BOYL - The process of Building a Home on a Lot - To Do or NOT To Do (Houston: countertops)

[DrD76]

Hello City Data Gurus,

I realize that BOYL, conceptually, is not too difficult to comprehend - i.e. It has 2 steps:
1) Buy a Lot
2) Find a Builder to Build on Your Lot

I have been toying with the idea of attempting this, and am trying to find information on how should one go about it. I am trying to figure out if this is something I can do, or should I just go the traditional way of buying a house .
I am hoping you will share your experiences, both positive and negative.

There are so many questions swimming in my head , but here are a few for starters...

A) Questions about picking the LOT:
1) How can you tell if a particular LOT choice is more suitable for the building process?
- availability of utilities... electricity, water, phone lines, etc etc
- condition of the plot... trees, etc

B) Questions about picking the BUILDER:
Assuming I want to build in either the suburbs of DALLAS or HOUSTON
2) How to find out information about builders that do BOYL in these areas
3) How to determine reputations of these builders... their experience, how easy/hard each one is known to be to work with, which ones are known for quality builds, which ones provide good value for the money, which ones should most definitely be avoided and why, which ones are known to bend over backwards to achieve what you want, etc etc

C) Questions about FINANCING for this whole process:
How different is the process of obtaining a mortgage for a BOYL project?
In general, will BOYL project be more expensive than buying the traditional way?

I am looking to hear from people about their own experiences in this regard... hopefully this will tell me if this is something I should attempt or not.

Thank you very much in advance!
DrD

[DrD76]

Adding to my post above...

I am wondering if
a) is it possible and
b) would it be cheaper
To Have the builder build the entire house with all the rooms in place (i.e. all walls and windows and roof in place) and STOP at that phase, and then I can research and find and utilize specialized companies to do the following customizations:
1) A KITCHEN company to come in and install a custom kitchen with my choice of cabinets, countertops, sinks, backsplashes, faucets, appliances, island, flooring etc
2) A BATH company to come in and install a custom bath with my choice of double vanity sink, mirror, tubs, flooring, faucets, tiles, toilets, etc
3) A FLOORING company to come in and install wood/tile/carpet in various rooms throughout the house
4) I pick my own appliances

I guess what I am asking is that is it possible for a builder to BOYL and stop at the basic structure completion? So that I can truly individualize/customize the interior of the house according to my wishlist?

Thanks very much!
DrD

[need4speed2012]

You'll have too many different contractors, meaning when and if something were to go wrong, you'll have warranties but each one will blame the other and you wont get repairs.

(2) Words !!!

Bad Item !!!

[Restrain]

Check out Tilson homes. They build a good home, build state-wide. Tilson has been around for decades and will be there later. Also D R Horton homes, while a spec builder, will also build on your lot.

Building in the county is easier than building in the city,even though a permit is now requires for all construction.

[KathrynAragon]

I have only lived in one brand new house on a lot (it was the builder's Parade Home so I didn't have it built - I bought it when it was already built). My parents have built several homes on lots but they always paid cash for them - never financed them. I was also a realtor and sold pre existing homes as well as homes built with a builder (referrals to builders for a smaller commission).

What this has taught me is that new construction has advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage is that everything is new and covered by various warranties, and if you have a good builder, you can enjoy many years of basically maintenance free living.

The disadvantage is that generally speaking, you will pay significantly more for the property. Most new construction prices are at the top of the price per square foot and what many people don't realize is that this price usually doesn't include much, if any, landscaping. Yards, flower beds, sprinkler systems, extended patios (past the bare minimum that builders will put in) can easily run $20,000 or more. AFTER we bought our brand new house, we spent $40,000 on the yard and patio areas. Most people don't realize just how expensive that stuff is.

When you buy a pre existing home with an established yard, you don't generally have to spend that money. But when you buy a brand new house on an acre of red Texas clay - you DO have to spend that money. Ouch.

We will not make the same mistake twice. For me, it's a pre existing home for any future buys.

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by Restrain

Check out Tilson homes. They build a good home, build state-wide. Tilson has been around for decades and will be there later. Also D R Horton homes, while a spec builder, will also build on your lot.

Building in the county is easier than building in the city,even though a permit is now requires for all construction.

I had a Tilson home. Lived in it for 12 years and would do it again in a heartbeat.
I bought my land out in the county. Water meter put in by previous owners so that was not an issue.
Other homes in the area so electric and phone not issues either.

Never had a problem the 12 years I was in it.
No "settling issues" that so many others in the mass built subdivisions had.
Tilson is a local Texas builder and you can customize their plans to suit your needs.

[DrD76]

Originally Posted by need4speed2012

You'll have too many different contractors, meaning when and if something were to go wrong, you'll have warranties but each one will blame the other and you wont get repairs.

(2) Words !!!

Bad Item !!!

Hi Need4speed,
I understand. Duration is not critical to me, so I plan to get it done in sequence, not all at once. Hopefully that would mitigate the need to blame a different party.
Thank you for that perspective.
DrD

[DrD76]

Originally Posted by Restrain

Check out Tilson homes. They build a good home, build state-wide. Tilson has been around for decades and will be there later. Also D R Horton homes, while a spec builder, will also build on your lot.

Building in the county is easier than building in the city,even though a permit is now requires for all construction.

Thank you Restrain.
I am glad to hear about Tilson homes. I will definitely check them out.
DrD

[DrD76]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

I have only lived in one brand new house on a lot (it was the builder's Parade Home so I didn't have it built - I bought it when it was already built). My parents have built several homes on lots but they always paid cash for them - never financed them. I was also a realtor and sold pre existing homes as well as homes built with a builder (referrals to builders for a smaller commission).

What this has taught me is that new construction has advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage is that everything is new and covered by various warranties, and if you have a good builder, you can enjoy many years of basically maintenance free living.

The disadvantage is that generally speaking, you will pay significantly more for the property. Most new construction prices are at the top of the price per square foot and what many people don't realize is that this price usually doesn't include much, if any, landscaping. Yards, flower beds, sprinkler systems, extended patios (past the bare minimum that builders will put in) can easily run $20,000 or more. AFTER we bought our brand new house, we spent $40,000 on the yard and patio areas. Most people don't realize just how expensive that stuff is.

When you buy a pre existing home with an established yard, you don't generally have to spend that money. But when you buy a brand new house on an acre of red Texas clay - you DO have to spend that money. Ouch.

We will not make the same mistake twice. For me, it's a pre existing home for any future buys.

Thank you Kathryn for highlighting the negative that you experienced. My take-away is that if I take the BOYL route, I should have the extra money necessary for landscaping.
Thank you for that perspective!
DrD

[DrD76]

Originally Posted by HappyTexan

I had a Tilson home. Lived in it for 12 years and would do it again in a heartbeat.
I bought my land out in the county. Water meter put in by previous owners so that was not an issue.
Other homes in the area so electric and phone not issues either.

Never had a problem the 12 years I was in it.
No "settling issues" that so many others in the mass built subdivisions had.
Tilson is a local Texas builder and you can customize their plans to suit your needs.

Thank you very much HappyTexan. Your response is very re-assuring! I have been checking out the Tilson homes website. I feel more comfortable now with the idea of BOYL.

So far, Tilson will be my go to builder once I am ready to do this.
I am hoping to hear more feedback/experience from people about Tilson homes as well as any other I should consider.

Thanks very much!
DrD