This may not be the best NG for this, but I'm sure there are people here who
have some ideas on the topic. My wife & I are moving to LA. The housing
costs out there have gone up about 25% annually in the last few years and
are absolutely insane. We've looked at any number of 50-60 year old 1200
sq' wrecks in "OK" neighborhoods which have not had so much as a coat of
paint since the owners bought them right after WWII, with people LINING UP
to pay $800,000 for the privilege of gutting them & starting over. Since I
want to consider all possible options, I'm thinking about buying a house in
tear down condition & rebuilding on the lot. Surprisingly, such houses do
appear fairly regularly in desirable neighborhoods, usually 50-80 year old
small homes on decent sized lots. Even this isn't cheap, but again I want
to cover all the bases. So I'm wondering what exactly the process would be.
Say we buy a lot & tear down the existing house, what segment of the
building industry would we approach to build our new home? I'm guessing you
can do anything from retaining an architect to design a one-off masterpiece
(not in our price range) to selecting some builder who has a number of "off
the rack" designs suitable for your needs & budget, probably with some
customizing possibilities ("trim levels" if we were talking cars). For this
latter approach, do you select a "general contractor" who then lines up
framing people, drywall, plumbing/electrical etc? Sounds like a nightmare
if you don't get someone reliable. Comments from anyone who has some
experience with this process in general and especially with doing it in the
LA area would be greatly appreciated. We're thinking something in the 2,000
sq' range on a small lot (don't have kids & don't want to have to deal with
too much lawn). Also, what's a ballpark figure for typical suburban home
construction, per sq foot? Lots of variables, I know but just for an idea
with "average level" materials used. At the moment, we're looking at the
Century City/Culver City/Palms/Mar Vista areas, to be closer to work. The
only thing crazier out there than the housing costs is the commute times! We
currently have a nice apartment in the valley (Sherman Oaks) and we like the
area but commuting to our jobs in Beverly Hills & Santa Monica is
horrendous.

TIA

Dan