Owner Building - YES or NO?

[silentC]

Yes and second one's on the way....

[Barry_White]

Yes and only spent $350 on outside labour.

[Pulpo]

Getting good tradies and or builders is the key.

Whether you OB or not is not really the issue.

I have seen hopeless builders and tradies.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Yup. Built a 20sq mud-brick in da bush, the ex got that in settlement. Built a suburban 12sq. w/board, the govt. got that as part of the freeway plan. Needless to say, I lost out big-time on that 'un. Built an 18sq 9" brick, had to sell up as the ol' man had a stroke and the ol' girl needed help. The only tradies involved were sparkies & plumbers and only then for final connects & signing off.

The next'll be another mud-brick, I'm guesstimating it at about 40sq., what with the modern tendency to include shed/garage/eaves/robe space in the claimed squarage. With my luck I'm not sure it'll ever happen though...

All along I've been assisting other friends with their own projects... either as a pseudo-consultant or a builder. For a small fee, of course.

[namtrak]

Doing the 2nd one now.

[Sturdee]

Yes, first a major extension than a major renovation. Only used a plumber and sparky for the finishing of as I did the roughins myself/

I also used a roof tiler as he did the job,including supply of roof tiles, cheaper than if I bought the tiles myself.


Peter.

[Eastie]

...The house I bought recently had an extention done that was finished on the cheap by a bodgy OB who stuffed up a rather simple concept that I haven't got round to fixing yet...

Sounds extremely familiar. For every dodgey builder and tradie there are literaly hundreds of dodgey OB's and DIY'ers going about doing illegal building works - some out of stupidity, others simply doing "good illegal works" out of contempt for crap building legislation - the likes of which require building permits for removal of one stud and insertion to a 90x45 lintel to install a 680mm wide window but not for moving and replacement of say a 270x45x3500 mm F27 lintel?

go figure....

In my current circumstances it has paid off - after obtaining a section 32 when buying my house I got in a builder, sparkie and plumber and found a number of illegal building, plumbing and electrical works, all of which performed by the vendor. Upon receipt of the reports the agent was required to dislose the defects to the other buyers. As a result the vendor was prepared to settle for what i wanted to pay, not what they were asking for. Tears for them!

[Bin J]

Wow!! Thanks everyone for their input - although some was not what I wanted to hear! And I apologise if it caused too much angry - it definately wasn't my intention to stir the pot!

Unfortunately I'm still on a see-saw going from one end to the other.

I think we might haggle with the builder - get him to tell us what we could do - ie demolition, labouring, whatever he says - then, by ourselves, as my husband puts it "do the glory part" - the finishing - painting, tiling, floors, maybe even the plaster (but get someone else to tidy it up), pergola etc.

Still don't know though - I know what my dad'll say! He will go :eek: :eek: :eek: !

Perhaps with this renovation, if we learn lots, then we can think about being "PROPER" owner-builders in the years to come???!

Thanks again!

[Dan_574]

Yes got occupancy last july here she is, did every thing but electrical, roofing, plumbing and plasterer join setting and sanding. Put the concrete footings all steel work and every thing else with help of course

[Gaza]

actually ever done it

Work as suby for OB plus big builders (ie Multiplex)
Built complete office as OB (inlcd all joinery)
Done loads of minor renos to parents house
Am getting Builders Lic early next year, but will not be doing domestic building work.

[boban]

Yes I've done a few and doing a few.

[rick_rine]

Yup. Built a 20sq mud-brick in da bush, the ex got that in settlement. Built a suburban 12sq. w/board, the govt. got that as part of the freeway plan. Needless to say, I lost out big-time on that 'un. Built an 18sq 9" brick, had to sell up as the ol' man had a stroke and the ol' girl needed help. The only tradies involved were sparkies & plumbers and only then for final connects & signing off.

The next'll be another mud-brick, I'm guesstimating it at about 40sq., what with the modern tendency to include shed/garage/eaves/robe space in the claimed squarage. With my luck I'm not sure it'll ever happen though...

All along I've been assisting other friends with their own projects... either as a pseudo-consultant or a builder. For a small fee, of course.

very impressive .
I built a mud brick stable and called it " veryun stable "

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

very impressive .
I built a mud brick stable and called it " veryun stable "

Yeah, they're not exactly low-maintenance in the southern states. I drove past the orig. mud-brick not long ago, just for old memories. It's in shocking condition... someone doesn't know squat about looking after it!

That's partly why my next one'll be so large; it'll be colonial style, with a ruddy great verandah right 'round it! I'd really like to try my hand at adobe w/sapling posts but I doubt I'd get council permission to build one 'round here.

[rick_rine]

Really it was just a pun skew . It is still going strong but its only been 10 years .

[cellist]

Further to my post (Renovation / m2) . . . I've had my dad on the phone again, trying to convince me to "owner build", which was the plan in the first place, but the builder friend who was going to help got too busy.

After reading the below . . .




. . . I thought I'd ask - for those who have owner-built - why, beside cost, would you do this?
Well, you get to enforce standards to some degree. Certainly, you will care more about the finish of, say, a top coat of plaster, the fit of a cabinet, or the exact tap set you choose more than any builder or supervisor. You are the one that will be living there! The "supervisor" or builder walks away with a job that is required to be at (this is the scary expression) "industry standard," which is pretty lousy.
1. Is it a big hassle?
Sure. But most things in life that are worth doing are hassles. The thing is, the hassle results in something worth hassling over. It's not like dealing with your taxes or something like that, where the hassle is only worth it when it's over...and with nothing much to show for it.

2. Was it / is it satisfying?
Indeed it was. It's one of those things that I think every person should experience in life, if they feel that they are capable of doing it. I've touched pretty much every square centimetre of this house at some point, and there's a quiet satisfaction there that would not otherwise have been mine to exprience.

3. Is it majorly stressful
It can be. Smooth execution is about getting lots of advice from great people, and then making sure that you get a "flow" of work going, where the next tradesperson is teed up before you need them, and you stay in touch with them. You also get to see their work if you want to...before they come to your job. Very nice perk, I feel. We ended up with a brickie who should have been a brain surgeon, but also looked at the work of a couple of others who I wouldn't trust to build an outdoor dunny for me. He was a few dollars more expensive per thousand bricks, but very, very well worth it.

4. Were you working a 'normal' job while you were owner building?
No, but the way I saw it, being an o/b IS a job. You must figure on saving about 30% (conservatively) over going with a builder. So, depending upon your overall budget, that can amount to a lot of cash. As the builder yourself, you are earning your equity, and it might be worth finding a way to pare down your "normal" work in deference to this project.

5. Is there things you "cringe" about that you wish you'd got a builder to do?
Not one damned thing. Builders make money by going quickly and at an "acceptable" standard. What builders put forward as "professional" is what actually makes me cringe!

6. How do tradesmen interact with owner builders (especially women!) ie. are they condesceding, are the more than willing to help, do they take you for a ride?
You get to interview them, so if they are idiots, you can simply not use them! Tradies are like any other population. We met some real gentlemen, and also a moron or two.

7. How ascertive do I need to be?
Totally. You are the boss. You are the one with the money. You rule! If they get narky at all, you always have the option of sacking them, and they know that.

8. Who are the best people to get free advice from?
I'd say you have a pretty good resource here, but there are many places to get the advice you need. The whole thing starts with the council or shire or city. Their rules and bylaws and all that are then used in your consultations with an architect or draftsman. We used a draftsman, who functioned as an architect, and who did our plans for a total of $400! They were expertly done. The council required certain things, like a compaction test, and then you pour your slab. So you go to granos. But they will ask you, for example, whether your plumber has been organised for a "pre-lay" (the pipes that go under the slab)...and so on. The more questions you ask, the better. There are also free builder-advisory services in W.A., and I'm sure that these exist everywhere. The trade desk at a plumbing supply place, Bunnings, or wherever will also put you into contact with people who are in the know. The trick is not to have the answers, but to know the right questions!

Be brave. You can do this. Just make sure that you aren't going to be cash-strapped at all. Cash talks in Australia, let me tell you. The deals that you can make are quite astounding.

Good luck!

Michael



Ta!
Bin J