It's time to get back to business and share this crazy journey we've been on. Building came before blogging and I couldn't manage doing them both at the same time. Sorry to leave you hanging! So I'm going to give you a little update as to where we are today and what recommendations I have if you're starting a project of your own.
Where we are today:
After 5 months of living in a garage we are now officially living in our house, cooking in our house, and we even sat down for about 30 minutes the other night...let me just say it feels amazing!!! We are due to close the end of this month and couldn't be more ready to settle down and have some family time.
Getting down to business:
If you are planning a big project this summer the time is NOW to solidify your bids and lock in your vendors. The longer you wait, the more booked they become and the higher they bid out your job. That's right, if they have enough work, they will bid your job extra high that way if they don't get it, it's no sweat off their back but if they get it, it's a bonus for them. So get them now while they are shaking in the knees not knowing what this year will bring! And if you use any of my recommended vendors please tell them the Bertram's sent you :) Oh and always, always, ALWAYS get 3 bids! Yes it will take time but it will save you a ton of money! But don't always go with the lowest bid as you might not be happy with their work.
Drafter: We did all of our initial building materials through Hilltop Lumber so we used Nate as our drafter. I drew up my own plans already with ideal sizes and he fine tuned it. When it came to making changes I gave his a numbered list of things I wanted changed. He said because I was so detailed and gave it to him in list form it saved him time and us MONEY! We came in under budget for the drafting along with partial credit back on building materials. Then we went to Ed for the sales end of things. These guys will work one-on-one with you in making some key decision. Be sure to ask a ton of questions and write it all down. www.hilltoplbr.com
Excavator: I highly recommend Jamie with Seph Excavating. First of all, he just a hoot to talk to, but beyond that, the guy is a work horse. They came in less than ideal conditions during less than ideal times of the day to get the job done. He was a connection through Mr. Bertie so it was easy to ask the questions and find out where we can save money and what needs to be done and what doesn't.
Framers: Lennes and Lorentz was our number one choice when we went into this project as the Lennes is family and we trust him and know he does excellent work. We were right with this decision to go with them because it really went without a hitch...well maybe a few changes but for the most part, it was smooth sailing. Their bid was what they charged us except we did have an add on when we had them install the soffit and facia because when we came to that point it made sense to just hire it out.
Concrete: We were recommended to use Lake Mary Concrete and yet again, it was a great choice. Frank and his crew were by far the hardest working vendor we had throughout the entire project. They were there sun up to sun down. They let Jackson help with the footings and even got us set up to put our handprints in the corner of the garage. Everything was incredibly level and there has been very little settling. I would recommend them 100 times over. The amount they bid was the amount we paid. There were no unexpected charges which was nice.
I'll leave it at that for now, but if you have any questions about these vendors and others that we have used please just ask.
Thanks for checking in and I promise the next post will have some fun pics :)
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