Monte Smith Designs

Design  a set of House plans and Custom Home Builders

       It is our philosophy and perspective that homebuyers have a greater advantage when they select a design-build company to be the Builder of  their home. By selecting the builder of choice and qualification, rather than designing a set of  House Plans just for bidding purposes this will  put the homebuyer in the driver’s seat right from the start and helps to stay on budget. www.montesmithdesigns.com  also works with severa lcustom home builders who have their homebuyers commit to their building company, with Monte Smith Designs providing the Architectural House plans..

       The advantage of having a design-build company design your house plan is so that hidden cost factors, associated with design changes, can be manifested right from the beginning. Some of our clients ask that we design in accordance their budget. We are able to get them as close as we can by efficiently designing areas of importance, including those that receive highest consideration on their “wish list”. We believe in keeping the homeowner apprised as to the cost of their House Plans and we can actually price out the cost of the house plan after the preliminary designs are completed. In the end, we believe that this is a more viable option for the homebuyer, and will eliminate any unwelcome surprises within the process of creating a set of House plans.

       One of the biggest misconceptions of home purchasers is their belief that the standard cost per square foot is the same for all home plans, and that any cost difference is a direct profit for the builder. This is not true, as costing out a house is like asking how much a bag of groceries costs. The answer is a result of what is placed in the bag. The same is true in designing a set of  House Plans, as it will depend on the design, the specifications, the allowances, and the skill of the subcontractors.

   Monte Smith Designs will guide you toward making the best decisions possible, so that your home stays within budget. Designing and building a home from a custom designed set of House Plans that has never been built, is not an exact science. Changing materials and labor costs is sometimes like shooting a moving target at best, which is why so many builders/designers miss their mark. The biggest advantage with having Monte Smith as your designer is you will have someone who has been a framing contractor, builder and designer which allows better explanations to the home buyer during the design phase. The design-build advantage includes one point of contact, from project conception, to project completion. This ensures that client’s set of House Plans are executed with maximum precisions and consistency, minimizes cost overages and unexpected expenditures, avoids costly errors, saves time, minimizes client stress, maximizes client’s creative input, and eliminates finger-pointing between subcontractors.

I often ask a homebuyer, who is looking to put their House Plans out to bid, if they are going to hire the builder with the lowest bid. Their answer is typically “no”. I also ask them to consider what would happen if all bids came in close to the same and they liked all the builders, and their answer is usually “I don’t know”.

Interviewing builders before starting the design process for your House Plans is important in finding out how the builder services their products, and the need of researching their previous track record. Remember that your house is a service product when it is being built, and the house becomes a home, as well as a commodity, when it is sold.

Monte Smith is the general manager of Mastercraft Homes and can be contacted at 808-688-6400

 When you are either having an architect design your new set of House Plans or purchasing a set of pre- designed House Plans,  theer is imformation availiable that will help to understand how to cost out a set of House plans . Building cost estimating may not be the easiest job in the world and it is like shooting at a moving target, but it can be done correctly if you understand how a house plan  is actually costs out.  There is not anything more rewarding  than watching your House Plans that are drawn on paper turn into your dream  home  right before your eyes!!

If you want to make the experience enjoyable and hassle free, go through  my tips on projecting the  cost of your New House Plans and estimating here! You can check out www.montesmithdesigns.com to view some up to date sets of house Plans.

How do I estimate the cost of my House Plans for correct construction cost?

One way to approach how to  make a building cost estimate is to look at a new homes  that are  already under construction in your  area. One fact you should know is to find  a few  Custom builders in the area who can show you project they have under construction presently and not tract or volumn type builders because you will not be able to get the same cost breaks on materials & labor  and most often these builders use a lower quality Sub=contractor that you may trust to hire. Sub-contractors are not all of equal skill and there is a reason that one contractor makes more than the other.

It is always a FACT tha all Sub-contractors and labor want to make as much as possible. Believe me there is a reason one makes more than the other.

Take a look at theses homes and ask to review their House plans and  specifications.  The house you are looking for should be as close as  possible in specifications to the one you are trying to build.
You can either ask their general contractor on site how much it is costing your neighbors to build their house or ask your own general contractor  what his estimate would be.  Subtract the cost of land from the total costs of that house. This is not very accurate but it will give you an idea of cost probability.

• Estimating construction the cost of a set of House plans will be all about planning and providing accurate specifications. You will need to have a set of house plans that are complete and ready for construction. When you are estimating cost, you will need to include the possibility of an increases in labor rates,  material costs, etc. Sometimes the sub-contractor you prefer will be to busy to get on your job.
• The specifications of your for House plans for the  inside selections in your home will vary the cost greatly because this is all about personal taste. I call this the “GROCERIES IN THE BAG”.  This is very easy to understand and will take some study and evaluation on your part to understant the cost differences. This is why your cost projections to what it will really cost will greatly differ if and when you make changes or make upgrades during construction.
• If you do not find a similar house in the neighborhood, look up home plans here  www.montesmithdesigns.com and take the sample pages to a few  local contractor and  or start interviewing a couple of custom home builders.  Project cost estimating becomes easier when you look through these plans.

What are the things I need to watch out for in a set of House Plans ?

• Remember  the House Plans & specifications of your house is the most important factor in calculating the costs.
• Rectangular shaped houses will cost less but very few house are designed this way because of design trends. The design of a house can create a lot of waist so I suggest to watch out for  angles and corners where no purpose for the flow of the house is needed.
• The biggest misconseption in the designing of a set of  house plans  is to make a house retangular just to save from having angles or added corners, this sometimes will cause  you to end up making the rooms larger than the inteded use. and a waist of materials and labor. If a room only needs to be 12 in width Don’t make it 13 feet just to not make a corner. Remember as I say  ”A YARD OF CONCRET IS A YARD OF CONCRETE” and that is a “COST”. There are approximately 90 cost calculation factors that go into the costing out of your project and if you were to just get $100 off of each one of these you can save $9,000. This is why it is important to get a good bid from each contractor.
• You should also include such factors as site preparation when you are estimating construction cost. For instance, are you building on a flat  lot or a sloping lot?  This might shoot up your house construction cost, so it is better to have an idea about site prep before you purchase a lot. This is one cost area that a set of house plans will not beable to provide for you.
• Don’t expect your bids from sub-contractors to last forever. ask how long the cost estimate is good for and to make sure they can be availiable when you need them. If you are planning to build the house a year from when you get the bids those cost will not be accurate.
• No matter how well you plan out your costs, there is always a chance that you will exceed your building cost estimate. Ideally speaking, you  should keep at least 10-15% cash reserve at hand due to the many changes and options that become availiable during construction.

How do I minimize construction cost on my House Plans ?

Many experts agree that fixing your budget for your home is one of the toughest jobs you’ll come across! Let me just say that sticking to it is  even more difficult.  Follow this six  step project cost estimating process, and you will be on your way to a great start:

• Either have a designer or architect draw you a custom House Plan or find a set of stock House plans from a designer  like www.montesmithdesigns.com that fit your lifestyle and budget. You can save a lot of design cost if you find a set of stock house plans you like and just make modifications to the House Plans and come up with  a home plan for your new house you will be building.
• Decide on the materials & specifications you are going to use. For instance the flooring you want, the roofing of your choice or even the windows you prefer. Remember it is “Groceries in the Bag”.
• Evaluate and select the sub-contractors you choose to work with and keep in communication with them. You should choose the ones you are most comfortable with.
• Make sure you get quotes on all the phases involved in your project. An informed decision is always a better one. Add the best quote you get  to the material cost of your house plans and you have a rough building cost estimate of what you are in for!
• Other costs you might want to consider include building permit fees, insurance, architectural fees and legal costs that may be involved.  These are important in estimating construction cost, so don’t forget to take them into account. Most people forget clean up cost and dump fees.
• Hiring out some of the work as a general contractor might not be such a bad idea, especially if your building costs are shooting up. However,  remember that hiring contractors can be tricky! Have an honest estimate about your abilities and know how. A sub-contractor can smell an unqualified  and misinformed want to be builder a mile away. This will prevent you from making  costly mistakes in the future!

Remember, there are many factors involved in building cost estimating of your House Plans. It may even appear too much for you at times! However, with the right  approach and my tips above, you can do a good job. After all, isn’t your dream house worth the effort!

I want to remind you that these “BUILD YOUR OWN HOME” companies that try to make you think you can “pay them” to show you how to build a home that cost out lower than a active Custom Home Builder is not true. I have heard some say you can save up to 30% or more. this is crazy because most custom builders only charge between 15 and 20% for there services.

Design and Build

              It is our philosophy and perspective that homebuyers have a greater  advantage when they select a design-build company to build their home. By  selecting the builder of choice and qualification, rather than putting out a  plan for bidding purposes, puts the homebuyer in the driver’s seat right from  the start. Smithome also works with several builders who have their homebuyers  commit to their building company, with Smithome providing the designing  aspects.

              The advantage of having a design-build company design your house plan is so  that hidden cost factors, associated with design changes, can be manifested  right from the beginning. Some of our clients ask that we design in accordance  their budget. We are able to get them as close as we can by efficiently  designing areas of importance, including those that receive highest  consideration on their “wish list”. We believe in keeping the homeowner  apprised as to the cost of their home and we can actually price out the cost of  the home after the preliminary plans are completed. In the end, we believe that  this is a more viable option for the homebuyer, and will eliminate any  unwelcome surprises within the process.

              One of the biggest misconceptions of home purchasers is their belief that  the standard cost per square foot is the same for all home plans, and that any  cost difference is a direct profit for the builder. This is not true, as  costing out a house is like asking how much a bag of groceries costs. The  answer is a result of what is placed in the bag. The same is true in designing  a home, as it will depend on the design, the specifications, the allowances,  and the skill of the subcontractor.

              Smithome Designs will guide you toward making the best decisions possible,  so that your home stays within budget. Designing and building a home that has  never been built, is not an exact science. Changing materials and labor costs  is sometimes like shooting a moving target at best, which is why so many  builders/designers miss their mark. The biggest advantage with having Monte  Smith as your designer is you will have someone who has been a framing  contractor, builder and designer which allows better explanations to the home  buyer during the design phase.  The  design-build advantage includes one point of contact, from project conception,  to project completion. This ensures that client’s building plans are executed  with maximum precisions and consistency, minimizes cost overages and unexpected  expenditures, avoids costly errors, saves time, minimizes client stress,  maximizes client’s creative input, and eliminates finger-pointing between  subcontractors.

I often ask a homebuyer, who is looking to put their home out to  bid, if they are going to hire the builder with the lowest bid. Their answer is  typically “no”. I also ask them to consider what would happen if all bids came  in close to the same and they liked all the builders, and their answer is  usually “I don’t know”.

Interviewing builders before starting the design  process is important in finding out how the builder services their products,  and the need of researching their previous track record. Remember that your  house is a service product when it is being built, and the house becomes a  home, as well as a commodity, when it is sold.

Monte Smith is the general manager of Mastercraft Homes and can be contacted at 808-688-6400

Aloha from Hawaii..