We own some property near Driggs, Idaho, and would like to have a house built on it. We’re trying to put together a list of builders to talk to. Thought I’d see if anyone on this forum works in that area of the country–or knows someone who does.
Additional details–we want a well-constructed home, but funds are not unlimited; we recognize the balance/tradeoffs between quality, cost, and schedule; we want a builder who will talk with us; we’re particularly concerned about integrity and quality–we can cut back on scope if necessary to align the project with the budget.
Kathleen
Replies
Shout out to IdahoDon!
[email protected]
WHICH content will be free, of course; WHICH content will require registration; but WHICH content will be available only to members of FineHomebuilding.com.???
Thanks--I checked his profile when I was trying to use the search engine--he's about 6 hours west of where we want to build. But perhaps he knows someone????
Kathleen
You should be able to send him an email from his profile.
I will 'bump' your post a couple of times during the week so it will get some attention.
Good luck.
Eric[email protected]
WHICH content will be free, of course; WHICH content will require registration; but WHICH content will be available only to members of FineHomebuilding.com.???
Hi Kathleen!
Driggs is beautiful country. Can't say there's anyone I'd recommend in that part of the world, but the town is small enough that if you do a little checking a few better names will pop up more than once.
Unfortunately, the better known custom builders are also more likely to charge a bit on the higher end of the scale, but that might be worth it for piece of mind. If you are living away from driggs during construction you definitely want a contractor that has his act together.
Not all builders function well with out of town clients and some do. I've spent most of my career building large vacation homes and have worked for and with a number of great carpenters and contractors and they all have little in common except they are usually more interested in the design, details and quality of the final product than production and just making a buck. They also are thinkers. Custom home building in general, but building in remote areas for out of town clients requires good interpersonal skills, ability to anticipate what the client wants with incomplete information, good judgement and reliability.
I'll think a bit on your situation and that part of the state incase there's something else I can think of that would help you out.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
What's the scope of the project?
Size, site restrictions, in city limits or out, type of structure, power availability, etc.
Are you in a hurry? ... or can you stand to wait a bit for higher quality?
I'm retired and might consider a summer project if the conditions are right. My wife and I plan to move to that part of the country within ten years, so it would be good to spend some time there.
Sasquatch, CRF, et al.,
Thanks for the responses. Following are additional details regarding us and our project.
Scope--3000 sq.ft. not counting a basement. (Don't know if they do basements in that area. I believe the water table can be problematic in Driggs?) We'd really like to use ICF's for the outside wallls--used them on a 400-sq.ft. addition we did on our current house and really like them. And I would LOVE to have in-floor heating for portions of the house (bathrooms!!). Painted MDF trim is plenty adequate, but we'll put pecan flooring in parts of the house--we have about a dozen pecan logs out in our pasture waiting to be sawn (also have a portable mill). We're interested in solid construction, sensible design that suits us, energy-efficiency, good quality components for a reasonable cost.
We have a fairly comprehensive design done on Chief Architect. I'm sure it will need adjustments to make it more workable/affordable, but once we're through tweaking it I don't anticipate making any changes.
Location--Out Packsaddle Road (paved), west of the Teton River, outside city limits. 20 acres. Power and phone are along Packsaddle. Mostly flattish--slight slope to the ESE I believe. Minor covenants (the "please keep the place looking reasonable" type). It will need a domestic well and septic system.
Timing--We're much more interested in quality and cost than time. However, we're hiring a builder because we'd like to have this done within a couple of years. The projects we do ourselves turn out very nice, but when you only work weekends, and the kids have stuff going on half the weekends, and my husband is on travel every 4th-5th weekend--progress is slow!
We probably will not be full-time residents initially--depends on the kids (2), DH's job, and how much longer I can tolerate the climate where we are now. We have some friends in Idaho Falls who will look after the house for us in return for using it during ski season.
We currently live in Carlsbad, NM, but I will be in Driggs as often as necessary during the planning and construction. I also find the internet and e-mail very useful for communicating and planning. I'm hoping to have a short list of 2-4 prospective builders by April/May and then drive up and talk to them in person.
Potential issue--the builder will be working primarily with me--not my husband. I intensely dislike being told that what I want is not REALLY what I want, or "Lady, there's no such thing". However, I respond quite well to "we can do that, but here are what I see as problems. I'd suggest this instead because...." (Yes, this has been an issue on a number of occasions.)
Our experience--between the two of us we've done just about everything regarding building or remodeling a house. Don't know how much actual work we'd be able to do on this house--depends on where schedules ends up.
Finances--I don't anticipate any problems here other than the fact that we live in New Mexico rather than Driggs. I would guess the banks there are relatively accustomed to this. We tend to be pretty conservative fiscally and have no intention of over-extending ourselves; as I state initially, we'll modify the scope up front as needed to keep a lid on costs.
Look forward to hearing more from you.
Kathleen
I am familiar with the area you describe as my current project is also near Packsaddle Road. As far as a basement, might need to dig a test hole to see what the water situation is there. The subwater is seasonal here, usually comes up around the 1st of July if its going to. If you're close to the river, I'd say no way, if you're farther up on the bench, definate maybe on the basement. Do you have a subdivision name, or crossroad, that could help me with location more precisely?
If your thinking ICFs, I'd say call Wayne Egbert, Sunrise Builders, 208-354-2835, the local expert on these. He also sells them wholesale if you want to DIY. The brand he uses is Logix. I used them on my house as well as several others i've worked on and have zero complaints with the ICF or Mr. Egbert.
Also, would heartily recommend Lonnie Luker, D & L Builders 208-313-3197.
All of these men are local, honest, hardworking guys who know their craft and do it well. I could go on with more names but this will get you started. Good Luck!
CRF
CRF--
The cross road on the west boundary is 700 West. If you have a section map, the legal is the N1/2 of the NW1/4 of the NW1/4 of section 11, T5N, R44E. Maybe 1.5 miles from the river. Perhaps referred to as the Meade subdivision.
Really appreciate knowing that people are using the ICF's around there. They were (still are) quite the novelty here--had to explain them to the concrete guys (the pumper guy had seen them), a good half of the folks my husband works with (mostly mechanical engineers), and everyone else who saw us "playing" with the big, white Legos :-)
Many thanks for the recommendations.
Kathleen
Kathleen,
Your project is one that I'd be interested in learning more about. Although we're on the other side of the state, my building partner and I have been wanting to get back into building in more rural areas outside of Boise.
We always have months of work lined up in advance, but we are always looking for better projects, so yours would fit our schedule for a fall/winter/spring build. We're heavily involved with all the trades so that's about as fast as we'd want to go.
When you're ready to talk to contractors give a shout (208.484.0337) and shoot over a sketch of the house. If the design looks like a good match with what we're good at it's no problem to drive over to Driggs for the day to chat and exchange ideas.
Back to the fun stuff...
Driggs is in the same climate range that many past Wyoming projects were in and ICFs and radiant heat are naturals.
The only builders still using forced air simply haven't made the step. Even in Idaho many HVAC guys are unfamilar and uncomfortable with it so they continue to poo poo radiant or try to overbuild it to make up for what they don't know. Estimates including twice as much hardware as needed aren't uncommon. With the internet we're able to get prices on all the hardware that's significantly lower than what be available in the past.
Your builder should be able to almost design the system on a napkin if they've done a few in that climate. If the design is left to the plumbers or HVAC guys who are bidding on the job the designs can end up down right strange.
ICFs in the climate around Driggs are ideal. Many of our ICF projects were in the 7,000' to 8,000' elevation range and clients were tickled with how energy efficent the shell is.
One and two story ICF houses are pretty straight forward and quick to build. The biggest challenge is getting a crew that pours straight walls. Some do a great job, and some contractors have consistant pour quality and it's awfully hard to economically fix something 2" out of plumb.
Full ICF walls, SIPs, or really tight standard construction also creates the need for more air exchanges in the house, although in the forgiving climate around Driggs a full air exchanger probably wouldn't pay for itself vs. well thought out remote ventilation fans run a short time each day.
Without a sketch of your design it's hard to say what roof options would work best, but there's an awful lot to work with in terms of SIPs, stick framing and trusses. The most common mistakes builders in this climate make are cathedral ceilings without enough depth for a decent amount of insulation, combined with terrible detailing on the vapor barrier so heated air is getting out like a window left half open all the time.
I can't say enough about the importance of having a a method of keeping up with the building that gets done inbetween your visits. Digital pictures showing progress are quick to take, easy to upload and will help you see what's going on. With a design that doesn't have all the details written in stone, it's hard to visualize what's going on without pictures, but with them you'll have ideas and modifications that otherwise would never have been thought of.
Luckily, Teton County has building inspections so you'll at least have someone watching out for the worst building blunders.
The more specific your plans become, the more you'll be able to talk apples to apples with different contractors. There are also shortcuts for each trade that lower bid prices, but also lower the durability, or usability of the end product and are very hard to pin down. For instance the contractor leaves the tile up to the tile setter saying, "He'll be required to do a good job." Whatever that vague saying means.
Best wishes
I like the concept of ICFs and have worked on some local habitat houses which build exclusively with ICFs. On the other hand, I do not enjoy working with them. It looks like you have plenty of interested respondents now, so I will wish you the best for your project.
Good luck!
Hi Katiewa,
I live in Driggs and am familiar with many of the local builders and suppliers here. My wifes family actually are the Driggses from Driggs.
I currently am involved in a custom home that will kep me occupied for another 18 months or so. (I work alone, and the owners on this one {me and the wife} don't mind the wait).
Before I can give a recommendation, what is the scope of your project? Are you talking modest country home or Ski Hill road condo? Full-time resident or summer home? What is your schedule?
There are many fine builders in the area, and many others that are coming in from other areas to reap the building boom that is happening. I can steer you onto some names of good local people that I trust will do a good job.
IdahoDon, as mentioned, knows his stuff but Boise as you know is on the other side of the state, although, if i remember correctly he used to work near Jackson, Wyoming.
Waiting to hear your reply...
CRF