Need advice on a custom - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

monticellohomes · 09-30-2008, 09:24 PM

I have recently began work on a custom home near the lake and I think I've made a mistake on it but am unsure how to handle it...this is one of my first customs, usually specs or customs for family where I run like a spec.

I chose to do 11' walls on the foundation to make sure we stayed above curb, now I look and think I could have gotten away with only 10' walls...altogether with the amount of walls, rebar, concrete and corresponding walls about 3k. Not a huge amount but when the foundation ran us about $4700 over budget due to this extra wall height and the lot. I did make the HO aware the budget for foundation was based off presumed circumstances...it could change due to site conditions.

I just feel like I am starting out on the wrong foot with this one given we also are going to have more fill than we originally planned...I just hate going to them and saying we are 5k over budget on the first draw. Any advice on the best way to handle the situation? Usually I am within a few hundred dollars on the foundation, but this one I personally made a mistake in going with the extra height on the walls.

cleveman · 10-01-2008, 07:53 AM

The walls are 11' high so the house would be at the right elevation? I'm not sure I understand. Why didn't you excavate less deep and have shorter walls?

monticellohomes · 10-01-2008, 08:42 AM

Cleveman - We excavated as little as we could to keep the walls as short as possible. Its one of those lots where the streets were brought in really high and it just sloped down steeply right off the start, I think by the time we were at the front of the garage we were at 7-8' without touching the ground. We just skimmed the surface to make sure the ground was good to build on. (See pictures) I did the 11' wall to remain 1' above curb/street level on the far left of the garage, off picture. Hindsight I should of only done 10' walls and been at curb there given there will be a little wall in front of that area around an existing tree. I would of saved the HO about 3k there and about 4k in gravel. I just hate going to them with all these bills this much higher than originally planned. I did state in the bid that these numbers were rough estimates and they could change with ground conditions...but I never thought I'd been this far off. The other home I'd done in this neighborhood I felt had a worse lot and so I basically took those numbers used on gravel, etc and put them in there for this one.

RizzoMaryland · 10-01-2008, 03:23 PM

but this one I personally made a mistake in going with the extra height on the walls.[/quote]

Make up for it somewhere else down the line. Sell the HO on some extras at the finish stages or somewhere else to make up for it. A happy client in this market probably means more. Besides, you say you made the mistake.

monticellohomes · 10-01-2008, 04:31 PM

It's a cost plus so it doesn't affect my bottom line personally, but I just want to make sure I am getting any HO the best deal possible and in this case I feel I didn't do my job there.

And I think it will be made up later down the road in other areas I've always got some fluff in, but partially because of the extra height and mostly the crazy lot I was even over on gravel to fill this thing up.

**joasis** · 10-01-2008, 05:35 PM

Give them the straight story and explain your judgment call. This isn't a cheap home, and on a cost plus, to "make up for it later" is not honest. Since you said "depending on site" and you did what you thought best at the time, you are correct, and you should not be second guessing it now. I doubt $4500 will be a budget buster, but do watch the rest carefully.

tgeb · 10-01-2008, 05:45 PM

I would agree with Joasis.

Just lay it on the line. The tall walls are going to give them a better end product from what I can see of the lot and elevations.

I just hope you don't have to pay for fill, that looks like quite a few loads of soil to get that lot looking good.

Be strait with the client, you will come out OK.

monticellohomes · 10-01-2008, 05:54 PM

Thanks guys.

We have had to get fill and its been a lot already but even if I'd done shorter walls I'd have just as much fill.

Like I said in the first post this is my first custom away from it being for family where I ran the job as a spec...they let me make 90% of the decisions. I just want to have a happy customer at the end.

tgeb · 10-01-2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monticellohomes

Thanks guys..........

I just want to have a happy customer at the end.

You will.

Stay on the strait up with them and keep doing nice work. That is a nice clean site, it is obvious that you take pride in the work being done.

**Cole** · 10-01-2008, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monticellohomes

Thanks guys.

We have had to get fill and its been a lot already but even if I'd done shorter walls I'd have just as much fill.

Like I said in the first post this is my first custom away from it being for family where I ran the job as a spec...they let me make 90% of the decisions. I just want to have a happy customer at the end.

Your on your way to a happy customer. Coming here asking for information, showed a lot about who you are and I can tell that you really are wanting to give your client the best possible home they can afford. Good Luck!

monticellohomes · 10-01-2008, 07:06 PM

Thanks a lot!