The Nic House Project - Episode 2 - The Initial Meeting

The Waiting...

After a mix-up with the location of our meeting, I finally got to talk face-to-face with the contractor that my friend had referred me to. I'm working with a team from Hilo-based company, Dennis Delfin Contracting. They seem like a really good team for such an important life project, and I am glad to have met with them today. Oh, and how very typical "Hilo," Dennis is my dad's classmate. Of course... :)

The Questions and Answers

The draftsman (Clint) went on his merry way asking questions. I don't know if I was very good with the answers. :( Yikes.

Clint: Slab or post & pier?

Nic: Slab cuz it looks nicer. (I refrained from an extended answer including cobwebs and weeds...)

Clint: What kind of roof?

Nic: Regular...? OH! The kind where extending would be easy if I needed to extend later on.

Clint: What kind of ceilings?

Nic: Umm, not open beam but not flat

Clint: Flat ceilings are cheapest

Nic: Okay, flat. Plus, I can reach the light bulbs, right?

Clint: Cesspool or septic?

Nic: *blank stare* Ummm...

Clint: I'll research that.

Clint: What kind of car do you have?

Nic: *Points to the parking lot* That white one. Nissan.

Clint: Okay. Maybe 5 feet plus 3 feet on each side in the garage?

Nic: Sure. Sounds good.

Clint: What kind of counters?

Nic: Silestone? I saw them at Home Depot

Clint: Okay. Granite is better...

Nic: But, more expensive? Okay, granite!

Clint: We'll figure out your allowances for each feature in the home like the counters.

Nic: Oh, I would show you my scary spreadsheet, but... never mind.

Project Location

I made a quick (and motion-sickness-inducing) video on my lunch break to show the team where things would be as far as driveway and house placement. Not sure if it helped, but you can watch my little video if you want. I also gave them some photos just in case the video was just too.. crappy. :)

What's Next?

After the research is done by the draftsman as to where things are under the ground and how the project will pan out as far as expenses and material allowances, the next step would be getting permits acquired, financing secured and have my spreadsheet of expense allocations fine-tuned - I'm talking serial numbers and measurements for televisions, furniture, you name it! :) We'll save that for another episode.

Praying that the project quote comes within my budget...

Thanks, Dennis, Clint & Keola for a good meeting and for making me feel comfortable with such a large (and expensive) project!

The Nic House Project - Episode 1 - I'm Limited

Research/Calculation Time!

I am definitely putting my brain to work calculating scenarios for the building of a home on my parents' lot (see image to the left). I should actually say I am exercising my Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and ten-key skills figuring out loan payments and allowances for modifications and even appliances. If you know me - I gotta have a well-calculated decision before I commit. All I know so far is that our lot's zoning is qualified for an ‘ohana permit which allows a second, separate house to be built on the same lot.

Floor Plans

I've researched floor plans for 2 and 3 bedroom house floor plans from several local companies and have narrowed it down to something like this 2 bedroom floor plan.

If I stick to this design, I am planning to modify the garage to be 1/2 the size and include a bathroom in place of the laundry room... I shall figure out the laundry room thing later. Luckily, an open house for this exact model home was available for public viewing a few weeks ago and I really liked the layout of the rooms. It's small but it's more than enough for me. If I ever need more space, can you say, "extension?" Right now, budget drives my limits, but I really like the placement of the rooms in this model and it would fit nicely on my lot without having any windows peering back into my parents' windows.

Here's the edited floor plan that I made in Photoshop:

The Home Depot Wanderer

Last week I visited the Home Depot and walked around - always calculating - and checked out kitchen counters and cabinets and flooring and doors and windows and... everything! Too many choices = lots of time spent. I think I walked around for almost 2 hours but I got to talk to one of the staff about kitchen installations. Lots of good information from him - thanks... dude (forgot his name)!

Although I love the Home Depot, I think the first matter to tend to would be the actually house structure - after that's built I might not even have the money for Silestone counters and quiet-shut cabinet drawers that I was draw to that day... This leads me to the creation of a prioritization list for my home.

Prioritizing the Non-Priorities

1. Laminate wood floors for living and bedroom areas

2. Tiles in kitchen/bathroom areas

3. Silestone seamless kitchen and bathroom counters

4. Vaulted ceilings

Those are the main things I would add/modify if there were enough resources left within my budget after everything else was built.

Taking Action

Well, I ain't building this house myself, so I am arranging to meet with a local contractor/builder company in the next two weeks or so. He seems like a great guy to work with and has been very helpful so far in just the two days I've talked and e-mailed with him. We shall see what comes of our initial project meeting. Thank you to my buddy Lisa for referring me to him.

More to come as this project moves along!