does it help cost that i dont need an electrician, i own the property already, and i have a cheap excavator? or are these just minor things?i'm extrememly new at this and Im trying to cut costs if possible. and are wood floors cheaper than having carpet put in? any answers to one or all of the questions are greatly appreciated!
My family and I buy old houses and fix them up so I know a little about this. If the house is for you to live in then I would go with hard wood. It makes for a healthier environment and will be cheaper in the long run. Carpet is cheaper if you are renovating to resale the property because the costs of changing the carpet later on will not be yours. Be careful with doing electric work on your own. There are codes and laws you need to know about for your area, and an expert may be needed. Call your county's main number and they can give you numbers to call. You may not be able to get a certificate of occupancy, if you do not already have it, if the work is not done right. Well contact me if you have any other questions! bye now!
Beware of the hidden cost of doing it yourself. Being an electrician is not the same as being a subcontractor and certainly not a general contractor. As a home owner, you do not buy as cheap as the general contractor. You cannot coordinate the subs the way the GC coordinates it. Getting every one on the job in the right schedule takes knowledge and clout. If not it is lost time and money. So you build a little and tear it down a little and every time you do that it cost you. Now while your fiancee has to make a choice between paying attention to the house (like pulling permits, ordering materials, waiting for inspections, chasing after subcontractors who doesn't show up etc), and his real job, his earnings takes a beating as well. I suggest your fiancee talk to a general contractor he works with and negotiates a good deal. He can still do the electrical part but let the GC handles the rest if this is your first time. By the way, carpet is a lot cheaper. Wood of course looks good. It depends on your budget and personal taste. If money is tight, do carpet now and later put wood in when more money is available. It is fun when you are chasing a dream. Good luck.
In some states you are required to hire a licensed electrician for certain jobs. That is something you need to check on. As far as carpet-vs-wood, if you are talking about average grade on both, the wood will usually be more expensive. Installation of wood will also be more expensive than carpet, but it adds greater value on resale.
owning the lot already is a huge savings. doing some of the work yourself is extremely helpful at lowering the cost, your not paying for all the labor. if your going with a builder, you need to ask if its ok if you can do some things yourself, many wont let you. what you might have to do is be your own contractor, and subcontract out the excavating, like the person you know, but you would need to check with all of the codes and get up to date on how that all works, if you need any special license to do that. like with the electric, you can do it, if you have it inspected. you would be surprised at how much you can save just even doing the finishing work yourself, like cabinets, floors, lighting, hanging the doors, fixtures, installing the shower, toilets, etc. some builders will basically bring the house to drywall, building the shell, and you can do the rest. a friend of ours is helping on his house and he cut at least 60,000+ off his price. as far as wood being cheaper than carpet, i would say not. but it all depends on which you choose and who you have install it. if you do wood floors, you can do that yourself and will save huge, and its easy, unless you lay carpet professionally i wouldnt go there, its worth having that done..
When it comes to building a house you Do Need an electrician a good one. There is nothing like a fire at night from improper electrical wiring. Don't a penny stupid and dollar dumb. Electrician Plumbers are professionals for life threatening reasons. You need to find a course on house contracting/building your own home. If you don't put time money and knowledge into the foundation, electrical, plumbing and structure of the house then flooring will be the least of your worries. You are in no way ready to build - get educated . This is not like buying a cheap hammer, you can replace safely , easily and cheap.
