On Jan 2, 6:08 pm, "
wrote:
Okay to be more specific--

One story home on almost 10 acres, with a well and septic, completely
flat cleared land. Just a basic house I guess, nothing out of the
ordinary.
We want quality, energy efficient, but no marble
Maybe pergo or some type of laminate, tile, nice but not over the top,
affordability is important, which is why I am asking.
How do I go about planning a good project without going way over
budget. We want a nice house and heard horror stories from hiring the
wrong GC, so were considering taking it on ourselves. I am wondering
are the questions I should be asking and how do I go about finding
quality work?
Does this answer questions? If I need more specifics please ask, as I
don't know the answer without the question

Taryn, I really can't say what building costs are in Florida. Where I
live, a basic new house runs 150 a square foot, but that is here in
the frozen north. Prices in Florida SHOULD be lower, but I don't
really know.

With all due respect, I think you are over your head in trying to be
your own general. You really need to have a pretty good understanding
of the building process to serve as your own general and your question
leads me to believe that you're not there. Some homeowners have
successfully contracted their own homes, but I bet they started out
with a better than average knowledge of the process. You have to know
quite a bit about every trade to effectively coordinate them, for
example: How high do you want to set your house? Where will you
bring the utilities in at? What if the framer complains that the slab
is out of square? What if the plumber runs a vent in the only spot for
an HVAC duct? Oops, you forgot the thermo wire. Was that the
electrician's responsibility or the HVAC guys? Are there enough
screws in the sheetrock? Who scrapes the floor after the tapers? Do
finish floors go in before or after setting doors? Yes it has been
done, but it will be a lot of mental anguish. These are just sample
questions. Many subs have tunnel vision, and they will always try to
do what is easiest for them. The GC is the one with the big picture.

Think of it...instead of finding one good GC, you will have to find a
good concrete guy, excavator, framer, electrician, etc. etc. They are
all used to working for contractors, not homeowners, so you will be at
the bottom of their priority lists. I do this for a living, and
running the subs can definitely be the most frustrating part of the
job if you get the wrong ones. And not only should you know what each
sub does, you should know what they charge. It's all pretty
overwhelming for an amateur.

I would focus instead on finding a good contractor. Ask around--word
of mouth is the way to go. Good contractors are out there, and the
good ones don't advertise in the yellow pages.