This is a common question – especially in Utah.  People like to do things themselves, so they think, “Why not build my own house?  I can do that and save tons of money.  How hard can it be?”  The quick answer to that?  You won’t save as much as you think and it’s harder than you ever thought it would be.

First, the money.  When you build your own house, generally, you don’t have any relationships with subcontractors.  You’re talking to complete strangers about your lumber, framing, paint, etc.  Because they don’t know you, they’re definitely not going to give you their best pricing.  They also know that as a home-owner-builder you probably don’t know a ton about the building process.  This makes things harder for the sub, so up goes the price.  As a general contractor we have relationships with subs.  They know us.  They know we know what we’re doing.  They know we pay our bills.  So they give us a lot better pricing.

Also, unless you’re retired and have a whole lot of time, you’re probably going to be doing this in addition to a full-time job.  This will slow the schedule on your house substantially.  If you have a construction loan, time is literally money.  Interest adds up quickly.  Here’s a simple story that shows this point.  In one of the neighborhoods we built in, there was someone else who had already started their house as a home-owner-builder.  They were already framing when we started construction.  We ended up having our house framed before them.  In the end, our house was finished in four months, their house took one year.  That’s a lot interest paid out in that eight months time difference.

Finally, building a house is harder than it looks.  Its stressful to those of us who do it full time.  For someone who doesn’t have any experience, and is trying to do it on the side, its extra stressful.  Just plan on those months while you’re building your house being some of the most stressful you’ve ever had.  As a general contractor, we take most of the stress of building off of our customers.  We make sure your home stays on schedule, stays on budget, and is built well.  All you have to do is decide what you want in your house and enjoy the process.

So by the time you’re done building your home, you haven’t saved nearly as much money as you thought and you’re ready to put the house up for sale because its been so stressful.  Let us help you.  At Jorgenson Builders we can make building your dream home an enjoyable experience.