Wisconsin New Builds

Wisconsin New Builds

Have you ever considered a do-it-yourself building project? Specifically, have you ever considered building your own home? Building your home from the ground up can be a satisfying project. But it can also be an extremely time consuming and stressful project. Before you jump into a big do-it-yourself building project or decide to be your own contractor, we’d like you to keep the following in mind.

Two questions you should start with:

1. You will need a lot of time and patience. It’s estimated to that the time it takes to finish a new build is about 35 hours a week for 5-6 months. That’s a full-time job! Can you really add that on top of your current schedule?

2. Do you have the skills and tools you will need to build this house? You most definitely do not want to half-heartedly build a home, so make sure you know what you are doing and how you are going to complete the project.

If you feel you can tackle the necessary skills and time for a new build project, then there are plenty of other things to keep in mind.

Bidding Knowledge. Do you know how to analyze bids from subcontractors? Would you know enough about the task at hand to realize if a bid includes all the necessary materials to complete the task?

Organization. Will you be able to keep everything with the project organized? Will you be able to schedule and keep track of subcontractors so that the necessary steps take place in the necessary order? Example: you can’t have windows installed if the walls aren’t up yet. Will you be able to keep all receipts, be on site for material deliveries, keep invoices for materials, etc?

Insurance. Do you know and understand the different types of insurances that come with building? Let’s break them down.

Builder’s Risk: covers home materials only (no bodily injury). This is required by mortgage lenders and upon completion of the home will be converted to homeowners’ policy.

General Liability: Protects you as the permit purchaser and property owner from being liable for injuries that occur on the project site. Without this, you are held liable if anyone gets injured on the site.

Workman’s Compensation: If you are not in the business of building, you may not be required to carry this. However, it is important that any subcontractors you hire have workman’s compensation coverage.

Permits. Are you aware that you will need a building permit and periodic inspections even when self-contracting. If an inspection finds something wrong, that leaves you at a standstill until the problem is fixed and re-inspected.

Being your own contractor may sound like a money-saving technique, but only if you are highly qualified for all of the necessary components that go into a new build.