Concrete Builders in Metro Atlanta. (Newnan: highrise, tornadoes, insurance)

[MisterNY]

As the title says, does anyone in Metro Atlanta or surrounding areas know of any good and reliable concrete builders? I already have home plans/designs done by an architect friend for concrete construction, and would love to hear from someone with experience that is not going to gouge me with expensive rates. I am looking for estimates at this point. I love GA, but I dont like the way the houses are built. The designs are nice, but they are not of quality that I want. I'm not into stick construction, hence my direction with concrete construction. If that were the case, I'd go with the local builders.
Thanks in advance.

[BobKovacs]

SO you want "quality", but you don't want "expensive rates"- sounds like a problem to me. I don't think you'll find any "concrete builders" in metro Atlanta, as there really aren't any concrete homes being built. There are plenty of concrete contractors (many of whom are looking for work since the highrise condo market has slowed to a halt), and maybe you can find one that might be interested in your project. Out of curiousity, do you happen to know the gross square footage of the house, and do you have a budget in mind? I ask because I estimate for a living, and could probably tell you rather quickly if you're in the realm of reality or not.

Also, are you talking about a cast-in-place concrete home, including floors and roof, or an ICF house with conventional floor/roof systems?

[MisterNY]

Thanks for the reply. I have done some research, and for a while I thought about going Owner-builder. I'm not sure if I can deal with that, due to time constraints. I was looking at Poured Concrete or ICF with conventional roof and such, just the outter structure in concrete versus stick frame. I am open to CBS construction as well. I prefer the insulation of noise and many other factors such as keeping the house temps constant, and less issues with rot etc..Too many reasons not to go concrete in my opinion.

I guess I should have specified contractor versus all out builder. That may lead to doing an owner-builder construction then, if I can't find a reliable contractor. Without the cost of land, my maximum budget is $200k. My friend designed the plans, and if I recall it's somewhere around 3,000 square feet, let's say 3,000 sq ft. I will get details from my friend later about that. A builder quoted me somewhere around $125 sq/ft, and I was not too sure he could do the job as he kept discouraging about concrete construction, how Atlanta has a lower wind rating than Florida and so so... He was x'ed..
On my last trip, I met a builder who happened to build houses affordably (somewhere in the $180k-$190k range on an acre of land) in Newnan, but the houses were too small for my liking, and the fiancee thinks it's too far from Metro Atlanta. Seemingly well built though. I was impressed. I will post pics if possible. They were poured concrete, and very efficient. One of the houses which happen to be all electric, no gas, 4br/2bath got great electric bills (mind you, a house with kids and such). I was impressed, but he builds for himself (his business), and looking to sell his houses. We spoke for a while, and I still have to ask him if he would consider building the outter structure for me, if I can't find anyone else.
Some members on the O-B site that I am a member of, say I can build for less than half that, if I cut out the middle man (builder) and go at it myself by hiring different subs and pocket the 20% the contractor usually charges. I can do somethings myself (painting, sheetrock, landscape (including sprinkler installation) and have friends that do plumbing, and electrical, so I thought I could save in some areas. It's not easy getting free help either, from friends nowadays..Everyone is busy, and some will charge something...

Bring on the advice, inputs, opinions..good and bad.
Thanks again.

[BobKovacs]

Well, at 3,000 sf and $200k, you're basically $65/sf, which is tight if you're looking at concrete or ICF- a well built wood-frame house with nice finishes will run you that much. While you might be able to save some $$ by going owner-builder, I'd be wary of the "I saved 20-30%" claims- while you are cutting out the GC's overhead and profit, you're not likely to get the same pricing from the subs, you'll end up paying to fix mistakes, and you've got to deal with the aggravation of scheduling and coordination. I'm in the construction industry, and even with that it wasn't worth the hassle for me to go owner-builder.

[MisterNY]

If I were to go with stick built homes, it would just make more sense to just buy from Pulte, KB or other local builders, or just get one of the thousands of houses that can't be sold. I'd save a good chunk of money and headaches, which I am predicting, by going through the road less traveled in Atlanta, .

So in your opinion, the way things are going with the home construction industry, you don't think it's possible to get a reasonable deal? Have you built any or know any concrete contractors in the area? (I'd appreciate some recommendations, if you dont mind) From what I've been reading and hearing, concrete construction does not cost much more than stick construction. Some make general claims of costing 10% more than stick frame on average. These are claims that I read on different forums, and in Concrete Homes magazine. I think concrete will do well in the future, even in GA, sooner or later.

I'm no engineer or contractor, but I ask around and read as much as I can. In your opinion doesn't the time required to build a concrete home makes up in the labor you'd pay to go stick frame? I also hear that insurance is cheaper. I know for a fact when well built, a stick home can't hold up against a concrete home. In your experience, have you had people requesting or inquiring about concrete, certainly after the tornadoes that hit downtown Atlanta recently? I still dont understand why people are so stuck on stick. It's really hard for me to get used to the idea of living in a wood/stick house. The story of the three little pigs comes to mind. Help!!!

[BobKovacs]

People are "stuck on stick" because that's what they know, and because that's what 99% of the builders out there build. With regard to "getting a deal" because the market is down, bear in mind that the guys who are hurting right now are the tract builders- the specialists who do things like concrete/ICF homes are still doing fine, since they're in niche markets, and usually working with people who still have money even in a down market. And $65/sf for a wel built stick-frame house is a "reasonable deal", btw- anyone who's telling you that you can build a house for $50/sf is completely out of touch with reality, or is quoting tract-shack pricing.

I've never done a side-by-side comparison of concrete vs stick-frame costs, but just running through all of the differences in my head, I'd say 10-15% difference wouldn't be too surprising. And homeowner's insurance down here is so cheap that I wouldn't count on any savings making a real difference- our policy on a $300k house is less than $500/year, so even if it was free, it's still going to take a long time to make up for the added upfront costs. Now, utility bills may go down a bit, but even that's not going to make a huge difference.

[mortgageman101]

Concrete is the most energy efficent, and thats all they do in Mexico, I have remodeled several homes and am building my first personal now, the company I suggest you use is herbert construction, you can go to there web site and get info on them ask for David Summerny, he's a sales rep

[MisterNY]

Thanks for your inputs guys. I really appreciate it.
As for concrete construction I know they use it in most other countries. I've been to the Caribbean, South America and the like for vacations. That's all they use. Houses that have been there for years, some for centuries. Nice stuff. The concept here is that most people do not stay in a house for too long. We have a nomadic way of life. How many people do you know buy and stay in a house for 20-30 years? Everyone stays maybe 5-10 years, at most. Plus the lumber industry has the construction industry by the balls, but concrete will inch its way in, years to come. Some are in denial now, but it will come sooner or later. Look at South Florida for example, aside from Dade County strict building codes, people there mainly use concrete for construction, cause it's better and will outlast wood. I got use to it, and dont want to go stick. When I was looking at houses with my realtor back then in GA, the first thing I did was pound on the exterior walls, and was so dissapointed with the houses I decided to do my research with concrete for GA. It hasn't been easy, cause of what BobKovacs says and he's right, 99% build stick frame. I am still trying my best to go through the road less travelled.

By the way, does Herbert Construction do concrete construction? Are you in the process of doing the same? What's their website? Im interested.
Thanks again BobKovacs, feel free to chyme in with more information. I'm thirsty for it....(hungry, I should say...), but anyways share the goods.

[mortgageman101]

They can direct you to some one who does concrete houses, no I went stick built

[gwinnettbabe]

Contact GCS contracting. They recently added an additon to my home and did a wonderful job. Chad and Greg both were very easy to talk to and made things OHHH SOOO simple.

www.gcscontractingonline.com

Hope this helps!