046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1)

0:00

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

how are we adding all of this stuff together? And we have a calculator too, a spreadsheet that

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

includes land costs. And is your land very difficult to build on? Are you clearing a

0:12

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

forest to put your house on it? And it's on the edge of a cliff, which is one of my favorite

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

lots that I get to design homes for. Or is it the middle of a farm field and you just kind of have

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

to drive a truck up to it and dig a hole? So, you know, those things are variables as well that you

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

can pretty early on at least take some big swings at and get an idea if this is really a project or

0:38

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

not. You know, it also depends on how you're going to execute the project. So if you are going to

0:43

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

a builder who's building you a spec home, they have in-house design services, meaning you're going to

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S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

pick like one of three kitchen packages, one of three primary bath packages, whatever,

0:55

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

then that's a very different cost model. That is an all-in. You're not paying separately for design.

1:03

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

And there's, if you're looking for a custom home, that's not going to be it, right? So that's a spec

1:09

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

home. Yes. If you go to a builder and you say, I want to build a custom home and they say,

1:15

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

and what's it going to cost? And they say, well, we're usually building in, you know,

1:19

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

this range of square foot price, you know, again, just to give you that parking lot of

1:24

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

the ballpark number. But then they say things like, design is included. You need to understand

1:32

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

what that is. Because design is a huge factor. It costs a lot. It's a real job, turns out. It's

1:40

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

a whole other separate job with a ton of work that goes with it. So if it's included, air quotes,

1:46

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

what does that mean? Does that mean, oh, well, you get to pick one of three pre-designed kitchens?

1:52

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Or are they including design? And it means you're working with an unqualified designer who's not

1:59

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

going to meet your expectations. And, or I've seen this too, where they charge, it's included,

2:05

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

but it's not free. So it's funny. It's like the way that people think about, they're like, oh,

2:12

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

well, the design is included with that builder. And I'm like, right, but it's not free. Like,

2:18

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

the builder's charging you. It's just baked in such that you can't see it as a separate line item.

2:24

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

But if you show up to a builder with a set of drawings and an architect, that build cost will

2:30

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

be lower, or should be, if they're not being squirrely about it, right?

2:34

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Yes, it should be. And the other option is design is free because they don't do anything. Like you can,

2:41

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

you can go get a plan online, or you can use a plan they've already built. If they designed it and

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

have the copyright to it, that would make your design free with their process. And if they just

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

send you to the tile shop and they send you to the appliance showroom, well, that's free too,

3:05

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

because you're not getting anything. Because you're doing it. Because you're not getting anything.

3:09

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

There's no service there. Here's what I want to underline about what you just said. Okay. The

3:15

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

cost of design, even if you're not paying for it, like in that situation where you just described,

3:19

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

where the builder is basically saying, go pick out all your stuff, that has a serious cost to it.

3:26

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

So will you see a line item? Will you be writing a check to an interior designer,

3:31

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

writing a check to an architect? No. But you will be paying the price, basically. So,

3:37

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

and you don't, as a homeowner, unless you're a trained designer, a trained architect, then you're

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S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

not going to have the knowledge it takes to make all those thousands upon thousands upon thousands

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S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

of decisions. Most people have no idea how many decisions there are to make. And I think that's the

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S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

part that I have the biggest caution for folks is to say, when we're talking about how much it will

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S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

really cost, remember, your time factors into that as well. So if you have a builder who is the bargain

4:06

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

basement builder, you've decided to not hire a designer, you're going to do it all yourself,

4:11

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

that dollar amount that's on the piece of paper is going to be lower. But your time

4:17

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

is going to be completely decimated for the next 12 to 18 months. And also, the project will end up

4:24

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

costing more than if you have professionals do it.

4:27

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

For sure. And mistakes. You know, one of the things, you know, we talk about selections a lot of time

4:34

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

and going and picking out tile and knowing what to pick and what colors and all of the things. But one

4:42

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

thing we don't talk about very often is the cost of documentation and how documentation saves a lot of

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

heartache. A lot of things during construction. If you document things well, you know more about lead times.

4:58

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

You just

4:59

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

It's

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

a better process and leads to a better product and a better experience that you have. And this

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

thing that you dreamed about, right? And that you want to see through and just having someone there

5:13

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

to document it helps a lot. Something else that this person asked about, which I think we should

5:20

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

touch on, but would take a whole nother episode is allowances and soft costs. Yeah. Yeah. So we

5:28

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

can bookmark that for future and give our super quick answer. Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, allowances

5:34

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

is a classic gotcha. Yes. Contractors who are not so tricky. It's so tricky. So allowances are

5:41

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

basically the contractor will give you a cost for a project and for any item that is not chosen

5:47

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

already. So plumbing fixtures, countertops, cabinetry, they will put an allowance in and it's just a

5:53

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

placeholder number. And that placeholder number is what you have to go shopping for those

5:58

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

plumbing fixtures or for those countertops or whatever. Well, the sneaky thing is when they

6:04

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

put a number in there that is so low that there's no way you can get the plumbing fixtures for that.

6:09

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

So it, you know, it says plumbing fixtures, a thousand dollars. You can't get a four bedroom

6:14

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

house's worth of plumbing fixtures for a thousand dollars. Yeah. Or they'll say tile and it's like

6:20

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

also includes the backer board and the KERDI system and the drain, like all the like, and the

6:26

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Schluter and whatever. And you're like, no. So then it's half the amount that you need. So

6:32

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

that's really sneaky because then the builder can say, well, you picked all this stuff. It's your

6:37

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

fault that it costs so much. And you're like, well, you didn't give me a realistic number to start

6:43

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

with. A realistic. Yeah. We talked about it. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's, it's tough. And that's a,

6:49

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

that's a point where a third party that's going to be your advocate is very helpful. And if you're

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

doing it yourself and you have to, or want to just comparing allowances from three different builders,

7:03

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

which you can't do if you're using the builder's designer. So that's, that's also a faulty part of

7:12

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

that. Soft costs. I think we touched on that a little bit. You know, obviously the architect

7:17

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

is considered a soft cost, any designer. There are a lot of things that come up that as you go

7:28

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

through a process, and it would be good to identify these in the beginning, are different consultants.

7:35

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

So I know you and I both have lists of different consultants. I think we may have already done an

7:40

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

episode on what consultants, you know, are in a project like this, but take some time to, to compile

7:48

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

that list or talk to your architect or your builder and find out like, what consultants do you use? Do

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

you use a lighting consultant, a security consultant, a sound consultant, all of those things. You don't

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S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

have to use all of them. You don't probably don't have to use any of them if you're doing a smaller

8:04

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

project, but have an idea because those costs add up and you end up feeling nickeled and dimed because,

8:12

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

okay, now I got to pay this guy to do my security system when there's a line item in the builder's

8:18

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

budget for security, but not for the consultant. So that's something that I've seen.

8:24

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

It's a good point. I mean, we lose a lot of work in Massachusetts. I'm going to be frank. We lose a lot

8:29

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

of work because we are really upfront about the fees that need to be spent either with consultants

8:37

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

or other things as it relates to Massachusetts energy code, which is extensive. So a lot of people

8:44

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

doing a renovation and there's all these rules about renovation. So if you are doing an addition

8:49

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

that's less than a thousand square feet, or if you're disturbing less than a certain percentage of

8:53

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

the house, then you don't have to meet energy code. But if you are doing a certain types of things,

8:59

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

you have to bring the entire house up to modern energy code. I might not even be touching any of

9:05

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

the windows, but if you trigger that, you have to change out all of the windows in the whole house.

9:09

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Yeah. We're getting there. We're not there yet in Ohio.

9:13

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

And it's coming for everyone. It's all coming.

9:16

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Absolutely. So in Massachusetts, it's here. So there are certain consultants that are now required

9:23

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

by code. So a HERS rater is required. It's not huge. It's $3,500 or whatever. It's not crazy,

9:30

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

but it's also not nothing. $3,500 is money.

9:34

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Absolutely. You're writing that check.

9:36

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

And if you're writing the check and you have to find that person. So we have everybody.

9:40

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

We're ready to go. We know what we got to do. There's no surprises. We already know.

9:44

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Here are the people we got to hire. We put that into our initial proposal.

9:48

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

We tell people, if you're doing a renovation like this, you need to understand that your budget

9:53

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

needs to basically double or triple if you are doing all of the things you want to do,

9:58

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

because now I got to bring the rest of the house.

10:00

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

code. We lose a lot of work because people sort of don't believe us. I mean, it's still new enough

10:06

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

that people just sort of don't. And then I turn around and I check on that project a year or two

10:11

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

later. It hasn't even started. They never did it. Or it's much, much, much smaller. And I'm like,

10:18

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

I know that's what I told you. So how much will it cost? Remember that, especially in renovation,

10:25

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

there are so many little tricky things like that that might be jurisdiction related.

10:30

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

You know, people always say, well, I want to do my bathroom. I want to do my kitchen. I want to do

10:33

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

this. I want to put the addition on. And then I'm sitting there going, well, you're disturbing half

10:37

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

the house. I should probably update that 25 year old HVAC system. I should probably update your

10:43

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

wiring. I should probably do you a new roof. So while you're at it, you need to do those other

10:49

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

things. It's really stupid to tear apart your house and not do that other stuff. So now that

10:55

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

stuff is a few hundred thousand dollars worth of work that you weren't planning on. And suddenly the

10:59

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

budget for doing the kitchen and the addition is much smaller. So how much will it really cost

11:05

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

is also about understanding. So this person was asking about new build. I'm going ahead and talking

11:12

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

about renovations in here because, you know, that is, you know, that's what we do a lot of. But that

11:18

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

kind of thing is when I have those conversations, it's, I actually feel really bad because most people

11:22

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

were on the phone and they're kind of shell-shocked and I'm like, I'm sorry, but I'd rather give people

11:26

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

real information. But it can, it can be a little, it can be a little startling. So to, to, to learn the

11:33

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

reality. So as usual, have good professionals, right? Have good professionals and, and, and do your

11:40

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

work early to dig in, dig in and really understand what the entire project is going to take, um, as

11:47

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

early as you can, because that's the only way. The, the other thing they asked is like, how do I know

11:52

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

what's included? You have to have big conversations, you know, you can't just be like, okay, does that

11:59

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

include everything? You know, like you need to sit down and really understand your contract, um,

12:05

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

understand how that builder or architect or who, whomever you're talking to first, how they include

12:13

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

things and, and how things go, um, throughout the pro throughout the project, what's going to be

12:19

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

added in. And, and it's a good question to ask, um, a builder when you sit down with them the first

12:25

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

time, if you're deciding to hire them. Well, and this gets into all sorts of other things related to

12:31

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

contract structure, how much will it really cost? Well, are you fixing the price and there's going

12:35

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

to be change orders or are you time and materials? Yeah. We should do that as a full snack. Yeah, we

12:41

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

should do it. Yes. We should talk more about that. Um, I mean, we've talked about contract structure

12:45

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

in various other ways, but I think that would be a good one. So mental note for everybody, but yeah,

12:51

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

I mean, how much will it really cost? You can see we could, we could spend an hour just on this topic

12:56

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

because it's super complex. Well, it's complex and people get screwed over all the time.

13:01

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

They do. Like that is, it's, it's, we should talk about it all the time because, um, when things

13:08

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

go sideways more than 50% of the time, it's because of money. Right. And the, the, the more we can figure

13:15

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

out and the more we can educate people and the more they can go in with their eyes open, the less

13:21

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

tragic stories we're going to get. Right. And there's also, people don't even realize that, um,

13:28

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

at least in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, the states where I work in predominantly,

13:31

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

there are consumer protection laws that protect you specifically. There's renovation and, and small

13:39

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

project law that protect you specifically from this type of stuff. But did, even if your contractor

13:47

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

has you sign a contract that doesn't protect you, there are consumer protection laws in place,

13:52

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

but how many people know about that? And how many people know that they have a lot of rights,

13:57

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

even if their contract, even if they walked into a contract and signed a contract that isn't super

14:02

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

great. So, but how much will it cost? Well, now you have to hire a lawyer and like deal with all

14:07

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

that. Oh my gosh. So, and by the way, I think damages are triple for that. So, so if you do,

14:13

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

if you do have a case and they do have to pay you triple, you know, obviously that, how much will

14:18

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

it cost? Well, now there you go. But, but the point is that we don't ever, ever, ever want to get to

14:23

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

the point where we're, where we're talking about consumer protection law and we need to like hire

14:28

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

an attorney to go after someone. We want to be well out in front of all that. So the one thing

14:34

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

that I really wish people after 20 some years in the industry that I wish people would just take in

14:40

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

and understand and take to heart is that it's so easy to just believe what, what you want to hear.

14:48

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Like someone's telling you what you want to hear and you go with it. Right. You need to listen to

14:53

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

the person who's telling you the truth, even if it's not what you want to hear. Right. Right. And I know

14:59

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

that's.

15:00

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

I'm often the bearer of bad news. Like this project is going to be more expensive. It's going to be more complicated. But that matters so much to not just believe the one guy who's like, oh, yeah, I can do this for half of what everybody else told you.

15:15

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Exactly. You're going to pay for it.

15:17

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

You're going to pay for it.

15:18

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Yeah.

15:19

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

So I just wish that's that's my one thing.

15:22

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Yeah. Yeah. That would be lovely.

15:23

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Totally. So we thought we were going to get into more questions, but we just dove deep into those three. So that feels like enough for now.

15:31

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

There's a lot to talk about in those three.

15:33

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

We're like the fire hose, fire hose style.

15:36

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Well, a lot of it was how do you start out? How do you start out strong? And it hits all of our hot buttons to say start strong. Take your time. Figure it out. Listen to people that tell you the truth. Ask all of the questions. All of it.

15:52

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

But before you really get into it and somebody said, you know, before I get emotionally invested, it's exciting. Like it's exciting to start a project like this. And of course, I want to jump right in and start designing this super cool house that somebody wants. But, you know, we got to figure out if it's realistic and if they can afford it and if they have the right site and all of those things we talked about today.

16:15

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

That's right. And, you know, we're often saying that to bring in your architect earlier than you think because we can be helpful very early in the process, even when you're just thinking about the project.

16:27

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

You're thinking like, should I get a lot? Should I build new? Should I stay and renovate? We've talked about that before as explicit questions. But I think here this is getting back to the idea of it's never too early to talk to a professional to help you figure out what the right moves are.

16:43

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

And in our opinion, the best professional to do that is the architect because they have the sort of overarching understanding of what's going on and what all the players and their roles and how that can play out for a homeowner.

16:57

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

I think the other thing here is that this can be really overwhelming. And I think that causes a lot of people to just never start or to feel like they're really lost and they're just not sure. We are used to that. It's OK. Like, whatever question you have, I've heard people, we've heard it on the podcast where people say, I really wish I would have asked X, Y, Z. I wish I would have stood up for myself.

17:25

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Uh-huh. Spoken up earlier. It is your house. You are allowed to ask all of the questions. It's probably the most expensive thing, the biggest contract that you're going to sign. You know, it's a huge deal.

17:40

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

You know, for example, get an attorney to look over the contract you signed with the contractor. I can't believe how many people don't do that.

17:49

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Same. Absolutely. And it's a long contract and it has a lot of things in there. And then you don't even question it until something goes wrong. And then you look it up and think, I can't believe I signed that right away.

18:02

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Before you get emotionally invested, it's OK to, like, take stock, take a moment. It's overwhelming for everyone, even people who've done it, you know, a couple of times or built a couple of homes or something like that. And we're here to help.

18:14

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

And in the meantime, if you don't hire me or Sherry, if you're not working in our areas.

18:18

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

You can listen to our podcast. These are the things we're talking about all the time.

18:23

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

And send us your questions. I mean, if something, if this sparked something for you that you're like, oh, yeah, but they didn't touch on this. Let us know. Let us know what your questions are.

18:35

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Chances are we have been through it. We've answered it before. And we'll dive right into it here.

18:41

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Yeah. And also, I would underline, it's OK to ask us questions multiple times, too.

18:47

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Yeah.

18:47

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

You know, so if you've heard a question asked on here, you're like, oh, but I wonder about this specific situation.

18:53

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

We're happy to do that, too. So it's helpful to think about all the various scenarios. So, yeah.

18:58

S… Speaker 4 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Bring it on.

18:59

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Very good.

19:00

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Thanks for joining us today on Home the Second Story for a mailbag episode.

19:05

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

If you have questions for us or topics you'd like to cover, as we just went through there, or if you're interested in being a guest for one of our interview episodes, just reach out to us at admin at htsspodcast.com.

19:17

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

And don't forget to follow us on Instagram. We'll see you next time.

19:20

S… Speaker 3 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Thanks for listening to Home, the Second Story podcast. Feel free to share this episode with a friend.

19:26

S… Speaker 3 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

Contact information for both of our architects are in our show notes.

19:29

S… Speaker 3 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1))

And don't miss future episodes. Follow or subscribe to our show for free in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you're listening right now.

046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(1)

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