Organization is key when you are your own general contractor. There are a million and one different pieces of paper to keep track of, dates to remember, and things to write down.
I will continue to add checklists, schedules, and printables to this page throughout the entire building process. The comprehensive checklists will help make sure you don’t forget anything. The schedules will give you a good idea of how long each thing will take and how much time you should plan. And the printables are available so you can take the paper copy with you wherever you need to. If it’s not on this page, it’s probably on it’s way. But in the meantime, if you have any lists or timelines you would really like to see on here just send me an email at farmerswife@farmhousefromscratch.com or leave a comment.
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- Everything you need to do before meeting with your house designer checklist
- Pre-building timeline
- Ready to break ground checklist
- Everything you need to take with you on ground breaking day
- Cost breakdown
Good luck everyone!
~Farmer’s Wife
Dave says
Im intrested in any building schedules u might have. We r preparring to build and cant seem to fix any free schedules anywhere.
farmerswife@therealfarmhouse.com says
Hi Dave,
This week I will be working on some schedules for the checklists, schedules, and printables page. If you are subscribed to my email list you will be notified when I get those up. Thanks and good luck with your new build!
Renne says
I am a subscriber however I am not able to view your checklists, schedules and printables. I signed up today and I have not been given a password.
thanks,
farmerswife@therealfarmhouse.com says
I got you on the list now you should have your password in your inbox! Thanks for letting me know and sorry you had to wait.
Shanna says
Just wanted to say Thank You so much for this site!?
farmerswife@therealfarmhouse.com says
You are so welcome Shanna!
Marsha says
I’m 69 and planning to build a new, smaller home on a farm we bought (us and the bank) a couple of years ago. I was looking at bare bones plans since the costs are so high to build something new. Most everything around us is cookie cutter in developments controlled by the builder. I found your site and felt hope and a wee bit of joy for the first time, thinking that if you can do it, I might be able to serve as our contractor too. We have skills, my husband and I, but we are stiff and overweight. I’m retired and he’s not, but we are certainly are on a fixed budget.. Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing such insight and step by step instructions that I believe will help us get a great bang for our buck.
farmerswife@therealfarmhouse.com says
You are welcome Marsha,
and if I may say so … I believe anyone who has the determination can be their own general contractor. Even someone who may be immobile, or lives far away from where they are building, or any other number of hiccups. If you can make phone calls, keep yourself organized, and be a good manager, you can do it! It’s a lot of hard work, but if I can do it, anyone can! Go for it!
Heather says
I’m so glad I found your website! We are very strongly considering building a home and have just stated doing the research. After speaking with a general contractor and receiving a basic quote, I was a little discouraged. I thought we would hire a GC to “dry in” the house and then we would take over, but after reading all your posts, it doesn’t seem so intimidating and it’s given us the confidence to GC our whole build. I just signed up for your checklists. I love planning, so I’m super excited to start!! Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice!
On another note, is there a spot where you’re posting updates on your own home build? I’d love to follow along and see the process as it’s happening. We’re looking to build a farmhouse as well!
farmerswife@therealfarmhouse.com says
Hey Heather,
I felt the same way. After getting a quote from a general I was extremely discouraged. You can absolutely be your own and save soooo much money! If you are a planner especially you will do great.
I don’t have anywhere else where I am posting updates on our house. I am working on an update post right now though which should be out in the next couple of weeks.
Jenny says
I was wondering how you came up with your budget? I’m having a tough time deciding how much things should cost!
farmerswife@therealfarmhouse.com says
There is a wonderful sample budget in “The Owner Builder Book” by Mark A Smith. You can find it on Amazon. What I loved about it was that it used percentages as well as dollar amounts. Using percentages made it possible for me to adjust it to fit our own house. Get a quote from a general contractor for what it will cost to do your whole house. Then you can break it up into percentages and have a good idea of what each trade should be.
Sharon Cunningham says
Hello Farmers Wife
I am a disable 61 year old single lady an want to be my own GC. I am so nervous and so afraid of being taken advantage of. I hope you can help me with this process. If so thank you so much in advance
farmerswife@therealfarmhouse.com says
I was also concerned about being taken advantage, and it is a legitimate concern. You do have to be careful, but I firmly believe that if you do your homework and check into everyone you hire, there are great people out there that you will find to work for you. Just always be sure to call references and get to know people before you hire. Then remember that EVERYTHING should be in writing and signed.
Annie Robertson says
Hello everyone! I am new to the site – but have been involved in about 15 house builds and remodels. so I do have some experience but am constantly learning. My husband and I are both retired and have the time to build another house. I have to stop and think what I would be doing if I wasn’t getting ready to start on another project. I’m not into sitting and watching TV, and I love being outside. We have a true advantage as we already live on our small hobby farm so we don’t have a lot of the beginning planning and expense such as a well, septic, power, driveway, etc. Our present home has multiple stairs and my husband had a hip replacement so we are going to build a one-story addition and use our present home for guests and the seven grandkids. We also waited until we had most of the money stashed and are planning our build in stages. I have two home plan software programs that I use – “Punch – Home and Landscape Design” which is very easy to learn and “HGTV’s Home Design” which is harder and I’m still mastering. I think one of the most important things I’ve learned in preparation for this build is “don’t be afraid to color outside the lines.” For instance, I want a big pantry but I had one once that was just a room with a door and shelves. This time we are going to make an operating wall out of old doors. We found a family who had a bunch of old doors and we found two wooden ones that matched and one that was a multi-paned door. The two wooden ones will be entrances to the pantry and the paned door will be in between them with shelves where I can display prettfavorite things but it will also serve as part of the wall. (By the way, we ended up buying eight of their doors! We know we will be able to use them in many areas.) In fact, I bought a beautiful chandelier from Goodwill last week for $12 which I can imagine hanging over the dining room table in the middle of one of the old doors which would be fastened to the ceiling. By the way, I am 71 and this has kept me young! Don’t be afraid. Believe in yourself and your ability. We all know the internet can be dreadful, but we also have such an advantage in the internet as there isn’t anything we can’t find instructions for, and “You Tube” has some wonderful videos. Enjoy the ride – it is wild at times but soooo rewarding!
farmerswife@therealfarmhouse.com says
Wow Annie, thank you so much for the tips and advice! It’s wonderful to hear from experts such as yourself. And thank you for including your age. I have a lot of people email with questions and concerns about building a home in their later years. You are absolutely rocking at it! Keep us updated on your new project. We would love to hear how it goes.
carly says
How much property do you live on? And how much did that property cost? I live in Colorado so just trying to compare
farmerswife@therealfarmhouse.com says
Our piece of land is hard to compare to because it is part of a larger chunk of farm ground. We are actually still in the process of purchasing the land, but were able to start building on it with a signed paper from the owner. The part that our house is on is approximately 10 acres, but the whole parcel is about 50.
Brittany Ziegler-Hastings says
Did you need to obtain a contractors license to be your own general contractor? I’m trying to figure out if the state requires it.
farmerswife@therealfarmhouse.com says
Not in my state or county (Grant county, WA). I know that some places do though. Just call your local building department and they will tell you what you need to do.