Buying 4 acres to build a home on. Any Advice/Suggestions/Warnings/Do's & Don'ts?

MattN03

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You can usually order optional privacy or rain glass for bathroom windows as well.

On the windows, another thing I did in a full bath was I used a smaller sliding window, set so that it's about 5 feet off the floor. It still gets plenty of light and air, but if there's a female in the bathroom, she doesn't need to worry about any 'exposures'. It's a great little privacy feature IMHO.

-
 

oneqkgt

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i do asphalt paving and the cost is not as high as you would expect infact the profit to the paver % is way lower then say someone that build decks. Paving has way more equipment then any of the home improvement trades. if your putting this house together yourself? shop the excavation. I'am up north In pa had a house just built it has a walk out basement 9ft walls on a clear lot. It took maybe a day for footers to be dug and basement dug out in between the guy stopping to talk on phone etc.
 

Blkkbgt

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I haven't the slightest idea of how to go about the building of a custom house but I am living in one built by the previous owner. There are a few things that annoy me that given the chance to build a custom home I would not allow to happen.

1. If you have a rain gutter directly over a door DON'T allow the builder to place the seam of two gutters right above it. It's not a matter of if but when it will leak and it gets damn annoying getting dripped on every time I have to go out to my deck when its raining. I have to wait until its dry for a while before I can fix it.

2. Placement of light switches is important. Some places you want the switch inside the door and others outside. Prime example is our walk in. The switch is on the outside and I get up an hour before my wife. I cannot turn the light switch on in the closet without her getting at least a small blast of light because the switch is on the outside.

3. Placement of HVAC registers (vents). If you do floor vents keep in mind that to maintain proper airflow you don't really want to put a dresser, end table or bed over them so they essentially cut off that area of the room. You can easily pidgeon hole yourself into putting a bed in one place with the HVAC floor vents and location of the walk in and bathroom as well. If you do ceiling vents make sure you don't have a vent blasting on someone sitting at the dinner table. it really sucks eating dinner in the summer and having the A/C blowing directly on you. Same goes for heat in the winter.

4. Placement of the HVAC intake. This seriously pisses me off in our house as it is mounted high up next to where the T.V. has to go. So when the HVAC unit turns on you have to turn the T.V. up to hear it and it's annoying. Even with a brand new filter it's still noisy.

5. Don't pidgeon hole yourself with a "feature" in the living room or dining room. Again my living room is a prime example of this. We are basically stuck with the T.V. and couch in certain positions because of a rock wall/mantel/fire place. The T.V. essentially must be mounted on the wall because where the outlets are and because the gas fireplace also slits the wall. The position of the HVAC floor vent in the room and location of the door to the porch also hinders moving either the couch or T.V. kind of hard to picture but I am sure you get the point.

Don't get me wrong, the house is nicely finished and I can nit pick it all day but these are the things that I wish we had paid attention to before buying. I do however love the area that I am in so that makes up for a lot of it.

I hope this helps you a little.
 

CobraJohn01

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Hybrid water heater is definitely for you being in Carolina. It uses heat inside house to heat the water in tank. Then as waste product it throws out a/c air into that specific room, so technically its a dehumidifier also...

Check you local electrical company website. I purchased my Rheem 50 gal tank at home depot. $1200.00 then I received an instant $600 rebate. It was cheaper than regular water heater, but the difference in price to run it is amazing!!!!

Research it.. No brainer and you can use ductless heaters to heat the house/garage and it's also the same principle as the hybrid water heater… Cheap cheap!!

Interesting. So typically speaking, which is better between a hybrid water heater or a tankless water heater (both electric)?
 

CobraJohn01

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i do asphalt paving and the cost is not as high as you would expect infact the profit to the paver % is way lower then say someone that build decks. Paving has way more equipment then any of the home improvement trades. if your putting this house together yourself? shop the excavation. I'am up north In pa had a house just built it has a walk out basement 9ft walls on a clear lot. It took maybe a day for footers to be dug and basement dug out in between the guy stopping to talk on phone etc.

Good to know. If it's priced between gravel and concrete then paving will probably be the way we'll have to go due to cost. My cousin works for a local utility company contractor so he has access to equipment to clear our lot and likely to do any excavation work, so thankfully that part of the job should be nearly free for us. Would love to have a basement in our new place but not sure how pricey that'll be so it's just a wish list item for now. We need to start meeting with builders soon to pick one out and start coming up with plans and costs.

I haven't the slightest idea of how to go about the building of a custom house but I am living in one built by the previous owner. There are a few things that annoy me that given the chance to build a custom home I would not allow to happen.

1. If you have a rain gutter directly over a door DON'T allow the builder to place the seam of two gutters right above it. It's not a matter of if but when it will leak and it gets damn annoying getting dripped on every time I have to go out to my deck when its raining. I have to wait until its dry for a while before I can fix it.

2. Placement of light switches is important. Some places you want the switch inside the door and others outside. Prime example is our walk in. The switch is on the outside and I get up an hour before my wife. I cannot turn the light switch on in the closet without her getting at least a small blast of light because the switch is on the outside.

3. Placement of HVAC registers (vents). If you do floor vents keep in mind that to maintain proper airflow you don't really want to put a dresser, end table or bed over them so they essentially cut off that area of the room. You can easily pidgeon hole yourself into putting a bed in one place with the HVAC floor vents and location of the walk in and bathroom as well. If you do ceiling vents make sure you don't have a vent blasting on someone sitting at the dinner table. it really sucks eating dinner in the summer and having the A/C blowing directly on you. Same goes for heat in the winter.

4. Placement of the HVAC intake. This seriously pisses me off in our house as it is mounted high up next to where the T.V. has to go. So when the HVAC unit turns on you have to turn the T.V. up to hear it and it's annoying. Even with a brand new filter it's still noisy.

5. Don't pidgeon hole yourself with a "feature" in the living room or dining room. Again my living room is a prime example of this. We are basically stuck with the T.V. and couch in certain positions because of a rock wall/mantel/fire place. The T.V. essentially must be mounted on the wall because where the outlets are and because the gas fireplace also slits the wall. The position of the HVAC floor vent in the room and location of the door to the porch also hinders moving either the couch or T.V. kind of hard to picture but I am sure you get the point.

I hope this helps you a little.

All good points that I might not have thought of. Thanks!
 

Tifosi2003GT

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CobraJohn01

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So now we've closed on the property as of last week and might start clearing the land in the next 2-3 weeks. I have a question regarding septic systems;

Have any of you ever installed or inquired about installing a septic system in an area where the property has a slight slope to it? Ours has a 3-4% slope over a large part of it and we'd like to have the home pretty much centered on the lot, but when we bought the home the sellers provided their perc results and it shows their homesite closer to the road and a little left of center on the lot due to this slope. Can septic not be put on a slope at all or is it just more expensive?

For those who have had a standard septic installed in the south east (specifically the Charlotte area), what was your cost for it? So far we've been unofficially told amounts ranging from $4500 (one builder, site unseen) to $8000 (a person down the road who built his house a year or two ago). Just curious which end of that spectrum is most likely to be realistic assuming no special needs or circumstances.
 

sleek98

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The septic system at our lake house is on a slope. more in the 5-8% range.

Around here we are in the 6,500-8,500 range to have a system installed depending on the size of the tank and if you want concrete or plastic.
 

Geno-04

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I will say, country living is very different then city/suburbs. I now have well water, septic, oil heat, everything in the house is electric and propane for my pool heater. Which I’ve never had any of them until living in my current home. As far as septic, we needed a new system as per the county when we moved in. Price was 32k but everything is more expensive in Jersey
 

CobraJohn01

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I will say, country living is very different then city/suburbs. I now have well water, septic, oil heat, everything in the house is electric and propane for my pool heater. Which I’ve never had any of them until living in my current home. As far as septic, we needed a new system as per the county when we moved in. Price was 32k but everything is more expensive in Jersey

Good lord! $32k?! That's insane no matter where it is. This will be our first time living with well, septic, etc as well. I'm hoping it'll be a smooth transition once we get used to learning what not to let go down the drain/toilet and will probably get a whole-house water system to filter out any bad stuff from the well water.
 

Geno-04

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Yes the whole house water system is a must also. The septic system is a 2 tank, cement 1,000gallons and a 1,350gallon that one has a pump, that’s pumps out to my leach field. I’m on 4 acres also and I love it. Only complaint I have is cutting the grass lol. I only have a few trees on my property.
 

coposrv

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Good lord! $32k?! That's insane no matter where it is. This will be our first time living with well, septic, etc as well. I'm hoping it'll be a smooth transition once we get used to learning what not to let go down the drain/toilet and will probably get a whole-house water system to filter out any bad stuff from the well water.

My cousin is an excavator. Septic systems he does are typically 25-40k in mass start to finish.


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shurur

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I only have a 4 unit rental property (left) that I renovated over a period of 19 years.

Yes to metal roofs.

Yes to gas/propane tankless heaters. (clean coils regularly with vinegar..make sure fittings are installed for this from the start)

Yes to really thinking about where switches and lighting go.

Yes to spray in foam in areas where you will not add to someday..
Yes to thinking about additions later.

Make sure plans are set in stone before hiring a contractor.
Know your own plans thoroughly.
Watch electricians and plumbers like a hawk..be a constant presence..too bad if the contractor and professionals don't like it.
Don't hire a bully contractor or know-it-all..it is your damn money..you are the boss.
If you detect a hint of jealousy from them, forget them.

Otherwise see if you can do all the build yourself with real friends vice paid professional friends and work with the town building inspector to get your work inspected/approved.
 

coposrv

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I only have a 4 unit rental property (left) that I renovated over a period of 19 years.

Yes to metal roofs.

Yes to gas/propane tankless heaters. (clean coils regularly with vinegar..make sure fittings are installed for this from the start)

Yes to really thinking about where switches and lighting go.

Yes to spray in foam in areas where you will not add to someday..
Yes to thinking about additions later.

Make sure plans are set in stone before hiring a contractor.
Know your own plans thoroughly.
Watch electricians and plumbers like a hawk..be a constant presence..too bad if the contractor and professionals don't like it.
Don't hire a bully contractor or know-it-all..it is your damn money..you are the boss.
If you detect a hint of jealousy from them, forget them.

Otherwise see if you can do all the build yourself with real friends vice paid professional friends and work with the town building inspector to get your work inspected/approved.

Holy shit. Don’t follow any of this advice.


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shurur

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Holy shit. Don’t follow any of this advice.


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Well...That didn't take long..and as expected.

Spoken like a "professional" tradesman or friend/family of one......afraid of getting cut out of the cash by a guy doing his own work..

The same guys with a strong lobby in every state in the union pushing laws to limit folks from helping themselves and not bowing to the "profesionals."

In MA they were pushing to force home owners to take a permit out and hire an electrician to add or replace a wall socket....yup..this was happening 15 years ago.

Their lobbies are second to none.. but for LE.

Both of them (trades and LE) push for restrictive laws in their states in the name of "safety"..when all they want is a monopoly on all the work being done..

*******************************************
poster:::How do you stand on Castle law?
Wait for LE to arrive and save you.. no doubt;-)
and it is the same thing..a man's money is his life.
************************************************
OP:
Cut the professionals out or watch them like a hawk..I says..
Every tradesman's and GC's post has been somewhat defensive and hostile so far...and you haven't even hired them yet!!.

OP..it is your money and your property..not theirs..period..
You only need to make nice with the town inspector..
God Bless America;-)
 
Last edited:

BlckBox04

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I will say, country living is very different then city/suburbs. I now have well water, septic, oil heat, everything in the house is electric and propane for my pool heater. Which I’ve never had any of them until living in my current home. As far as septic, we needed a new system as per the county when we moved in. Price was 32k but everything is more expensive in Jersey

I just moved to a similar situation. We got rid of the oil heat for electric everything (which I'm really not a fan of cooking with)
Having 8 acres to ourselves is beautiful in Jersey
 

M91196

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I live in MA and we have some dumb ass green initiatives and I hate the government as much as anyone but I would never rely on the Town or Counties inspector to ensure everything was done well and even to best practices/code for a home I was gonna spend 2-500K on.

I have seen the crap they will sign off in my own house and it’s not good.

If you want to be your own GC and your not experienced I would at least hire a professional consultant, paid by the hour to work for you. Typically a retired builder or retired GC etc....
I had a friend do his home this way and I know it helped him navigate a lot of BS and he was happpy to write the checks when he met with him every few weeks. He also had all the right connections with inspectors and subs. A win win.
 

Rct851

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If you’re going to spray foam insulation under the roof decking make sure you have the roof installed correctly. It’s much harder to find leaks on a roof with spray foam and by the time you know it’s leaking it’s probably going to involve rotten decking that will need replaced etc.

If you install an asphalt shingles roof have regular maintenance done every few years. 1 guy with a tube of caulking can prevent most roof leaks.

Only a install a standing seam metal roof. Don’t let someone install r-panel or the like up there like a barn. The exposed fasteners will leak.
 

Geno-04

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I just moved to a similar situation. We got rid of the oil heat for electric everything (which I'm really not a fan of cooking with)
Having 8 acres to ourselves is beautiful in Jersey

I also am not a fan of all the electric, is still taking some getting used to, and yes I can’t believe there are still places in Jersey where u can get this much land lol
 

coposrv

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Well...That didn't take long..and as expected.

Spoken like a "professional" tradesman or friend/family of one......afraid of getting cut out of the cash by a guy doing his own work..

The same guys with a strong lobby in every state in the union pushing laws to limit folks from helping themselves and not bowing to the "profesionals."

In MA they were pushing to force home owners to take a permit out and hire an electrician to add or replace a wall socket....yup..this was happening 15 years ago.

Their lobbies are second to none.. but for LE.

Both of them (trades and LE) push for restrictive laws in their states in the name of "safety"..when all they want is a monopoly on all the work being done..

*******************************************
poster:::How do you stand on Castle law?
Wait for LE to arrive and save you.. no doubt;-)
and it is the same thing..a man's money is his life.
************************************************
OP:
Cut the professionals out or watch them like a hawk..I says..
Every tradesman's and GC's post has been somewhat defensive and hostile so far...and you haven't even hired them yet!!.

OP..it is your money and your property..not theirs..period..
You only need to make nice with the town inspector..
God Bless America;-)

Holy shit you’re dumb as **** aren’t you.


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