This blog is a continuation of previous blogs. We will discuss the insights, tips and tricks of how to build a home from Chris Legare, owner of Nautilus Construction, LLC.

Today, we are talking about heating and cooling. Chris recently finished building his own home. He details here some of the choices he made for heating and cooling and why.

“Our goal was to build an airtight, energy efficient home with healthy indoor air quality. There are many different approaches to achieve these things. First, you must consider your budget and how much of a priority quality heating and cooling is to you in comparison to other aspects of building or remodeling your home.

We chose to go with a mid-level price point to achieve all these things. Before framing the house, I had to build the house following the new energy code adopted July 2021 (International Energy Conservation Code IECC 2015). We followed a few of the advanced framing techniques by double insulating the walls and using environmentally friendly cellulose in the walls. These methods are great for net zero homes.

Next, we took into consideration the cooling and heating sources available in Maine. They are boiler and hot water, baseboard heat, furnace supplying forced air, and heat pumps with heating and cooling. You can choose to install each or a combination. We chose heat pumps in bedrooms and main living areas with back up electric heaters in the bathrooms. Heat pumps have come a long way and are very efficient in both cooling and heating your home. However, a backup heat source is recommended. We chose the Samsung Model (pictured) and have been very happy with them.

We also chose Solar Panels on the south side of our house (also pictured).

Solar panels are an upfront investment with a 10-year payback. So, in 10 years we will see the true savings and cost benefit from the panels. We also get a credit with Kennebunk Light, and Power based on our solar energy production. Solar Panels last year were offering a rebate of 26% off the installation cost. As you can see, this really is the future of energy production!”

We did not go completely fossil fuel free. Our range stove and living room fireplace are propane. So, all and all we went with a combination of heating and cooling sources that fit our budget and met our goal of energy efficiency. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks from a builder! Next blog will detail insulating your home.

Written by Suzy and Chris Legare

Market Competition

Pros:

With the real estate market still booming, the national average for the number of days an existing home is on the market is only 30 days! That means you have to be ready to jump as soon as a home is listed for sale, and with that level of competition, your offer better be a sweet one. When you build a home, however, the competition component decreases considerably. Fewer people are in a position to build a home, so there are less people competing with you for land, building packages, and development building sites.

Cons:

Because building new homes means the necessity for available land, it might be tougher to find a parcel in your desired town or neighborhood. Housing developments may not be as plentiful in your desired area either. When you do find a development you like, the likelihood of there being a set realtor, builder, and home design that you must work with is high, so you may need to sacrifice the professionals you prefer to work with for the entities doing the development.

Whereas you can negotiate sales price on an existing home based on issues such as work and upgrades needed, when you build a home there is much less negotiation on price. Build packages are designed with very set margins, and even with a custom-built home, your contractor can only do so much to get you the details you want and still make the profit margin they need to stay in business.

Customization

Pros:

Customization of the house style, features, and other details is obviously a huge pro when you build a house. You can select and personalize all the details of your house when you build it from the ground up – the floorplan and layout, elements such as woodwork and flooring, and fixtures including appliances and door knobs. You can customize any and all of your home’s details to fit your lifestyle and tastes. The rooms can be painted to your preferred colors before you move in, and you can even have the landscaping completed to your liking immediately.

Cons:

When you purchase a build package in a development, you may have more restrictions for customization choices. The timeframe for making different selections is also usually very tight. The developer/builder is working on multiple properties at once, and time is money for a residential builders. You will likely have some opportunity for customization, usually in the form of options and allowances (a set selection of finishes within a specific budget that your purchase includes). Expect options including color choices (although they may be limited), flooring options, and certain finishes and landscaping.

For some, building a custom home represents too many decision to make. At every stage of the build, you will need to decide on design details, select finishes, and decide how to handle changes as they occur. This can be too much pressure, and require way more time and energy than some people have to give. Building a new home is a project – so be sure you are ready to manage all those decisions.

Timeframe

Pros:

When you build a home, you won’t be able to move in right away. The average new construction home take at least seven months to complete, and the more customized the build, the longer it will take to complete. You will have to plan time to do research and meet with your architect and/or builder, but you will have the opportunity to think through design decisions and make ones that are best for you and your family. You will have time to truly create the home of your dreams.

Cons:

The additional time required to move into your new home can be difficult for people. If you have sold your previous home, you may have to find temporary housing, and it can leave a family feeling displaced. It takes time to find specialty finishes, create custom woodwork, and achieve the finer nuances of design that you might want. The level of frustration with the process timeframe can build, and be too much for some people (and some couples) to endure.

Financial Implications

Pros:

If you are planning to build a new home instead of purchase a home already built, you can research the projected costs of the type of home you plan to build and save accordingly. You might have some extra time to find just the right loan package, and even wait for the interest rates to drop.

Cons:

Because of the extended timeframe before your new home is ready to move into, building a new home can be more costly. You will essentially be maintaining two homes during the building project, one that you live in, and one you are paying for as it is built. You need to be sure you have the financial stability to handle these extra living expenses, as well as the likely overages in the budget when you make upgrades (you will make upgrades!).

Emotional Resilience

Pros:

Building a new home can be an incredibly rewarding process. You can exercise all of your creative abilities into designing a truly inspired home built just for you and your family. Because you have built it from scratch, and participated in every step of the process, it will be unique to you, unlike any other home.

Cons:

Building a new home from the ground up isn’t for everyone. The timeframe can feel as if it is dragging on, making decisions about so many details can get frustrating, and communications and negotiations with your builder and other trades can get exasperating. Building budgets most often go over budget, due in large part to decisions you will make for unplanned upgrades and changing your mind mid-stream. These changes are par for the course and to be expected, but if you don’t plan for this budget overage allowance, it can add to the stress of building new. Because it is such an emotionally charged project, relationships will either get stronger or suffer. Being prepared ahead of time for the many challenges of building will go a long way to maintaining healthy relationships throughout the process.

At Nautilus Construction, we specialize in building custom homes. We work in partnership with our clients to design the home you are envisioning, and our expansive resources in the design and custom fabrication areas allow us to handle all the stages of building a house. Please contact us to discuss your ideas – we’d love to help you build your dream!

Choosing the Right Contractor

When choosing the right contractor for your project your choice should be based on proven experience and skill, customer service, references, and then on price. You are building a partnership with your contractor, and you will work very closely with this person for several months or more. You need to feel comfortable, like your questions and concerns are listened to, and you need to feel that you will enjoy working with this person. Many homeowners try to force their dream into a budget that is too small, and then decide on a contractor who offers the lowest price. In the end, that scenario is fraught with disaster. It will be a painful process that results in an inferior product, delayed by change orders and disappointments.

You need to find someone with the technical expertise to complete the work and you want to select someone with whom you feel comfortable discussing your needs.

Pay careful attention for cues that you are being listened to, and that your questions are being answered thoroughly and thoughtfully. A contractor should be taking the lead from you as you describe your vision for the project. Their suggestions should reflect your description of what you want, and you should not feel rushed or pushed into any particular decision. Even small jobs can be fraught with complications and present many judgment calls, so you want to be working with someone who is qualified and approachable.

Finding skilled craftspeople can be tough. Always begin with “qualified referrals” from family, friends and others you may know who have completed a similar project. Your neighbors are also an excellent resource. Most professionals in the industry and specialty retailers can also recommend people. Someone who is familiar with a contractor’s work and can speak about his or her experience with that person is invaluable. A random Internet search is best left as a last resort.

Once you have some referrals, then head to the Internet and check out their websites. While contractors don’t generally have all the bells and whistles on their website, they should have some web presence and a site that is professional looking and sounding. They should also have a project portfolio where you can look at pictures and read customer testimonials about their work.

A good contractor should have a professional looking website with project pictures and customer testimonials.

Before you grab for the telephone, take some time to carefully think through your project. For even the smallest renovation you will have a picture in your mind of what you want it to look like. For larger projects prepare checklists, an outline and timetable, budgets, sketches, magazine clippings and pictures. The best contractor is limited by how clearly you can express what you want done. They aren’t mind readers, so the more time you put into preparing and being able to describe your expectations, the better your project will turn out.

When you talk to contractors, be prepared with questions that will draw out their knowledge and working style. A good contractor should be able to speak with technical expertise and describe their approach to you clearly. Expect to be offered several options for your project, ask for clear descriptions of how the options differ, and the pros and cons of each.

If you are unfamiliar with a contractor, ask for several customer references. Take the time to make these calls and prepare some questions. You want to know if the project was completed on time and on budget, what the contractor and his crew were like to work with, did they do what they said they were going to do, and would they hire them again.

The process of checking professional references is very important so don’t skip this step!

Consider the “fine print” and choose an insured professional running a legitimate business. All the contractors you hire should carry liability and workers’ compensation insurance, protecting their workers and your family. You want to be sure that you are not held responsible for any accidents or mishaps. Be sure you are clear on guarantees and any restrictions involved with the work or products being used. State contract law dictates guarantees on work to some degree, but there are always exceptions. Some contractors are committed to certain product lines, and this may or may not fit your project. Layout your timeline and your expectations for the schedule, as there is nothing worse than having someone fail to show up when expected.

Pay attention to experience and technical expertise, how seriously a contractor takes their business, and how they communicate and present themselves professionally, and you will find the right person for your project.

At Nautilus Construction, open communication and customer service is our top priority as our clients will tell you. Our daily attention to project progress means you can get an update whenever you want one, and you will never feel left in the dark. At Nautilus – you get the owner on the phone – call Chris today so we can discuss how we can help you!