Are there courses offered?
In NJ, it’s just a matter of getting the builder’s permit/insurance/warranty and voila - you can build a home.
But is there any formal training recommendations?
[quote author=inve$t_ link=topic=57998.msg278601#msg278601 date=1455163894]
Are there courses offered?
In NJ, it’s just a matter of getting the builder’s permit/insurance/warranty and voila - you can build a home.
But is there any formal training recommendations?
[/quote
Self-educate, read the building codes so you know you’re doing it legally, learn from someone who does…
Two months ago, I didn’t know how to use a pressure washer, now I run a pressure washing company…
Be willing to learn from someone who already knows…
Hi,
It's a lot more than can easily be explained in writing. I sent you a personal message (PM) through the REI Club message system.
GR
Try this…
Get a general contractors license… (I have no idea your work experience, but it takes 4 years of combined work and school in Florida to get one, and this includes self-employment)…
Then build the houses for the cost of materials plus whatever labor you have to hire. But since you would be looking to make money as the home builder and not the contractor, you could bid the whole job for $0 profit to the contractor, and as we all know, contractors will rip you off at every step of the way if you let them.
What better contractor to trust than yourself?
Better yet… hire some employees who already know how to build houses and learn from them.
It’s really not that hard to build a house from scratch. I know a bunch of alcoholics that can do it. You just have to do it a few times. Reading some books might help, too and it depends on how fast of a learner you are.
?
Get a contractors license so you don’t have to pay a contractor.
Build for the cost of materials plus labor and permits.
Since you are the contractor, there is no contractor taking some of your profits.
This is assuming that you know how to build a house, which you would have to in order to pass the licensing examination anyway.
Hi,
I guess I have been doing it wrong all these years? What would I know about construction and homebuilding? If it was that easy everybody would be doing it!
GR
Lol.
But do you have a contractors license?
I’ve known contractors that built houses on the side using their license. They built it themselves and did it for cost of materials and permits.
Why couldn’t it be that simple?
Honest question.
If I had a contractors license, why wouldn’t it be as easy as hiring a bunch of retirees to do it? Wouldn’t that be a huge way to save on labor instead of paying another contractor to do it?
Assume for now that I have the knowledge and the tools to build a house.
Hi,
Redstar in part I have revealed here or there in this forum some glimmer of my background and professional qualifications.
I have a professional background in construction management and business management and I am third generation in the construction industry.
In the US today their are only I think 26 states that require a contractors license that requires studying and taking tests, all other US states either require registration at the state level or like Colorado require registration at the county level or requires nothing be done.
I currently have licenses or registrations in multiple states as Engineering, Commercial and Building designations but probable the crown jewel is the California A Engineering and B Building licenses as California has the most stringent demands for qualifying and the most thorough experience and testing requirements of any US state.
It is not as simple as just having a license and building a house as even if you had a diversified group of guys who could do every single trade and hold quality levels up to high standards you still have to provide liability insurance, workers comp, theft insurance, builders risk, auto insurance, equipment insurance and maybe carry an umbrella insurance policy if your doing multiple projects.
But schedule suffers from trying to do everything yourself as you could easily take twice the professional time required to try to run a single crew with hopefully all the skills and code knowledge required.
Then every state is different as New Jersey does not require testing but requires a registration which requires proof of insurance and in New Jersey requires a builders warranty program.
Now building homes you are responsible for builder defects litigation for 10 years, in fact this is pretty standard in all 50 states so you not only have to figure out your home warranty program but you have to manage the risk involved with builder defects litigation.
Now starting out and saying I understand the critical path does not make you qualified to judge sub-contractor quality, know if the work you see actually meets and exceeds building codes, whether materials are correct and whether the schedule set is reasonable or going way to slow. These skills are gained as you gain experience, they can not be built overnight as you could not begin to know the codes, materials, quality standards and production schedule is fitting to the job.
A lot of building is in the written contract, the scope of work and in setting a schedule you can manage onsite.
If I build a home I have to manage the paper work and the project, there is no such thing as zero costs outside of the cost of materials and permits.
Now each sub-contractor is a professional in their trade, they know the current code, when and how they can diversify from the blueprints to fix issues in design or unknown at the time the prints were designed and still be able to make their work fit in and comply with the building code.
Schedule is important as a new home is built in this country on an average 4 month schedule, the overhead and carrying costs kill you if you take to long. Probable half the battle of building is in the contract, scope of work, materials specified and the critical path schedule.
Due diligence like survey, soils reports, perk testing and flood plain / adverse conditions discovery is detrimental to the success or failure of building a home, and understanding the costs to build.
GR