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December 2023 #15293 Page #82
Building Your Own Home – Part X Final Thoughts By Thomas McAnally TheJobLine.com
n this final article about building our home, let’s talk about money and scheduling. We wanted our dream home to have the highest quality we could afford, built on time, without overspending. Here’s how we did it.
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Budgeting, tracking expenses, and cost accounting are in my DNA. With a background in production management and some stints as a project manager, my plan leaned more toward off-site production, where I meshed all trades together, supporting them to ensure the home was ready when each trade was scheduled on-site. From the beginning, I treated this project like running a production line. Using an Excel spreadsheet and One Note, I meticulously tracked bids, managed every step in the process, and kept a close eye on bid versus cost. I reconciled actual to budget every week and immediately addressed any changes, be they savings or added expenses. Subcontractors who covered multiple trades made scheduling much easier, like going with Graber Post Buildings. They handled everything from foundation to framing, siding, roofing, doors, and windows. Same drill for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC—a local contractor with three stellar teams working together. Besides making the process easier to manage, their coordinated efforts resulted in lower prices. Promising swift payments for a 3%–4% discount sweetened the deal. Also, being my own General Contractor allowed us to save 10% off the top.
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