Hi Everyone!
These are interesting times in the building industry!
The manufacturers that supply the building industry are backed up on their orders and the wait time for materials is getting longer and longer. Many people do not know that most of the lumber, at least in this area of the country (Michigan) was coming from Canada...now, that lumber is getting more expensive because of tariffs on the incoming lumber. Ultimately, the prices of everything are going up..
The improving economy means that the long lead times, rising costs of materials, and the shortage of companies able and willing to work on a new build, remodel, concrete slab, chicken coop, hobby shack, etc, etc is not going away any time soon. What is happening, is that unlicensed, uninsured and semi-skilled people are stepping up to do the work that the licensed and insured companies are not able to get to. This wouldn't be the first time in history that this has happened..in fact, during the great recession, we saw a cleansing period where most of these aforementioned individuals were forced out of the building industry because of lack of demand and poor quality.
I have always been in favor of people contracting their own projects...even building parts of or all of their own projects as homeowners. Now, you may be thinking, "Hold on, I have no business picking up a hammer, let alone building a house!" Yes, I definitely would agree with you if you are telling me that.... But you may have a relative or friend that can! What I have discovered in my lengthy time in the building industry, is that if a person entertains the notion of building something themselves, they either have what it takes...or knows what it takes to build something.
That is where I come in. Throughout my career, I have helped numerous do-it-yourselfers to build their own homes or remodel their places. Sometimes I was on site, and sometimes I consulted from hours away via smart phone and video conferencing.
A normal scenario would see me designing the project (house, barn, she-shed, whatever..), helping the homeowners to pick out the suppliers for their project, doing the energy analysis on the home for their local building department, working with the homeowners to get their permits pulled, and the list goes on and on. Depending where the project is, I will most times be the person leading the team of installers for such items as Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs), Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), earth shelter framing, and so on..
I am mentioning this all right now so that I can get your attention...If you have entertained the notion of building something yourself, email me and tell me about it...use this email address: hybridhomeguy@gmail.com. I can also help you if you are acting as your own contractor and not building a thing!
I offer many packages that include me personally designing your project and then navigating you through the different processes to lessen the learning curve and save you money. I will be in your corner for the entire build ready to answer any questions that you may have.
If you are thinking about getting the ball rolling on a project, send me an email and tell me all about it...when you email me, I will send you a copy of my book Build Green Make Green Save Green for FREE! (While supplies last)
All you have to do is email me and tell me about the project that you are thinking of building...here's my email address again: hybridhomeguy@gmail.com.
All the best!
Adam
