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There's much in your situation that resembles ours 6 years ago. We bought a piece of property on the Idaho-Montana border with a gorgeous view. At first we really just thought of putting a camper or a little kit cabin there for summer vacations and just sit and enjoy the view, and now we're building a vacation/retirement home. We have a local contractor, and having somebody who knows the codes of the county, as well as the rationale behind the local building styles is priceless. He talked us out of a log home because, even if it is traditional for the area, it is a pain to maintain. Instead we're doing a timberframe hybrid home. Brick is not an option in the NW.
What I'm saying is, go with some of the tried-and-true solutions for the AR region. There's usually a reason for the most common roofing materials, the slant of the roof, southern/northern exposure, etc. Start looking through magazines about home building/home decor, and cut out ideas you like, and put them together in a binder to discuss with your contractor. It's okay to obsess about details (shower! I'm obsessing about copper sinks right now ), but there is a greater picture, and sometimes details fall into place when you know what style of house you want. We had no idea what windows we wanted until we decided about the siding. I'm with you on the two-story concept, especially if it means taking advantage of the view from several parts of the house. If mobility really becomes an issue, install a chair lift.
Best of luck, it'll be a wonderful adventure. Stressful, yes, but wonderful.
There's much in your situation that resembles ours 6 years ago. We bought a piece of property on the Idaho-Montana border with a gorgeous view. At first we really just thought of putting a camper or a little kit cabin there for summer vacations and just sit and enjoy the view, and now we're building a vacation/retirement home. We have a local contractor, and having somebody who knows the codes of the county, as well as the rationale behind the local building styles is priceless. He talked us out of a log home because, even if it is traditional for the area, it is a pain to maintain. Instead we're doing a timberframe hybrid home. Brick is not an option in the NW.
What I'm saying is, go with some of the tried-and-true solutions for the AR region. There's usually a reason for the most common roofing materials, the slant of the roof, southern/northern exposure, etc. Start looking through magazines about home building/home decor, and cut out ideas you like, and put them together in a binder to discuss with your contractor. It's okay to obsess about details (shower! I'm obsessing about copper sinks right now ), but there is a greater picture, and sometimes details fall into place when you know what style of house you want. We had no idea what windows we wanted until we decided about the siding. I'm with you on the two-story concept, especially if it means taking advantage of the view from several parts of the house. If mobility really becomes an issue, install a chair lift.
Best of luck, it'll be a wonderful adventure. Stressful, yes, but wonderful.
Thanks!
Yes, I have a local contractor and he surveyed the land with me before I bought, as his wife is my realtor. I am going to defer to him on a LOT of things regarding roof pitch, etc. Basically, I am going to tell him what I want sq-ft and durability-wise and "2 story, deck, master up stairs and down, fireplace", and let him show me a few ideas. His wife NAILED "view, 20-40 acres, rural yet paved, can shoot on property, near enough to work but far enough away" far too precisely for me to try and micro-manage the guy. I think he can micro-manage himself, and give me an EXCELLENT product. He has been building in the area for decades.
Jwg,
Have you considered a Modular home? Not a mobile homes, a modular
one.
They are actually built better than a stick built home, and they are built
out of the weather elements.
Loom up Modular Homes in Arkansas and take a look at some of them online.
Sometimes they will let you visit the factory, to see the process.
Jwg,
Have you considered a Modular home? Not a mobile homes, a modular
one.
They are actually built better than a stick built home, and they are built
out of the weather elements.
Loom up Modular Homes in Arkansas and take a look at some of them online.
Sometimes they will let you visit the factory, to see the process.
I understand the appeal of it being built in a controlled environment, but how are they "built better"? Also, reading up a bit, it seems they are built by people making $8-12/hr while the stick-built home is build by more specialized people (say, an actual licensed electrician). I'm a bit torn on the issue, there, but feel that for a rural home, stick-built may be the way. My contractor has decades of experience with who does good work, vs. the $8-12 factory workers.
I know Noone can give me floorplans. I'm looking for "make sure they use x material pipes" Type stuff.
Don't put a bathtub in. Put a shower in; no one can use that tub, anyway, since it's way too small.
Someone may try to convince you to use flexible water pipe. Don't do it. Plastic is fine, if you want, just not flexible plastic.
No skylights. They will leak after a few years.
If you are going to be around trees, don't put up gutters. It's easier to deal with water on the ground, than fight with clogged gutters.
If there is a plan for a fireplace, insist on a wood burning stove instead. They are about a billion times more efficient. "NO!", to the fireplace insert.
Use top quality paint. I learned that the hard way; I spec'd in a color of Sherwin Williams and later I found out the contractor had used ceiling paint on the walls! He just colored it to look like the color I wanted.
I know this is a waste of words, but I will say it, anyway: USE AN ARCHITECT. I will never build another home unless I hire an architect to oversee the work. Contractors use tricks and shortcuts that you will never see, and problems will arise long after he is gone. The function of the architect is to make sure that doesn't happen. You talk to the architect; the architect talks to the contractor.
FYI: I am both a licensed builder and a licensed home inspector. And I would still use an architect. My son in law, an attorney, used a contractor friend to build his house. That was 14 years ago and the house is now - I kid you not - WORTHLESS. Can not be sold. Can not be repaired. Foundation, stairs, plumbing. The chimney actually fell down! Came home and it was lying on the ground.
If you are going to be around trees, don't put up gutters. It's easier to deal with water on the ground, than fight with clogged gutters.
That's a huge risk to damaging the foundation and the exterior structure overall. Gutters are important. If cleaning leaves out is too big of a hassle, install gutters that are made specifically to keep leaves out of the gutters. They exist. Going without gutters is not a wise choice.
Foundation from my contractor has a lifetime warranty. He's been around for 20 to 30 years or so.
I like a fireplace. I know a wood burning stove is far better technically, but I want the fireplace from an emotional standpoint, so to speak. http://www.gerlthomes.com/
Foundation from my contractor has a lifetime warranty. He's been around for 20 to 30 years or so.
He's not going to give you a lifetime warranty if you tell him to not install gutters.
I haven't wanted to damper your enthusiasm so I've hesitated to say that your builder sounds a little too good to be true. And his being the husband of your real estate agent makes me uncomfortable. In essence, you are trusting a random person. You're basing everyone off clicking with them as people over a few meals.
I hope you do your own research into him instead of just going by what he says and the work he shows you. His wife is a sales person by profession, and they're pulling her clients into dinners for the big sales pitch of building homes on the properties she sells. I'm just warning you to tread cautiously.
As you said, you know nothing about houses and wanted advice. The most important part of building a house is being smart about who you hire to build it. Please don't let yourself be dazzled by personal connection salesmanship. If her husband wasn't a builder, the odds of them having dinner with you multiple times would have been very slim.
He's not going to give you a lifetime warranty if you tell him to not install gutters.
I haven't wanted to damper your enthusiasm so I've hesitated to say that your builder sounds a little too good to be true. And his being the husband of your real estate agent makes me uncomfortable. In essence, you are trusting a random person. You're basing everyone off clicking with them as people over a few meals.
I hope you do your own research into him instead of just going by what he says and the work he shows you. His wife is a sales person by profession, and they're pulling her clients into dinners for the big sales pitch of building homes on the properties she sells. I'm just warning you to tread cautiously.
As you said, you know nothing about houses and wanted advice. The most important part of building a house is being smart about who you hire to build it. Please don't let yourself be dazzled by personal connection salesmanship. If her husband wasn't a builder, the odds of them having dinner with you multiple times would have been very slim.
Somewhat reasonable. I invited them to dinner, though. He is not a huge dazzle really. I was certainly not schmoozed over food. He's more of a "results" guy. Didn't talk a whole lot. Was more interested in me seeing his finished houses and even then was a man of few words. I'd not really call the meal a sales attempt at all.
I do plan on looking further into his project history. His wife handled the land purchase very very smoothly even given quirks of others such as the3 bank and other relator.
All in all, I was impressed with the people and the structures. Yes. I will have gutters.
I know the realtor and contractor through a friend I've had for a long time. They are his brother and sister in law. Everything I know about them is positive. I do not know a better method of s3lection.
Personal referrals from friends and relatives are good, but I think impartial, 3rd party client reviews are essential to the end process. People who aren't friends of, relatives of etc. and who have no personal relationship to maintain with the contractor.
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I'm obsessing about copper sinks right now 
), but there is a greater picture, and sometimes details fall into place when you know what style of house you want. We had no idea what windows we wanted until we decided about the siding. I'm with you on the two-story concept, especially if it means taking advantage of the view from several parts of the house. If mobility really becomes an issue, install a chair lift. 
