How We build DIFFERENT
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want a ranch-style home or a modern shipping container set over the side of a cliff. No matter what it is, we can both agree that what you want is for your vision to become a reality. What you don’t want is to be blindsided by a builder that wasn’t completely upfront with you and your house ends up costing more than expected. At Davison Development & Building LLP strive to be as upfront with you as possible to ensure you are informed and understand the finances of your new build, we also keep you informed on the practices of how we build your house. Regardless of whether you are going with us to build your next home, we believe you should be best informed about how your house is being built and where your money is going.
BELOW WE LAY OUT WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN YOUR HOUSE AND WITH YOUR CONTRACTOR. THE IMAGES BELOW ARE FROM A HOUSE PURCHASED IN THIS AREA. IT WAS BUILT IN A CITY AND PASSED OFF BY THE INSPECTOR. THESE PICTURES WILL SHOW YOU WHY IT IS CRITICAL THAT THE POOR WORKMANSHIP SHOWN HERE DOES NOT HAPPEN TO YOU. AFTER THE PICTURES OF THE FAULTY WORK, IMAGES FROM OUR HOUSES WILL BE SHOWN TO PROVIDE A COMPARISON OF HOW IT SHOULD LOOK FOR THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AND SAFETY OF YOUR HOME.
Note that these inspections were done by a third-party inspector.
AN UNORGANIZED BREAKER BOX IS A FIRE HAZARD
CODE ISSUE
PROPERLY LABELED AND ORGANIZED TO PREVENT ARCS
AN EXPOSED WIRE SPLICE LEFT OUTSIDE OF A BOX IS A FIRE HAZARD
DONE CORRECTLY
FLOOR HAS NO INSULATION. LIGHT IS COMING IN THROUGH THE VENTS OF THE BLOCK WALL FOUNDATION, MEANING THE ONLY BARRIER PROTECTING YOU FROM THE OUTSIDE IS AN OSB FLOOR.
15”+ OVER ALL LIVING SPACE
PIPING UNDER HOUSE NOT GLUED
THESE WIRES ARE STRIPPED DANGEROUSLY SHORT
OURS
15”+ OVER ALL LIVING SPACE
WATCH YOUR MONEY
When building a house, you must watch where your money is being spent so you don’t run out before the build is complete. It’s common around here to do what’s known as cost plus. This is where the general contractor just buys whatever is needed for the house, and then charges you a percent over the material cost. The problem is, if no one pays attention or the contractor doesn’t set budgets for each category of building, he’ll just keep spending until the money runs dry, or until you step in to ensure this doesn’t happen. You need to make sure you are receiving receipts that reflect what was actually spent on the items. Contractors have been caught adding extra stuff to their purchases for themselves, or they purchase way too much material and use the extra for other projects.
We at Davison Development & Building keep you informed during the building of your house. We give you access to a portal to keep track of your invoices and upload all of the receipts of what was purchased or the services rendered.
ELECTRICAL
OURS
PIPES NOT GLUED, ONLY PRIMED. A SUPPORT BEAM WAS CUT FOR THE PIPE, COMPROMISING THE FLOOR.
AN EXPOSED WIRE SPLICE LEFT OUTSIDE OF A BOX IS A FIRE HAZARD
INSULATION
NO INSULATION IN BEDROOM AREAS
PLUMBING AND HVAC
WE DO CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS PLACING THE PLUMBING UNDER THE FLOOR AND PERFORM PRESSURE TESTS TO ENSURE IT’S CONNECTED PROPERLY. WE ALSO DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT STRUCTURAL ISSUES.
how can you prevent these issues from happening? here ARE some SOLUTIONS.
first, LOOK UNDER THE HOOD OF THE BUILDER.
Just like when you go to buy a used car, it’s important that you open the hood to see what’s going on under it. You don’t want to get home and find out that the air filter is missing or it’s being held together with duct tape. The same is true with a builder. You want to make sure you look below the surface of the cool website and see what they’re actually building. Below are several things you should discuss with your builder during the first meeting about building your dream home.
DEPOSITS. Out of all these, this is one of the most important. It is strongly suggested that you do not give a contractor a deposit for his services. Especially if you haven’t validated any of the below. If there are no contracts, then he can just run with your money if he chooses and has no legal recourse. You should always have some form of accountability. Either open up an escrow at your bank where he has to perform the work first and then get paid (an industry standard) or only pay him the cash as the work is performed. You would not believe how many people lose their entire deposit and never get it back.
MAKE SURE THEY ARE LICENSED AS A GENERAL CONTRACTOR (GC). It is a state law that anyone doing work as a GC has a general contracting license. If they do not have one, it leaves you liable to pay for any mistakes or unpaid bills to suppliers.
GENERAL LIABILITY. Be sure they have the appropriate insurance for general contracting, not for remodeling, landscaping, or dirt work. If anything happens on your property while they’re working and they do not have the correct insurance, you will be responsible.
CONTRACT. Make sure they have a contract that both of you sign and lays out payments, prints, and has protections for both of you. If you do not have a contract, the contractor will usually default to protect themselves.
MAKE SURE THEY’RE NOT BUILDING A SUBPAR HOUSE (very common in this area). The last paragraph on this page goes over basic building practices that ensure the integrity of your house.
At Davison Development & Building LLP, we are fully licensed and insured, are require that a contract is signed by both parties. Additionally, we do not take deposits directly. We require an escrow account or for cash funds to be provided for the home as it is being built. Lastly, we do not take deposits for profit upfront. We get paid once your home is complete.
NO GFI PLUGS IN THE ENTIRE HOUSE CAUSING A FIRE HAZARD
NO INSULATION ON END OFVAULTED CEILING, MEANING THE ONLY BARRIER PROTECTING YOU FROM THE ATTIC HEAT IS DRYWALL
DONE CORRECTLY
15”+ OVER ALL LIVING SPACE
EVERY PIPE WAS PRIMED, BUT NEVER GLUED. ALL PIPES IN HOUSE LEAK.
AN NON-TRIPPING BREAKER BOX DUE TO BAD WIRING IS A FIRE HAZARD
HVAC COOLANT LINE NOT INSULATED, MEANING IT WILL LOSE EFFICIENCY AT THE UNIT AND COST YOU MONEY.
AN EXPOSED WIRE SPLICE LEFT OUTSIDE OF A BOX IS A FIRE HAZARD
GFI PLUGS THAT DO TRIP THE BREAKERS
WE DO CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS, WHICH USE THE EARTH TO INSULATE
OURS
HVAC COOLANT LINES ARE INSULATED. THE UNIT IS ALSO PROPERLY SUSPENDED, NOT ON 2X6. IT ALSO HAS AN EMERGENCY DRAIN LINE.
house prints do matter
A small-time contractor’s favorite word is “change order”.
In a lot of cases, a contractor wants prints that have the least amount of detail possible. we've even seen it go so far as them building off a napkin. They take these prints and bid the absolute lowest possible by planning to do everything super cheap and basic. Then, when you start building the house and ask for stuff that is expected, they say “That’s not on the prints and I didn’t bid for it.” they will then change order you. At that point, they already have the house and most likely you won’t change builders.
Make sure you go over with the builder everything you want in the house and his bid has details to what they’re doing, such as the thickness of the walls, the finishes inside and the foundation system. Do not fall for the “I’ll build it for 120 dollars a square foot” without looking at what that includes.
We at Davison Development & Building LLP either draft the prints in-house to ensure the right amount of detail is present, or we go over the prints you provide. we then give you a detailed bid that lists what we will be doing so you know what to expect with the cost.
DO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN A SHED? BE SURE YOU’RE NOT. CAUSE IT COULD COST YOU
Depending on where you are, there may or may not be building codes. Outside city limits in Arkansas, there are no building codes, house permits, or laws that protect you. On one side this might sound good and although it has its pros, it has also allowed “builders” to capitalize on the fact they have no construction standards. This is a dangerous problem as the majority of customers wanting their dream home have little to no knowledge of construction standards. Below are a few areas where you probably don’t know your builder is skimping on.
Address these areas with your builder. Do not just take them at their word without doing your own research. If your building is being honest and transparent, great, but then you’ll also be more versed in the process of building your home.
2X4 vs 2X6 EXTERIOR WALLS. In most areas that have any building standard, you have to build the exterior walls using 2x6 studs. This is because it has added strength and provides a big enough cavity to get a better R-value on your insulation. What's normally built with 2x4 walls are barns and sheds. A lot of the cheap houses you see online that seem too good to be true, are because they don’t frame the walls up properly. Usually, OSB is not put under the siding which makes the house not have the proper sher value to put all the stuff on your walls such as drywall, pictures, etc., which doesn’t go in the barn. This might seem okay, but be sure to speak to your insurance agent about your house. There are many cases where a house failed and the insurance didn’t pay out because it wasn’t built to the minimum residential safe values.
INSULATION: If you’re like most Americans, you don’t want massive energy bills. In this area, everyone is all about spray foam insulation. Spray foam does have a nominal R-value of around 20 to 30 depending on if it is closed cell or open cell. However, if you build a house the conventional way and use an R-30 spray foam, tons of air still enters your house through the studs. Because of the energy loss through the studs, the effective R-value drops to around 15. This is why you should look into ways to get an effective R-value of at least 30 or above. In the Harrison area, you can contact ThermaTech Building Solutions LLC which has a wall system that gives an effective R-value of around 33-38. If you build your walls out of 2x4 studs, your energy and gas bills will always be high as there is not enough space for insulation. When spray foam is used on your roof area, it will rot out your wood rafters. Many insurance companies will not insure homes with spray foam now, so be sure to check with your insurance company to confirm they will insure a house insulated with spray foam. It is also important to note that there are serious health problems associated with the off-gassing and particles from the spray foam. Here is a link to a quick read that goes over all that’s been discovered with the dangers of spray foam. https://www.indoordoctor.com/blog/protecting-your-health-the-hidden-dangers-of-spray-foam-dust-in-insulation-projects/
FOUNDATION. A huge downfall people experience when building a house is how the foundation is built. In this area, it is very common to use cinder blocks or pier and beams rather than concrete. It is a little cheaper to do these forms of the foundation which is why they’re popular. However, if you’re not careful, you’ll end up with a house with multiple drafts and a less-than-sturdy foundation. These types of foundations are acceptable if the builder uses a thick enough floor choice to allow you to insulate the house. Many houses around this area simply use the cinder block itself as the insulation between the outside and the floor of your house. This will result in large energy bills, with the same being true for pier and beam foundations. Some contractors will build your house off the ground and then skirt it with metal and only rely on the metal for insulation. Either use concrete for your foundation, or make sure the builder is going to insulate your foundation, and not with an R-10 fiberglass, since that will absorb moisture and completely lose its insulation properties.
ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING. Be sure that your general contractor and subcontractors are licensed in Arkansas. With the electrical, make sure GFI plugs are being installed in the wet areas. For your plumbing, make sure that the pipes are being glued. As the pictures above showed you, not all companies are made alike.