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Build Your House Yourself University

Wish you knew more about the biggest investment you will most likely ever make? Build Your House Yourself University (byhyu) will teach you to save money and make smart decisions about the construction of the place you and your family will call HOME. We will help you understand residential construction— simplify and demystify the design build process. You’ll come away with successful strategies for building your own house, with or without a general contractor.

Become an educated consumer, even if you prefer to buy, rather than build a new house. Complex construction jargon and best practices will be explained in easy to understand terms. It’s not the typical DIY (do it yourself) show. You will learn how to MANAGE the labor, not DO the labor for your new house.

Join me, Michelle Nelson, host and fellow informal residential construction student. I’ll share the research I find on home design and building as I prepare to build my home. Together, our community of future home builders, will learn the tips, tricks and trends of experienced contractors and industry experts.

I’ll interview owner-builders and construction professionals. During our mini lessons, I’ll inform you about framing, flooring, windows, insulation, kitchen cabinets and countertops…almost anything having to do with new construction homes. You’ll hear about energy efficiency and green building too. There will be product reviews in which you will be introduced to cutting edge, as well as, tried and true products and services. And in keeping with the university theme, episodes will end with short, fun quizzes.

If we do our due diligence BEFORE we start construction, we will actually start construction with the most difficult part of the project behind us. Let’s put in the time, effort, preparation and research BEFORE we break ground and building our homes will be much easier and more enjoyable.

Copyright: © BYHYU.com 2016

Latest Episodes:

Who Knew You Needed This Information for the Building Permit!—Project Update— BYHYU 113 Apr 18, 2018

Show notes

I thought I could fill out my building permit application in just a few minutes, but I couldn’t because I didn’t have all the information I needed. Learn what information is needed for a building permit application and how I went back and forth with the builder I wanted as my consultant.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Matte or Glossy Cabinets? It’s Not Just About Looks— BYHYU 112 Apr 11, 2018

Show notes

When choosing kitchen and bathroom cabinets, you already know you’ll need to consider material, cabinet sizes, paint or stain colors and style. But what about the cabinet sheen or finish? Have you thought about whether you’ll choose flat, matte cabinets or shiny, high gloss cabinets?

No matter what material your cabinets are made of, you have a choice of whether to go with a glossy, matte or semi-gloss finish for the end product. What sheen you should choose for your cabinets initially seems like a trivial decision that is based purely on aesthetics.

But the sheen of your cabinets can not only dramatically affect the way your kitchen and bathrooms look, but also how well the cabinets function and how durable they’ll be. Plus the amount of cleaning they’ll need. So, this week we’ll compare and contrast flat, matte surfaces with shiny, high gloss surfaces. And we’ll end with some facts about semi-gloss finishes.

Before making any final decisions about the sheen of our kitchen and bathroom cabinets, it’s a good idea to familiarize ourselves with the pros and cons of each. That way, we can make an informed decision and prepare ourselves for the cleaning and maintenance requirements of our selection.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Consumer Reports’ Tips for Dealing with Contractors— BYHYU 111 Apr 04, 2018

Show notes

This week I have a few quick tips for dealing with contractors. These tips come from a 2017 article written in Consumer Reports called “Home Renovations without Aggravation—Learn how to combat shady contractor practices and avoid common and costly mistakes many homeowners make.”

Although the article addresses home renovations, most of the information in the article is also relevant for those of us who will be building new homes.

That consumer reports article highlights information from a recent survey of 300 general contractors from around the United States. The survey was conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

In the survey, contractors admitted to some shady practices that are found in the construction industry. Some of the shady industry practices include:

-contractors using unskilled laborers to carry out their work

-winning jobs with lowball bids and then jacking up the cost later with “unforeseen problems”.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

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Choosing a Kitchen Range, Cooktop or Oven—BYHYU 110 Mar 28, 2018

Show notes

The kitchen stove is a visual and functional focal point in many kitchens. And there are several options from which to choose. This week’s mini-lesson will give you an overview of many of those options, including, ranges vs cooktops, plus electric, gas, induction, convection, and dual fuel cooking. This lesson should help you choose the best stove for your new kitchen. We’ll also talk about the very basic differences between cooking with gas versus cooking with electric.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Crown Molding, Baseboards and Other Interior Trim and Molding—BYHYU 109 Mar 21, 2018

Show notes

I’ve been wondering for a while now about the current trends and rules for crown molding, baseboards and other types of interior trim and molding. In my internet search, I didn’t find a lot of articles on the subject. There’s some information defining the different types of trim, but not a lot of hard and fast rules to go by. In this week’s episode, we're going over the few rules that I did find, I’ll cover whether it’s acceptable to paint the trim in different parts of the house different colors and I’ll discuss some less traditional trim options that you may not have heard of or considered.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

www.facebook.com/BYHYU

Project Update— Foundation Plan Completed (or so I thought)--BYHYU 108 Mar 14, 2018

Show notes

This week I want to give you a quick update on the status of my project. My structural engineer finally completed my foundation plan (kind of), I got the official plot plan done and my POA approved my design.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

How Much Does It Cost To Build A House? —BYHYU 107 Mar 07, 2018

Show notes

I’ve hesitated to do an episode on the cost of construction because homebuilding costs can vary greatly from house to house and region to region. But, “How much does it cost to build a house?” is a question that comes up a lot. So I decided to give you some information collected by the National Association of Home Builders. They did a cost of construction survey which asked builders from around the United States to break down their construction costs for the typical home they built in 2017.

This week’s episode will cover a lot of numbers that you cant possibly remember, but I want to give some points of reference for our own project.

I’ll not only share the average cost for each major category of the building process, such as site work, framing and the foundation, but I’ll also tell you what percentage of the total cost of construction each segment represents.

Here are some quick averages:

The average single-family home built in 2017 was 2,776 square feet, so almost 2800 square feet.

The average lot size was about 11,186 square feet.

The average construction cost of a typical single-family home in 2017 was $237,760.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

My Framing Lumber is Getting Soaked by Rain! Is That Okay?— BYHYU106 Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

This past week in my area, it rained almost non-stop for 3 days. And although I haven’t started building, I was thinking I’d pretty nervous if I had started and my house was being framed and exposed to all that water.

It got me to wondering… Is it ok if it rains while your house is being framed before the house is dried in? If it’s not ok, what can you do if it does rain? Do you need to wait for the lumber to dry?

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Pros and Cons of Different Deck, Porch and Patio Materials (Natural Stone, Concrete Pavers, Poured Concrete, Tile, Brick, Wood Composite, And Wood)—BYHYU 105 Feb 21, 2018

Show notes

Outdoor living spaces are more important than ever. Most folks building new homes want a deck, porch and/or patio where they can entertain or just relax as a family.

When choosing the materials for the construction of your porch, deck or patio, the style of your home and your personal preference should definitely be considered. A traditional colonial-style home would look nice with a brick patio, for example, whereas a more contemporary house might look better with an outdoor space made of poured concrete or sleek pavers.

But, in addition to aesthetic considerations, we should also think about maintenance, cost, and the pros and cons of each material.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

7 House Design Layout Mistakes to Avoid—BYHYU 104 Feb 14, 2018

Show notes

This week I have a quick episode telling you about 7 house layout mistakes you should avoid when designing your home. Most of them are mistakes that I almost made until I mentally walked through the house. Some of them are mistakes that my architect didn’t even see until I brought them to his attention. So do your due diligence, even if you are working with a professional, and literally study your house plan before you finalize it.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

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