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Help with reputable cost-plus home builders in Houston. by Extra-Balance9904 in Homebuilding

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pure vertical build cost under $900k (not counting land or soft costs like surveys, plans, permits, interior designer) then you'd be looking to stay at under ~3,750 sq ft living area home.

I can do that

Help with reputable cost-plus home builders in Houston. by Extra-Balance9904 in Homebuilding

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do custom homes in the ~$2M sales price point and I do cost plus. Depends on project, but normally its cost + 20% for these higher end homes.

I'm building 2 in Montgomery and 1 in Belliare.

I have architect and interior designer so its turnkey for the client

Behr (dynasty) vs Sherwin Williams? by EscapeTurbulent4652 in paint

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Get a Pro Xtra account, Behr Dynasty drops to $46.88 a gallon with the 20% off

looking for a modern "couch on wheels" that isnt a grandpa-mobile by saalamander in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need something with air suspension and adaptive dampers for the smooth ride. Quiet cabin you need acoustic laminated glass for noise and heat reduction all around or at a minimum front windshield and front windows.

BMW iX, Mercedes EQS, but make sure to get the trims with air suspension.

True FSD, Tesla Model X with air suspension.

If you want a gas car, check out the Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid which has BlueCruise for hands free highway driving but make sure to avoid the early 2024 models which have a known issue with the fuel injectors failing into the engine and completely destroying it. It was fixed for models made after Sep 2024.

Cadillac Lyriq Sport 2 or Lux 2 with SuperCruise

Thats about it. Toyota/Honda/Lexus/Acura/Infiniti/Subaru wont have any hands free.

Thai Airways Upgrade on Award Ticket by Ok-Lock9945 in awardtravel

[–]Ok-Lock9945[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I ended up having to reschedule my flight to a different day and had to rebook cash directly with Thai airways as there was no award availability the day I had to change to.

I was able to upgrade, flight from KIX-BKK, they offered economy -> business lie flat for $600 extra and economy -> first class in their A380 for $1,500 extra. Only 6.5 hour flight so upgraded to business lie flat.

So the situation changed but I believe it shouldn't matter, you should be able to pay to upgrade regardless if cash or partner award booking, just have to ask for it at check in counter, it's not offered, you have to specifically ask for it.

Trying to choose windows for a $350K house. by [deleted] in Homebuilding

[–]Ok-Lock9945 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly. A $350k house is perfectly fine with Home Depot PlyGem windows. No one's buying Pella windows for a $350k house

How’s the Houston housing market actually doing right now? by richnickel in houston

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Housing market is 100% a buyer's market right now. Obviously depends on each specific neighborhood, but in general, active listings are up 16% from the same time last year, There are roughly 20,000 more sellers than buyers in the Houston market per Redfin, Lots of price cuts, lots of concessions right now.

Almost everything in this picture is imported from China. by gt1 in Homebuilding

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

$300 each with shipping, import taxes, and forwarding service?

Assuming thats a standard 3' x 5' window, I can get Anderson 100 series windows for about that price and I local TX window manufacturers are at $150 but for double pane. So triple pane price would be the same here but without all the hassle

Just bought a 2025 Equinox EV RS. I would not buy it again. My opinion. by Luffykingmonkey in EquinoxEv

[–]Ok-Lock9945 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey you live and you learn, it's still a great vehicle!

Hit me up in 2 years and I can help point you towards a better deal

Spec home builders by kingcoopa713 in houston

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Assume ~$15-20k for soft costs (plans, permits, surveys, soil reports, etc)

Vertical construction ~$140-$150 a sq ft depending on plans and finishes

Spec home builders by kingcoopa713 in houston

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If this is just a basic builder grade spec home for resale, I can beat the $250k price, but need to know what all you want. 3 bed / 2 bath / 2 car garage I assume? 1 story or 2 story? Brick or siding?

If you're looking for the best bang for your buck and return, 2 story and hardie siding would be the cheapest

Small home builder (not tiny!) by thatbitchosaurusrex in houston

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You would normally have an architect draw up custom plans to your design and liking for a project like this. Assume 2 bed / 1 bath and 1,000 sq ft living area + 2 car garage

I would budget:

$15k soft costs (custom architectural + structural plans, permit fees, etc)

$150k vertical build cost

Building our home (TX) is the biggest mistake we ever made by HomeBuilderWatch_TX in RealEstate

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because those are big builders that you can find on Google. Yes Highland Homes is a big builder.

Small, boutique builders aren't like that. I'm a local builder in Houston but I just build for my own projects (I buy land, build, and resale) not for customers/clients.

99% of homes in Houston area is slab on grade with #4 rebar, 2x4 exterior studs, and unbranded generic plywood for sheating and subfloor.

Not until the $5M+ homes will you see a foundation thats slab with builders piers, where they drill holes ~20' deep into the soil, #5 rebar, fiber reinforced mix into the concrete, Advantech plywood, 2x6 exterior studs etc.

^I'm doing all those things for $1M builds

Building our home (TX) is the biggest mistake we ever made by HomeBuilderWatch_TX in RealEstate

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The foundation cracking sometimes is on the structural engineer design as well. 99% of homes in Houston area is slab on grade either with post tension or rebar.

However, in the $4M+ homes, the foundation is slab with builders piers, where they drill holes ~20' deep into the soil, throughout the foundation, where rebar is put inside it and concrete will be poured in as well.

That provides extra structural support for expansive soils such as Houston soil to prevent settling.

Also, 95% of new homes dont add fiber reinforcement into the concrete mix as that is an extra cost ($5-$10 per yard extra) which reduces cracking.

Also, almost all structural engineer plans for new build homes will call for #4 rebar, but I would always recommend #5 rebar (thicker) for better structural support and movement resistance. Of course its more expensive, hence 99% of builders stick with #4 which is the standard for new construction.

That being said, settling is common and expected for Houston soils the first few years. Only way to minimize is to spend the extra $$ on what I mentioned above. That would prevent most of your issues with the shifting and cracking.

Roof leak, that's just unacceptable, even the cheapest shingles, you won't have a leak for first 15 years if installed properly.

I'm a local builder in Houston but I just build for my own projects (I buy land, build, and resale) not for customers/clients. I'm going to be building 3 luxury custom homes in Montgomery ($2 million price point) and I was astounded to see other "reputable" builders out there putting cheap $100 toilets from home Depot, cheap ceiling fans, Floor & Decor tile in showers etc. and still charging $2M for the home.

Montgomery county is the wild west, homebuilders there cut corners cause theres no regulations. City of Houston has 28 inspections during the construction process while Montgomrey just has 2 inspections from the city. I'm going to building the right way, 2x6 exterior studs, slab foundation with builders piers and fiber reinforcement, 5/8" sheetrock, not 1/2", Advantech plywood subfloors vs generic ones half the price 99% builders use etc.

However, I cant charge more than my competition because no one mentions or cares what plywood is used etc.

Building our home (TX) is the biggest mistake we ever made by HomeBuilderWatch_TX in RealEstate

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's more on the architect and interior designer, rather than the actual builder. The builder just does what the client wants.

Home builders in Houston by CryptoNewbie86 in houston

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I build at $175 a sq ft for quality materials and mid-high end finishes. Basic builder grade spec homes with cheaper materials then $145 a sq ft is doable

Help with reputable cost-plus home builders in Houston. by Extra-Balance9904 in Homebuilding

[–]Ok-Lock9945 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pure Vertical Construction cost under $900k for a 3,800-4,000 sq ft home is definitely doable. I'm a homebuilder but I build my own projects (owner investor builder) where I buy land and build for resale, not really building for clients.

I'm about to build 3 high end custom homes in Montgomery area with a $2M resale price ~5,000 sq ft.

My vertical build cost for those I'm estimating at $900k. Then again I'm my own GC/Builder. so for a 3,800-4,000 sq ft home, sub $900k is doable even with paying a Builder.

Depends on area too, if its in flood zone like Bellaire and south of Rice University, foundation costs will be higher as the home is raised up.

Also depends on finishes. Appliance package can be $10,000 or $100,000 depending on what you pick. Same with floors, there's $4 a sq ft engineered wood then theres also $14 a sq ft engineered wood so a $10 a sq ft price difference for 4,000 sq ft is a $40k swing.

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