The Dream Never Dies

Dreaming about Building

I have new buyers coming to Sonoma County tomorrow. Like many people, their plans include building their dream home. I'm realistic enough to understand they may not fulfill every aspect of their wish. On the other hand, I'm as optimistic as Pollyanna that things will work out well in the end. Their possibilities could start at building a new gate or fence and range up to and including the complex task of complete land development including the design and construction of a fantastic house.

In my earlier days I was privileged to be an instructor at the Owner Builder Center in Berkeley. I conducted classes in Palo Alto and Berkeley for dozens of would-be home builders. We'd start with the land and utilities and work our way from foundation through framing, plumbing and electrical to roofing. Most people probably learned enough to be much better general contractors for their own project. Many actually did build their own homes and kept me updated about their work in progress and shared pictures of finished homes. It was immensely satisfying work. My new version of that avocation now consists of helping buyers find the right property to build their home and steer them to building resources in Sonoma County.

My advice to wanna-be builders is simple.

1. Repeat your vows. Make sure you love each other before you start. If your relationship isn't rock solid with high levels of mutual respect and trust, building a house will wreck your personal lives. There are too many stressful moments, too many decisions that can cost tens of thousands of extra dollars, and too many easy reasons to get mad at your partner. If you're not ready to commit to an emotionally draining experience spanning years, buy a house that's already finished.

2. Small is beautiful. Those simple words can guide almost every decision in the process of developing land and building a house. When you get to choose between small and large, choose small. In exactly the same vein, when it's time to choose between simple and complex, choose simple. The reasoning behind this is very straightforward. Things always take at least twice as long as you think they will. If you always opt for the quicker and easier solution, you'll be done much sooner. Choosing a complex solution can make a job almost impossible to complete.

3. Call for Help. I see people running into huge frustrations in daily life all the time. A computer that's infected with malware, a teenager who isn't listening to your curfew guidelines, or searching for missing paperwork in an office with dozens of desks. Most of these problems (except the teenager) have an easy solution. Ask for help from people who can do the work for you. Don't waste time banging their head against a wall unnecessarily. If you get stymied on your dream house, call someone in to help you. It helps if you figured this one out ahead of time so there are people who are already on your team and know your project, but better late than never. Asking for help on a construction project is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom.

There's a lot more advice I will end up distributing to my buyers after they identify and purchase the property for their dream to develop. I'm not certain the three guidelines I listed here would always be my top three, but they are good discussion topics for anyone thinking about this type of project. A bracing dose of realism is the best foundation for an owner builder project of any type.

Sonoma County PRMD is a good place to start.