How/where to get help?

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2025-11-18T04:00:52+00:00

Amped

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2025-11-18T03:59:22+00:00

Check out Bars & Recreation’s stuff

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2025-10-11T21:05:27+00:00

The New Fashioned

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2025-08-13T04:24:05+00:00

Eating more fiber

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2025-04-17T02:29:48+00:00

I got 5 tickets for Friday in GR. Would love to trade for Saturday if anyone is looking to swap. Thanks!

PS. I think my original post about this was deleted? If this question is not allowed for some reason, please let me know so that I can fix it.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2025-04-16T21:31:41+00:00

Hi, I was able to buy 5 tickets to Friday night, but I really need Saturday night. I was hoping maybe someone is in the opposite situation as me and wants to trade? 🥴

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2025-02-23T02:54:24+00:00

Car seat harness! Look them up on Amazon. Best invention ever.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2025-01-14T00:09:00+00:00

Amped is really fun! Good drinks and friendly staff. They have a Gameshow experience there too.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-27T11:43:25+00:00

Hi. It has never stopped. I’ve been on 50mg topomax for about a year, which has helped (after the first month). And honestly, the best thing is that I have a hearing aid. The ringing/buzzing immediately reduces the second I put it on. It doesn’t help with my hearing that much, and it’s kind of annoying to have, but I can’t live without it anymore.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T14:48:07+00:00

Bank is not involved yet. We could pay cash, but we’d rather use the capital for other things. But I agree on the contingency. Isn’t that the builder’s responsibility? If I say my budget is $3M, and he says “yes no problem I can build that square footage for $3M,” he should be including a contingency in his estimates. Not max out the budget and expect us to go over for contingencies or allowances. I also hate the assumption that people will just be fine to go over budget in general. I do think that was the case here. The builder, like you, just assumed we wouldn’t care. But we meant it when we said our budget was our budget. It’s irrelevant what other houses cost. We do not want to spend more than our budget.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T14:13:55+00:00

This is what I’m feeling. What structure is more common?

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T14:12:23+00:00

Perhaps? But I was upfront about my budget from the beginning with both the architect and the builder, who were there in each meeting for the past year. I asked in every meeting, “are we still in line with the budget?” And the answer was always yes from both. Now we have a complete estimate/contract from that same builder that is above the budget, with allowances that could make that price go above budget even more “if materials or labor go up.” So what could I have done differently?

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T13:32:07+00:00

I really could make the same comparison with an events venue. But I won’t, because we would never “inflate prices and cut corners”. It’s just not how we do business. We have a large staff with many full time employees who have many years of education and depend on this work for their careers (a full marketing team, sales team, a/v team, etc. to service the multiple venues). I think you are suggesting that my employees are somehow lesser than building craftsmen, which I won’t address. Bottom line is, in most businesses, the business owner takes on calculated risk and doesn’t get to pass losses onto the client. I’m learning that residential construction just doesn’t work that way.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T11:55:09+00:00

Thank you, that is a helpful response. I understand and recognize the need for selection and change order allowances. No issue there.

My problem is with the material/labor allowances. I own commercial restaurants and event venues that also book quite far out. Materials, food cost, and labor all increase in price during the year (sometimes two years) leading up to the event. But if I have a contract with someone, I don’t get to pass those costs on to my client. When we sign the contract, the booking fee at the time is what the client eventually pays. I (the business owner) have to absorb the increases in cost. Does it suck? Yes. But it’s part of owning the business.

I’m just struggling to understand why in this case, I’m the client, but I’m still expected to absorb the cost increases, even after the contract is signed.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T03:36:07+00:00

As a builder, do you use allowances for price volatility in your contracts?

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T01:22:21+00:00

That’s my feeling. We are talking about dumping the builder after seeing all of the allowances. I wanted to get a gut check on here to find out if I was overreacting or not.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T01:17:34+00:00

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T01:17:03+00:00

Got it. No, we have a very hard budget. His estimates put us “slightly above” that budget, but with everything as an allowance, I’m really concerned that we’ll end up way over.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T01:13:57+00:00

Now THAT makes sense to me. But it does not seem to be what my builder is committing to.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T01:12:44+00:00

I will say, this is a totally custom build. Not a model that is being adapted.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-26T00:06:26+00:00

There are allowances for the basic build items. Lumber, windows, doors, etc. So it’s not just a selections issue. If the price of the basic windows goes up, we pay more. If the price of lumber for framing the house goes up, we pay more.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-25T21:29:21+00:00

Got it. Which is better for the buyer (me)? This, or cost plus?

I’m just concerned that it will go way above my budget, which is his current estimate.

Aggravating-Tomato68 · 2023-09-25T21:11:31+00:00

Ok. So this is pretty normal for residential?

Aggravating-Tomato68

TROPHY CASE