It takes blind optimism to start such a project... The not knowing how hard it will be, will shield you from being intimated!
That is good...
the optimism of youth, wins over the pessimism of experience…
…No one would ever have a baby, or become a doctor, or even get married otherwise.
It is the “not knowing”, that lets you leap.
But IF
- you studied the work of the SUBS, you combed thru the bid, looking for all the unknown, unknowns,
- after you have exquisite detailed drawings of every room, every wall, exterior and interior …
…then you are more likely to be able to do upgrades with your edge money not change orders for things that could have been foreseen…errors, regrets, idiocy..
Finally, all thru the process….you have to remember, YOU are NOT the center of anyone’s universe.
Every contractor, every sub, every worker has THEIR family and THEIR live as the primary focus. To them, YOU are just a job….THEY are doing YOU a favor.
After they are gone, they will have left you the gift of a beautiful house, that YOU will love and enjoy and profit from … usually the most expensive thing you own….. so for a month or a year of being mad at a sub, someday they will be gone to the next job…but THEY will have left you the gift of beautiful tile, or wall, or paint job. You can hardly pay them enough for this gift!
Enjoy this creative process, do it at your own pace, let time work on problems… don’t rush, let it ferment, grow, evolve, then stop again..,and wait..
Then, wait some more… patience and time is cheap… you are not committed during the dream stage… you can always just move, you can always just not do anything.
But, eventually you will have the 3D drawings that will give you the honest confidence to move forward…put all your chips on RED.
However, most people have real jobs, real families, and no extra time for all this…
Someday, this will become a profession of its own… representing homeowners in renovations or building a new custom house.
Just as in RE, you have someone represent you as a buyer or a seller…you might need a pro, to represent you in:
- reading bids,
- getting contractors,
- working with banks,
- reading appraisals, and
- city inspections,
- and subs…
or you learn it all, and just do it yourself.
Hopefully this site will point you toward some great ideas, great designers, methods of thinking, working, dreaming of building you own house.