The weather here is dreadful: 80 inches of snow so far this winter, and we have another 6 weeks to go. It weighs one down -- so hard to go anywhere, worry about the vast accumulation of snow and ice on the roof, having to walk so carefully to avoid upending oneself.
By contrast, the weather in St. Marys last week was mild, in the low 60s, and I was thrilled to see bare ground, since that won't probably appear here till May. Jane and I met with three contractors, who had worked up bids from her preliminary specs. All three estimates were in the same ballpark, but I confess that when I saw the first one it took my breath away...and not in a good way. Jane assured me that it's not unusual to see very high estimates at this early stage, and that once we decide which contractor to hire, her job will be to work with him to see how we can bring the cost within my budget.
After chatting with them individually, I concluded that I probably cannot make a wrong decision here. One firm is two brothers with whom Jane has worked before, located in Savannah. The fact that Jane knows them and trusts them is a plus. On the con side, they aren't familiar with St. Marys or Cumberland Harbour...yet.
Both of the other builders live in Cumberland Harbour, which I believe is a huge advantage, as they understand the idiosyncrasies of working with the town, they understand and are committed to the vision for the community, and they have a vested interest in leaving me a satisfied customer. In addition, they will be there if I have any issues with the house once I move in. The major difference in the two is age and experience: Ed has almost 40 years in building, David 10.
We spent some time discussing various ways to bring the cost in line with my budget. Looks like the coquina shell chimney will have to go. By far the biggest item we discussed is the impact windows. Dropping down a notch to so-called DP 50 cuts the cost in half. According to my very limited research, impact windows protect from flying debris, while DP rated windows protect from hurricane-force winds. Another way to save is to make some of the windows fixed.
I could also defer finishing the over-garage guest suite; though that's just an expense delayed, not eliminated, and it would cost more to do it later than to do it now. There are opportunities to reduce the cost of the siding by doing regular instead of reverse board and batten. Reverse is more complex, so the labor cost is higher.
Jane offered that reducing the square footage is the most obvious way to lower the cost. As I've thought about this over the past few days, however, I'm concluding that that should be my last resort. It's not something I can change once it's done!
Time-to-build estimates range from 7 months to a year.
I've spoken with some of the references I was given, and I believe I've come to a decision to use David Spencer as my builder. All those with whom I spoke gave him an unqualified recommendation. Just as important is the endorsement of my friend Charlie Smith, who knows David and is also very plugged in to everything going on in town. So before the weekend is out I'll email Jane and let her know, so she can begin working with him.
This Connecticut weather is the best sign yet that it's time to think about getting outta here!!
By contrast, the weather in St. Marys last week was mild, in the low 60s, and I was thrilled to see bare ground, since that won't probably appear here till May. Jane and I met with three contractors, who had worked up bids from her preliminary specs. All three estimates were in the same ballpark, but I confess that when I saw the first one it took my breath away...and not in a good way. Jane assured me that it's not unusual to see very high estimates at this early stage, and that once we decide which contractor to hire, her job will be to work with him to see how we can bring the cost within my budget.
After chatting with them individually, I concluded that I probably cannot make a wrong decision here. One firm is two brothers with whom Jane has worked before, located in Savannah. The fact that Jane knows them and trusts them is a plus. On the con side, they aren't familiar with St. Marys or Cumberland Harbour...yet.
Both of the other builders live in Cumberland Harbour, which I believe is a huge advantage, as they understand the idiosyncrasies of working with the town, they understand and are committed to the vision for the community, and they have a vested interest in leaving me a satisfied customer. In addition, they will be there if I have any issues with the house once I move in. The major difference in the two is age and experience: Ed has almost 40 years in building, David 10.
We spent some time discussing various ways to bring the cost in line with my budget. Looks like the coquina shell chimney will have to go. By far the biggest item we discussed is the impact windows. Dropping down a notch to so-called DP 50 cuts the cost in half. According to my very limited research, impact windows protect from flying debris, while DP rated windows protect from hurricane-force winds. Another way to save is to make some of the windows fixed.
I could also defer finishing the over-garage guest suite; though that's just an expense delayed, not eliminated, and it would cost more to do it later than to do it now. There are opportunities to reduce the cost of the siding by doing regular instead of reverse board and batten. Reverse is more complex, so the labor cost is higher.
Jane offered that reducing the square footage is the most obvious way to lower the cost. As I've thought about this over the past few days, however, I'm concluding that that should be my last resort. It's not something I can change once it's done!
Time-to-build estimates range from 7 months to a year.
I've spoken with some of the references I was given, and I believe I've come to a decision to use David Spencer as my builder. All those with whom I spoke gave him an unqualified recommendation. Just as important is the endorsement of my friend Charlie Smith, who knows David and is also very plugged in to everything going on in town. So before the weekend is out I'll email Jane and let her know, so she can begin working with him.
This Connecticut weather is the best sign yet that it's time to think about getting outta here!!
No comments:
Post a Comment