out in May. Started building in August after our house sold. My dad is over there every day. Our builder used a ap called builders trend. We knew what days stuff was going to be done. My dad was a project manager. He always communicated with the contractors. It will only have taken six months to build it. Everything has run smooth. Very few issues. I would love to see you do a video on construction loans. One time close verses two time close.

[@breaalbritton1848]

Christine C hey there! Do you mind telling me what bank you used if you didn’t pay cash?

[@aidancash1]

Brea Albritton We used a local credit union in northeast Indiana called three rivers. They were excellent and everything went smooth. We moved into our house last Friday.

[@breaalbritton1848]

Christine C that’s so awesome!! Our bank was great during the land purchase but another location handles the construction loans and I’ll just say the process has been less than exciting. Our interest rate went up twice and our appraisal came in lower than expected bc they’re aren’t any good comps in the area. So basically everything has gone out of control and we’re about ready to back out. It’s pretty sad and idk what we will do if we don’t build this house... we’ve put off having kids to get this done and now we feel so defeated 😕

[@aidancash1]

Brea Albritton That’s very sad. We paid off our land when we sold our house. So we have 100k in equity. One thing is you dont want to put money into your mortgage that are upgrades that won’t matter. We bought all appliances with cash. We bought all our light fixtures on our own. It was very simple since when we closed on construction we also closed on permanent. Our builder called credit union when it was done and we had closing 2 days later. They updated credit scores and verified income a second time right before it was finished. Because we went and picked everything out at the design center before it went to bank we had no suprises. We only ended up owing the builder 29.00.

[@ncatstate]

This was a good topic. I don't think Dave has covered this before. Good info!

[@tomsiravo]

If you are building now in 2020 be cautious as supplies are limited. Lumber prices are increasing as well as other supplies which means if you are working with a builder they can increase your purchase price. Happened to me back in 2006, it's all about timing and the builder contract but definitely legal for them, just know that you have the right to cancel if they try a price increase.

[@bt1959]

I'm showing this to all my clients from now on. I am doing specs for EXACTLY these reasons

[@JoeGarofaloII]

Based on my experience in the building industry, no one building a house does this, but they should! I've had contractors tell me crazy stories about customers they work for and I've witnessed a lot of craziness from both sides too. If you do it this way, should keep everyone, including yourself in line

[@marthamurray7470]

I am here looking for some information on how to build your own house and then I stumble on Dave. You have help me understand so much. thank God for sending you along. thank you so much

[@1987Confused]

I always tell people to remember someday you or your kids are going to want to sell this house and you can change light fixtures and stuff fairly easily in the future but the bones you have to live with for the most part.

[@jeffmeagher7809]

As a builder this is music to my ears. Should be required for all people wanting to build or remodel!

[@altha-rf1et]

Back in 1980 when I started in 12th grade. I got a job that summer and worked trapping animals most of the year saving $1,000... I brought a camper for $750.00 made it completely off the grid with the rest.. My parents had a farm. They let me put it on it. they had a 120 acre farm. I put it on the far side of it... I was the oldest. My older brother and sister 3 of them was still living in the house.. I lived in the Camper for 5 years.. saved my money paid cash for a double wide mobile home. fixed it up. lived in it for 5 years brought a Farmers Home Administration House for $20,000 did the interior work myself.. still own it and the double wide,

[@UndercoverArchitect]

Thanks for the great points about building your own home! All so important!

[@happyfeetacres3397]

my house is in progress of building on my own land.. have a good site supervisor that informed you of what is happening or schedule like Dave says here. I’ve a great supervisor and I checked just in case..and change orders very important.. like Dave said.. anything different on site talk to the supervisor not the workers... that’s what I did.. I’ve awesome experience...

[@turquoisestar9308]

Thanks...and wish you could be both right and kind.

[@bravechicken6251]

Dave 6:38: ‘’ I don’t enjoy the process, I wanna get it done!” that’s so me.

[@JoelRSA-USA]

It would be really great to do a pt2 of this covering the funding side. I'm a PMP but the funding side (FHA probably) for construction is intense

[@kerryfitting6070]

I appreciate how straightforward you are. We want to build our own house, but was worried it would be a headache.

[@DrgnTmrSirGawain]

It will be a headache. But still the best choice.

[@outdoorsnevada4138]

Hard part is looking at the actual costs. We build my grandmas house. Materials cost just under $40,000. However with all the hours we put in....it added over $100,000 worth of $ we would have made at our own jobs. So if you have weekends off and have lots of spare time building isn't bad. But when you personally build your own house then you are committed. You can't stop half way.

[@davidunderwood4341]

I must be in a unique situation. I have most of the money to build a 5500 sq ft house. My son and I are doing most of the work. I'm pulling homeowners permits and I'm a licensed builder and electricians. The longer it takes me, the more money I bring in to continue through the project. I'm shooting for 3 years. Once the quick push to get it framed, windows, doors, and roof, (dried in) I don't really care what the time frame is from there. No need for the stress.

[@fmaz1952]

I am uncertain as to what you think your very unique and unrelatable comment brings to 99% of the people reading it. We're all happy for you!

[@davidunderwood4341]

@@fmaz1952 Ok?

[@sethada1846]

David Underwood that’s just a pitiful hatter! Great work, even if I’m not at all in your same position, it is something to look up to.

[@jhondoe1483]

I’ve built two of my 4 properties for less than HALF of the market value, this is actually a great way to get things done affordable if your savvy and good at problem solving

[@freemind9721]

I was expecting a 2 second video. “Advice for building a house!” Dave:DON’T!

[@chrisbabbitt4202]

"Sell the car."

[@charlotteubfw]

Hehehehehe

[@notdonaldduck7056]

So true what he said about change orders, I'm working on a commercial project and the customer has gone through 3 sets of prints in 3 weeks. I'm at my wit's end lol.

[@Sexyboricuamejicana]

What if we have 2 seperate projects in one huge land one personal one for business purposes.

[@Dribbling_monk]

I'm an apprentice carpenter and I have to say... this is sage advice, but I don't think we've ever had a client that had heard it before.

[@BusyBeeInspector]

You forgot a very important person, a highly qualified home inspector on your team.

[@ashtonlong1235]

If you need a home inspector on a custom new house you should be reevaluating taking the lowest builders bid. Now if you are buying an already built new construction spec home by all means get an inspection because many in that market will either cut corners or code minimum things they should not in order to keep their profits high.

[@1stzard]

agreed

[@jadenbrijalba1823]

@@ashtonlong1235still wrong

[@BiggHoss]

Get a good building inspector to assure quality

[@ZedZeta]

I'm in architecture school and I've been designing my own house and choosing all of my materials (Grade A plywood (maple /or/ pine base) for ceiling walls and flooring, black concrete for the entry flooring (entry similar to an older japanese house but in modern twist). Majority of the structure from 5 shipping containers. Exterior clad in in faux / real cedar shou-sugi-ban paneling with gatoring. flat roof (or) shed roof. engawa wrapping around 180 of the house externally with single hallway to access to 2 large bedrooms, 2.5 baths, separate living room and kitchen / dining space. Stone gabion walls for privacy. Plot of land .30 Acre plot for $15k ~ $67 / mo. I however not experienced in planning for the build itself def. learned a lot from this. Definitely hiring the architect to do the planning and work with everyone when we start late next year. I'm just glad my boyfriend is leaving me to handling it all and he just said yes and no to ideas for 2 .5 years leading to this point XD. Awesome info.

[@DrgnTmrSirGawain]

from a fellow arch student. congrats! send me the link to the video once it is getting built and also once it is done!

[@jray4131]

Failing to plan is planning to fail! Great advice Dave.

[@crystalswans4053]

Money Pit and Mr. Blandings builds his dream home are good movies to watch if you are going thru the building/renovation/buying process.

[@truckingwithtobee]

Dave, you are awesome!!! We are building now!!!! And paying cash! Would love to talk to you on ur show! We live in a double wide manufactured home for 27 years. Paid off this property in 05 and have been saving money to build our dream home. We will be building about a 3500 square-foot home and we live 45 minutes north of Las Vegas. So it’s gonna cost us about 320 K to build!!! We followed your plan to get here! Thank you♥️

[@lizbiancoismydesignsherpa]

Hey hey hey! I love you dearly so I need to set you straight. Designers like myself, not a decorator (I went to school for this stuff!) save my clients thousands every time!

[@slymike21]

Thanks for putting it in plain English, Dave. Thank you.

[@theabstractsunflower7]

Lol get you dagum flooring budget back in line. Loved it. Thank you for this step by step i appreciate it so much! Im bad at decisions so ill work on that for sure.

[@jamesgroverwindham]

I love listening to grumpy old people. It’s the best.

[@chip5199]

This is the best attitude advice to send to my dad, I hope he sees it when I send it

[@melissakorte7038]

Dreaming of building someday, I will remember this advice.

[@wd269]

This isn't about "Building Your Own Home" it's about having a GC build your house and how you pick light fixtures.

[@dylanholmes4239]

Ya "Builing Your Own Home" to most people these days is "buying a home thats being built" all they have to do is alter the plans a little and decide paint color

[@Emily-ij1hf]

And what’s wrong with that

[@wd269]

@@Emily-ij1hf Hi....nothing really, if that's what you want....it's just not really "building your own home" -- as is indicated by the title.

[@Sam-ny9tz]

Exactly! My husband works in commercial and residential roofing. We're building our own home. If you know what you're doing, it can be done!

[@matthew1992ya]

You can't build your on own home unless you have the money to pay for it yourself

[@SwinginSweetHeart]

Haha, love dave ramsey. We started buiding our own house but we plan on taking 5 years to do it. Due to cost, time and othe responsibilities. But we have the house plans, land, we are putting in the well soon. We are slowly designing and make sure it has what we want. Less changes or no changes thats my goal.

[@podcastbard]

I don't like carpets. There are some really nice ceramic tile choices. Ceramic is easier to maintain.

[@theanachronisticlife8574]

My current house had carpet everywhere, even kitchen and bath, when we moved in. Replaced it with vinyl asap since it’s a low end area and I needed cheap quick diy. Later we refinished hardwood in the living and dining rooms.

[@SplashyCannonBall]

Money. That’s what you need. Then it’s all about what you want.

[@robertlaird6746]

Get some land. Get a used travel trailer or something cheep to live in on your land so you don't have to pay rent and then start building on the nights and weekends with your own hands. You can learn how to build by watching KZbin video's. You can draft up your own plans by showing the building department a top view, side view and front view for a simple design if you purchase in the country. In the city, it's much more difficult. You will also have to give them a footing plan. Make sure you talk to the building department before you purchase the land to make sure you can build on that land. They will not let you build on some pieces of land for a variety of reasons. Do this debt free or make payments on the land why'll you live on it and then once it's paid for, then start the building process. If you start the building process and fail to make the land payments, you loose everything. That's why you need to wait till the land is free and clear before you start building. Learn what to do and how to do it in the mean time. That's one way to win in life.

[@McScott76]

And when you're done learning how to be an architect, heavy-equipment operator, mason, framer, electrician, plumber, HVAC installer, roofer, finish carpenter, painter and landscaper off of KZbin, you can move on to performing your own surgeries. You know... because there's a KZbin video for that.

[@billmilano2418]

Love your advice

[@quickmessenger1591]

Great advise Dave!

[@han7902]

I wished I watched this 10 years ago when I renovate my home. Very good advices.

[@mcjjghijbvgnnnbbbb]

If possible work with your builder and architect to develop a spec book containing the products you want installed (light fixtures, tables, door types, ect...) This will help avoid change orders and save both headaches and money.

[@mydcunited]

My sister in law has never been told no. She had one house built and them sold it because ppl werent jealous. So she started a second house. Its been 4yrs now and the house still isn't done because she keeps changing things. Poor husband hes going broke cause of her.

[@foolishcreations2259]

I’m looking to build my first house. I’m an apprentice plumber right now so all the plumbing will be done myself. I’m also going to get my HVAC license after so I can save some money on that stuff! Town houses near Toronto are starting at the 400s which is STUPID.

[@victorzape7671]

Did you end up building the house?

[@foolishcreations2259]

@@victorzape7671 no it’s much more expensive to build. I bought a house from the late 70s

[@pampierce]

Excellent!

[@TheTread123]

Minimalist building of a new house that itself is a minimalist ie it takes care of itself , no dusting needed ,self evacuating of air when spraying stuff (toxic) or peopel hwo wear heavy petrochemcial based perfumes or colognes, Using water very efficently and purifies down to having a great greenhouse. Pool using the latest water treatment tech,of course non -toxic.

[@warsawdougschneller3271]

As a house designer I agree with most of this. I am not an Architect, just a guy with 16 years under my belt. I design to the budget. Get good plans and don't make changes during the build.

[@Righhhhhtttt]

Love this video! I would love to see more videos on this topic!

[@RussellTelker]

I built my own. Under budget, on schedule. Only things I subbed out was the dirt work including septic and the drywall because I hate taping it.

[@Painfulwhale360]

Back Road Customs I’m wanting to build my house as well. How hard was getting permits and inspections?

[@MrSteeDoo]

Apparently the rest of america thinks "building a house" is picking out countertops and trim.

[@kevinc.5073]

Realtors rarely do anything during the purchase of a new home from a production builder aside from docusign a contract and get paid.

[@BlendedBarbieDoll]

Kevin C. This is why Dave said have a good realtor/agent. They should be doing more for you than that.

[@cherokeelaketennessee7895]

Before the recession, 90% of my business was new construction and half of those were custom homes, I promise you it's a lot of work. At the time I was representing the builders and they depend on the agent for all contact with the buyer. Compared to a regular transaction, I did double or more work and we still make the same percentage. My builders still work with me today and the reason why is they know I'm keeping up with everything. Change orders, meetings with buyer and builder, and taking all the calls from the buyer. The average person has no idea what goes on behind the scene, they just think we make too much money and don't do anything. I've been doing this 25 years and I promise you I earn every dime and I take care of my clients.

[@ikeikeforty]

I'm a college student making barely above minimum wage at a part time job. Why am I watching this?

[@MrFart451]

You'll be suprised what you'll grow into

[@michaelweaver9716]

Preparation.

[@austintomkewitz7206]

Quit college go work in a factory

[@j6100]

@@austintomkewitz7206 robots are gonna steal yo job

[@lenak1438]

Because anything's possible. The skys the limit. God can make anything happen for u. Shall I continue? 🥰

[@whippermctingle]

How can you not love this guy? Great job, loved the dag gum thing.

[@McScott76]

I actually can barely stand his narcissism and phony aw-shucks "better than I deserve" persona (while simultaneously plastering his face on every product he sells). But on this topic... he gave good advice. So I'll give a thumbs up to the content, but I'll hold off on paying for membership in the fan club.

[@JoseReyes-nq3iu]

We are building our home as well. We are subcontracting everything ourselves. 6785 sq ft / $75 sq foot. It’s been a 3 year process. But we have learned so much.

[@michaelmattson3515]

Thanks for your input and your help, thanks 🙏

[@rlachermeier]

Love this one. Saved it. Building next spring. Will have to refer to many times I'm sure.

[@boedillard8807]

My big question - I have a rough floor design, I have the switches, outlet, appliances, framing, doors, HVAC, ERV, faucets, tile, cabinets, Breaker box, Roof, flooring, carpeting, interior wall insulation, roof insulation, exterior wall insulation, basement (ICF), every window selected. I have the driveway width and length selected. I know the max price I pay for the land. What I don't have is the slightest idea is how much it will cost to build the house. I looked up a ton of sites that give estimates - unfortunately I have no more idea now then when I started how much the house will cost. Apparently I can estimate it will be between 375,000 to 2,825,000 to build the house. Where do I even start to figure out the cost/budget?

[@Thatguyujustmet]

You take what you have and bring it to the builders. Ask them their price to build your house. And if you don’t mind me asking, how did you go about figuring all of that out? That’s the step I need to be taking at this very moment.

[@englishrose4388]

This was so, so helpful.

[@Sc-jf3yk]

As a contractor. Pick everything out ahead and stay ahead of the contractor. The most annoying part of the job is waiting for a decision. It costs everyone money and time.

[@sheneedsme]

I have been building a large custom house that could have been built in a year but it’s been over two years because of indecision and changes by the homeowner. She still hasn’t picked out all her cabinets...

[@TheTread123]

I read of a home that was built out in the high desert with no incoming waterline but water was used up to 10 times and the technologies back then were not even close of what exists today. Plus think of all the common elements and also the design tech via computer software . The home would be self sustainable, almost. Plus the outside environment that might be affected by soil moisture would not be affected,

[@CleanHomes1]

Make sure to use building practices to prevent mold and use non toxic materials.

[@bravechicken6251]

Also Dave, any suggestions on building modular homes? You know the type, where there are preset plans and specs (that you can customize) and the builder prefabricate it in a shop and ship it in 2 or 3 modules and assemble them onsite. Thank you.

[@JodiBob30]

Hi Dr. Ramsey. This is a six year old video, pre-Covid. Would you mind doing an updated version of everything you are talking about post Covid. I feel like there are a lot of excuses going on and a lot of inflation going on and I can’t decipher if I’m getting screwed or not. Sorry for my French.

[@jeffgiangiulio5341]

Great stuff! Any chance you have an example project plan? Fully aware there are a ton of variables but one that includes milestones and order. Of milestones