046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0)

0:00

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Hi, and welcome to a mailbag episode of Home the Second Story. I'm Sherry Scott in Cincinnati,

0:06

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Ohio with Springhouse Architects. And I'm Marilyn Modinger with Runcible Studios based

0:11

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Boston, Massachusetts. So mailbag, Marilyn. We're

0:18

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

answering questions that people have asked us. These are so fun. And by the way, I don't think

0:24

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I'm giving away any spoilers, but we have more questions in our list than we're going to go

0:30

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

through today. And so I'm just, there's so many good questions to go through. So I guess also if

0:37

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

people listening have questions, feel free to write in. You might hear your question read out on here.

0:43

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Absolutely. Yeah. Okay. So our first question, the main question is, are we missing anything?

0:49

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And this is like, you know, gets to the anxiety piece of starting a new project and doing those

0:59

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

things. Like, how do I actually leap, take the big leap? And how do I know what I don't know?

1:05

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So they say, we found a property we really love, but before we buy it, I'm worried there may be

1:11

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

things we don't know yet, like zoning issues, draining problems, setbacks, septic limitations,

1:17

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

or something else expensive. From the outside, it looks perfect, but I'm afraid of falling in love

1:24

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

with a house or lot before understanding the real constraints. What should people investigate early?

1:31

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Well, all of those things. They listed a lot. Yeah. I mean, and maybe the question is better. I'm not

1:38

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

trying to rewrite the question out of the gate, but what should they investigate? But also how? So I think

1:44

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

we should get into how, because we can make a list and say, there you go. There's your list. Go

1:49

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

investigate this stuff. But the very next question is, well, how do I do that? Like, who is that? Who

1:55

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

do I call? What do I do? So maybe as we make our list, we can kind of indicate, you know, who is that

2:02

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

that they should call? So let's start with their list. There are things they don't know, zoning issues.

2:08

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Mm-hmm. I mean, that's true. So you want to make sure, so almost every jurisdiction, even if it's

2:15

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

rural or whatever, will have some sort of zoning situation. So zoning is usually, it's, well, it's

2:23

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

always public record. It's usually on the website or the, you know, town or city or county or whatever

2:30

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

website. But as far as interpreting that, I mean, that's something we do. So you can call an architect.

2:36

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah. Yeah. That's the easy answer. That's the easy answer. There would be cost associated with

2:41

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

that for time, for research, and just basic knowledge. But people can research it on their

2:50

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

own. It's all public record. One thing I would say, it is public record, but it's even for us. We don't

2:56

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

do a lot of zoning research, not like you do, Marilyn, where you work. Ours is much simpler. But there are

3:03

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

always surprises, even for us. There are. Yeah. I mean, we, I'll give you a real-time example just

3:09

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

this week. We are designing an addition for a client and kind of in a historic neighborhood,

3:17

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

and they want to add a garage. Well, technically, they're allowed to add a garage to the front of

3:23

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

the house, which usually is not allowed. So right at first, I was like, red flag, I'm not sure we can do

3:28

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

this. Let's look into it. It turns out they can do an attached garage in the front, and we could design

3:34

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

it, and it would be lovely. But the front yard setback is 30 feet. But then you have to actually

3:44

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

go like three levels deeper to find that they say, yes, it's 30 feet. But it's actually, that's like

3:52

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

our first line. But then you also have to average the three houses on both sides of you on the same

3:59

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

side of the street and average, and average that. So on either side, yep. Contextual setback.

4:07

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

It's difficult. I mean, it's, it's, there's so many layers and, and there's nothing that says,

4:13

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

okay, you're, you're at the last layer, right? Like sometimes it's, it's, it's, you get very involved.

4:19

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah. And I would say that there are multiple people who can help with this question. So the

4:23

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

architect can help. And I'm not just being biased when I say that, that really is your best option.

4:29

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Because the architect is thinking about design as well. Whereas a zoning officer might say, well,

4:36

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

yeah, you can do that. But they aren't thinking about building code compliance, or they aren't

4:40

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

thinking about what it might look like, or the usability. Same thing with a zoning attorney. So

4:46

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

on most of our projects in the Boston area, we have a zoning attorney on most of our, on most of our

4:53

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

projects, because the situations are very complex. And so sometimes it'll just be a few hours of a zoning.

5:00

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

attorney's time to kind of check in and say, hey, we're trying to do this and we know we

5:06

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

might need a variance, but have you seen that that's been successful in the past?

5:11

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And sometimes a zoning attorney will say, yeah, that's one that I see go through all

5:15

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

the time because I'm always in, you know, before the zoning board or no, there's no

5:19

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

way you're ever going to get that.

5:20

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And for, you know, a few hundred dollars, you find out that it's not worth pursuing

5:24

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

that option.

5:25

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And that's a great question to see because, I mean, people ask us all the time, can we

5:30

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

ask for a variance?

5:32

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Sure.

5:32

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

You can always ask.

5:34

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

The question is, is there any kind of precedent that we think it would be worth our time?

5:39

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

That's right.

5:39

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And the zoning attorney has that unique knowledge, but they don't have the design knowledge.

5:45

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So they might say, yeah, you can do this variance, but can you do that from the perspective of

5:53

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

other things you might be considering?

5:55

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So I think really the architect is, as usual, the one who's like sort of in the middle that

6:00

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

everybody is kind of pointing to.

6:02

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Also, your builder cannot generally answer these questions and they will tell you that

6:08

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

too.

6:09

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

6:10

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So that's, I mean, that's what we do.

6:13

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So, and I think, I think it really depends on what jurisdiction you're in as to whether zoning

6:19

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

becomes a factor.

6:21

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And setbacks was another thing in this person's question.

6:24

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So same thing.

6:24

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Like, can you add on to the house?

6:27

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Oh, wait, there's a setback that says you can't build in that area or there's an easement

6:32

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

or something.

6:34

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So one of the first things you want to do if you're serious about a project is get a survey.

6:40

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And if you haven't bought the land, you obviously don't want to pay for a survey, but you can ask,

6:46

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

let's say it's a property for sale, you can ask, is there a plat, is there a survey that

6:52

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I can review so that you can see where those property lines are and you can see whether what

7:00

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you're thinking about might be possible there.

7:01

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah, and you want, you want a full engineered survey?

7:06

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yes.

7:06

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I've seen lots of surveys that are just the corners.

7:10

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah, or the plot plan.

7:11

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah, plot plan.

7:13

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And if you're ordering your own, be sure to talk to the surveyor and say, what kinds of things can

7:21

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you research?

7:21

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

We've had different surveyors do different things for us and it just kind of depends what

7:27

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

their services hold, but they will research easements, the setbacks, which could be from

7:34

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

the county, they could be from the town you're in, they could be from the HOA you're in.

7:38

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Like there are lots of layers to setbacks and rules like that as well.

7:43

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And I think that leads into one of the other sort of questions that this person's bringing

7:47

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

up is drainage and septic. And when you have a full engineered survey with topo, it will

7:54

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

show you if there's any, it should show you if there's any existing septic, old septic

7:59

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

drain fields, which you want to know about.

8:02

S… Speaker 4 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

8:03

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

If there are limitations. So that's often something that comes up when you're doing an addition.

8:09

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

If you're on a septic system, the first question is, can the septic system that exists

8:18

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

handle another bedroom? So septic systems are designed for bedrooms, not bathrooms. You can

8:23

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

have as many bathrooms as you want. What they care about is how many people live there and

8:28

S… Speaker 3 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

are using them.

8:29

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Right. But they, yeah, they count the bedroom as a room.

8:32

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

That's right.

8:32

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

8:33

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And a hot take, your septic system probably will not support it around us. The septic systems,

8:40

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

the designs have gotten much more stringent just in the last five years, but for sure in the last 10

8:47

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

years. And we rarely can add a bedroom without in some way extending or totally replacing the septic

8:55

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

system.

8:56

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

That's another example of where the septic rules might say one thing and the zoning might say something

9:05

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

else related to the septic. So where the septic field can go might be in the zoning code, not in

9:11

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

the septic ordinances. And I've seen this where you read through the whole septic code or ordinance

9:19

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

or whatever regulations. And in the zoning, it will say your septic field needs to be one bedroom

9:26

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

bigger than the number of bedrooms you have.

9:30

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Oh, I came across that one time that was in the zoning code and I had gone through the septic

9:36

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

code and I was like, looks like we're going to be fine. And I called the jurisdiction because it

9:40

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

was one I wasn't used to working in. And they're like, oh yeah, this trips everyone up. It's over

9:43

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

here in this other code.

9:45

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Uh-huh. Right. Right. That's what we're talking about. Like there's layers. You got to get,

9:49

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you got to peel the whole onion, right?

9:51

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yep. But I will say too, that that's at least working in the city. That's one thing we don't have

9:57

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

to worry about. Yeah. Well, I was going to say.

10:00

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

We are used to doing septic on larger lots, and there is a person that designs septic

10:10

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

systems, and you have to get your soil tested, and they will lay out your lot.

10:17

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

You give them a kind of an idea.

10:19

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

You don't have to design your house, but you tell them, I'm going to have a four-bedroom

10:22

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

home, and it's going to be about 3,000 square feet or whatever you're going to be.

10:27

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And they will literally draw on an 8 1⁄2 by 11 piece of paper that has a crude site

10:33

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

map on it.

10:34

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

They will circle.

10:35

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

You can do it here.

10:36

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

You might be able to do it here.

10:38

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Or they might say, you can only do a two-bedroom house on this entire lot because you do not

10:44

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

have enough space, not enough.

10:46

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

The perk test doesn't perk.

10:48

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

10:49

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

10:50

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So you can do that ahead of time, and it's not super expensive.

10:53

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

A couple hundred dollars.

10:54

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

No, exactly.

10:55

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And that's kind of one of those things, like, when you're buying a house, you should scope

10:58

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

the sewer line, you know, to make sure.

11:01

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

This is another one of those things, like, when you're looking at investing in a lot to

11:05

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

build your home, this is kind of the same thing.

11:08

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Like, does this land perk and where?

11:12

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I actually had a project that was 150 acres, and there was about half an acre that perked.

11:18

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Wow.

11:19

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yep.

11:20

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

All of it was protected wetlands.

11:22

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

11:22

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

They actually didn't quite realize it was that extensive.

11:25

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Mm-hmm.

11:26

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So it was...

11:27

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Well, who'd think that, right?

11:29

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Like, it's amazing.

11:29

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

11:30

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

It was just the side of a nightmare.

11:32

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And so we had to go down this road of, like, okay, are we doing a mound, like a sand mound

11:38

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

or something like that, which is really ugly, but you see them all the time.

11:42

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So it's that in someone's yard, you see, like, a big mound with, like, white pipes sticking

11:46

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

out.

11:47

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So that's a sand mound.

11:48

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

That's because the soil below doesn't perk.

11:51

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And perk means, like, percolate, basically, right?

11:54

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

That's what it stands for.

11:55

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yep.

11:55

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Or that's what it's short for.

11:57

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I was like, wait a second.

11:58

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I don't know.

11:59

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And that means, like, does this...

12:01

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Is the soil too wet?

12:04

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

If it's too wet, it will not absorb the materials from your...

12:10

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

12:10

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Because you need it to filter.

12:11

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

You need it to filter so you end up with clean water.

12:14

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

That's right.

12:14

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

12:16

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So along with that well, so you also want to make sure if there's not a well, if you're

12:21

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

buying a lot and there's no well and there's no public water, you need to make sure you

12:25

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

can get a well.

12:26

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Because if you can't, then you don't have water on your...

12:31

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So have you ever done...

12:34

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Have you ever worked with a dowser, like a water sniffer?

12:37

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

The witchy guy who goes out with a stick?

12:41

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

12:42

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

It's crazy.

12:43

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And I swear, I, on any given day, I would say, there is no way that works.

12:48

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And then every time, I'm like, oh my gosh, he was right.

12:51

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

How?

12:52

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I don't know.

12:53

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I don't know.

12:54

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

There's some mysteries in the universe that we're not going to solve here on this podcast.

12:58

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

But yes, it's fascinating.

13:01

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And I still don't know if I believe it, but it works.

13:04

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

But it works.

13:05

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So, I mean, we're talking a lot about lots right now.

13:08

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I think, you know, we can chime in on houses maybe a little bit.

13:12

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Are we missing hidden constraints?

13:13

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

But I think, you know, if you're buying a house to renovate, I think it's the same thing.

13:17

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Like, you want to check the zoning if you're trying to.

13:19

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

This is another hot take.

13:22

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Don't always take your realtor's word for it that you can do an addition or finish the attic or finish the basement.

13:29

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I have worked with so many people who bought a house and the realtor said, you can finish the basement where in jurisdictions in Boston, you can't.

13:40

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

That adds to your livable square footage and you'd have to do all this other stuff.

13:42

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So, they are not usually trained to have done that analysis.

13:48

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So, can you finish it?

13:49

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Well, physically, yes, you can.

13:51

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

But can you in other regards?

13:56

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Electrical service is another one we run into a lot.

13:58

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So, it's underserved.

14:00

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So, we have to do a whole new service.

14:01

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

That's not a huge deal.

14:04

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

But it's still, it's not nothing.

14:07

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

But, yeah, I mean, I feel like we could do an entire podcast episode just on this.

14:11

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So, maybe we can bring this one in for a landing and move on.

14:15

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

14:16

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So, there are a lot of things that could be potentially hidden constraints and that could get quite expensive.

14:22

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

14:22

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

In conclusion, and I really do think this is not just us being biased, but having an architect who has experience doing the type of work you're trying to do to help guide you through those early steps is really important.

14:37

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And maybe it ends up being a few hundred dollars or even a couple thousand dollars of their time.

14:43

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah.

14:43

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

But if you've saved hundreds of thousands or even more than that, then because you didn't end up with a lot or a house or something that isn't going to work, then that's smart money to have spent.

14:56

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah, for sure.

14:57

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And a lot of heartache.

14:59

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

A lot of heartache.

15:00

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

yeah yeah so all right well this next question kind of flows into that when you're meeting your

15:08

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

architect for the first time what do you what do you bring to that so uh here's the question um

15:16

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

we're finally ready to talk to an architect yay but i feel oddly unprepared we have pinterest

15:23

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

boards rough budget a survey and a lot of opinions but i don't know what's actually helpful versus

15:28

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

overwhelming what should i bring to that first meeting to make it productive not everyone's

15:35

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

opinions i thought it was hilarious but i said we have a lot of opinions if it's their opinions

15:41

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

that's okay but like it's their opinions of course i was i was figuring it was the neighbor and

15:48

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

in-laws and you know we we get a lot of those stories like well we took we took your first

15:54

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

design and you know we talked we took it to a cocktail party and we all talked about it and

15:58

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

this is what they think here's what i realized

16:03

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

but um in reality you know they've sounds like they're pretty prepared yeah this sounds amazing

16:11

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

actually yeah i mean i love pictures i always say like it's easier for us to it doesn't have to look

16:20

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

exactly like you want it to look just bring things that you like that we can put up on the screen in

16:26

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

the conference room and talk about like what do you like about that do you like the colors do you

16:31

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

like how it's laid out do you you know and then if you do end up with something like oh this side of

16:36

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

this house plan like really works for us we get that a lot they're like but i can't figure out how

16:42

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

it goes with the rest of the house that i want and that's my job that's our job yeah

16:48

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

so just bring your ideas bring things that spark a conversation because that's really what we need

16:54

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

to do in the first meeting yeah agreed and i want to underline that what you said about

17:00

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you don't have to have it figured out that's what we do so it's okay if you're like i have these 17

17:08

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

ideas and i don't know how they come together well that's why we're here that's what like tell me all

17:14

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

of your ideas and i will find a way to you know figure out how to get as many of those in as

17:21

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

possible now that being said something that they didn't list that i think would be helpful to think

17:26

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

about head of time is your priorities oh that's good yeah and sometimes those priorities change as

17:34

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you get into the design so for example i just met with some clients recently we just started a design

17:41

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

for them or renovating their home and they gave me this this amazing list of like these are our

17:48

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

priorities this is what we need we need two offices for zoom we need this we need this we need this we

17:53

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

need this and so i came back with options having all that stuff and they were kind of like oh

18:02

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

hmm we don't love this and it turned out that they didn't need all of those different spaces

18:09

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

and it wasn't until it was sort of all fleshed out that they saw oh wow like if we have all of these

18:15

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

different separate spaces that's really impacting because we we're not adding on to the house we're

18:20

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

just using existing spaces and kind of reconfiguring and they were like oh i guess we didn't need that or i

18:27

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

guess we didn't and my response was well then this has been a perfect meeting because it's not a bad

18:36

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

thing at all for you to show up with your list of priorities we draw it because guess what it is so

18:41

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

much cheaper to move lines around on paper yeah there's no failure here we're not going backwards

18:47

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

we're not whatever you're realizing through this process that you don't need all that stuff or you want

18:53

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

other things instead of this so have your list of priorities but be ready to have that adjust as you

19:00

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

go through the process yeah that's really good it's one of the things i have a a course that people can

19:07

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

go through with a workbook and that's one of the segments is to just work through your priorities you

19:14

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

know we ask questions like how do you want to show up at the end of the day and and through thinking

19:20

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

through um those questions that we ask it kind of narrows everything down and you realize okay this

19:27

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

is what my priority is and then you make decisions through that lens and it it just helps instead of

19:35

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

i think a lot of people get nervous about some of this stuff because they think how am i ever going to

19:41

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

make all of these decisions when it's all just random up in their head but as soon as you start

19:47

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

prioritizing things and making um processes and and ways to make the decisions easier it's it it becomes

19:56

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

more fun well and we've talked about this in various

19:59

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you

20:00

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

ways over and over on this podcast, but we are here, architects, one of our main roles is to

20:06

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

help people through the decision-making process, to help people weigh the options, to be there to

20:12

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

say, well, yeah, you guys said that you wanted two offices. What's, what's, what's behind that?

20:19

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Let's dig into that. Oh, well, we're, and I'm making this up. This isn't what they said, but

20:23

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you know, one of them might say, well, I always need the door closed because I'm always on Zoom

20:28

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

meetings and I don't want to disturb the other person. And the other one says, well, I, you know,

20:33

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

whatever the case may be, I always want a door closed because my office is really messy. So I

20:37

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

just want to close the door and not see the mess when I'm not in there. Well, okay, that, what I'm

20:41

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

hearing is that there's like different reasons. One is visual and one is auditory, right? So there

20:47

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

might be other ways to solve some of those problems. Like, when are you working in your office? Well,

20:51

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I'm a night owl, so I'm there late at night. Oh, I'm a morning person. And so I work from, you know,

20:56

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and that's my work day, you know, and then I, or whatever. So you,

21:02

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

we're helping people uncover this stuff and help them make decisions. So I think, and I think I would

21:08

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

weigh, I think I would answer the question of what do you bring to the first architect meeting? All the

21:12

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

stuff they talked about, yes. And also a willingness to engage with the process, a willingness to go with

21:20

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

us, to have those conversations, to take part in the path, in the process. If you just are like,

21:27

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

no, this is what I want. I don't want. I just want this. Yeah, that's good. That's really good.

21:31

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Then you're wasting your money working with someone who's going to come up with something that's even

21:36

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

more than what you would have come up with on your own, you know? Right, right. And just because we

21:43

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

talk about it every time, I'm going to highlight one more time to share your budget because that's where

21:49

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

we start. I know we're beating a dead horse sometimes with these things, talking about

21:54

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

them again and again, but it's very important. Your budget can be whatever it is. We will not

21:59

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

judge it. We will not question it. Just tell us what it is. And then we can go from there and we

22:04

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

can counsel you and get to a good product. Well, and also the key is that not only do we not care

22:14

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

about what the budget is and we won't judge, we also don't mind if it's not a big enough project.

22:23

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So I've had people come and say, well, this isn't big enough for you. I'm like, well, right. So then

22:28

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I'm going to counsel you to work with a professional who's, because we do major renovations in full,

22:33

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you know, full big houses. We don't do sort of the smaller renovations. But if you're, as a homeowner,

22:38

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

if you're truthful with the person you're talking to, then I can shuttle you to the right,

22:44

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

the right professional is going to be the right fit.

22:47

S… Speaker 6 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Right, right.

22:48

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

But I also want to say about budget too, is to remember. So I often hear, well, if I tell you

22:55

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

my budget, then you're going to spend it all. Well, yeah, I am because that's what you told me

23:01

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you wanted to spend. So if you have a budget of a hundred thousand dollars, I'm going to spend a

23:05

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

hundred thousand dollars. Don't get mad at me for spending a hundred thousand dollars.

23:09

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

If you only wanted me to spend 75, tell me 75 and then I'll spend 75.

23:14

S… Speaker 4 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Right, right.

23:15

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So, but the other part is, and then I'll get off my budget soapbox, but the other part is to make

23:20

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

sure that you understand that just because you said a budget number of a hundred thousand dollars

23:25

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

and then you listed a million things you want in your house, those things might not line up. So just

23:32

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

because you said a number doesn't mean that's enough to do everything you want to do. And in

23:36

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

fact, spoiler alert, it never is. Everyone's budget is always smaller than their wishlist.

23:42

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Those are the rules of human nature, I think.

23:45

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Exactly.

23:46

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So then our job is to help people say, okay, well, what is, is it worth it to you to add more to your

23:51

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

budget so that you can afford more things? Or the other way, what things can we take out of the

23:56

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

shopping cart to align your, your budget?

23:59

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And the earlier we can have that conversation, the better for the entire project to align that

24:06

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

first.

24:06

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yep.

24:07

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I was going to move on to the next question because it has everything to do with budget.

24:10

S… Speaker 5 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Oh, great. Perfect.

24:12

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I thought we could just slide right into that one.

24:14

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

And this is a, they're very succinct. How much will it really cost?

24:20

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

That's a hard, that's a hard one to answer. How much will it really cost? So they say,

24:25

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

hey, we're thinking about building a custom home. When people talk about costs, it feels like

24:31

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

everyone is using different math. Some talk about price per square foot. Others mentioned site costs,

24:36

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

allowances, and soft costs. And I can't tell what's actually included. How can homeowners

24:41

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

understand the true all-in cost of a new build before committing emotionally?

24:48

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Woo. Yeah. The emotional commitment is, that's, that's where your heart breaks.

24:54

S… Speaker 3 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yep.

24:55

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

To start from the start, this person is exactly right. That, um...

25:01

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you don't know what the definition is, right? Cost per square foot. That seems like it's pretty

25:08

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

clear cut, even though that's a pretend number and doesn't mean anything. It is a gauge that

25:15

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

we use in my office to say, you know, custom homes, we're starting around, you know, in my area,

25:22

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

we're starting around $350 a square foot, goes up to, you know, 800.

25:28

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

The sky's the limit, yeah.

25:29

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

For our purposes and what we design, you know, that's kind of where we start. So if that's not

25:34

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

their comfort zone, then we're not the architect for them. However, we need to at least talk about

25:43

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

what is price per square foot, because I was just talking to a guy, and he's actually a builder. So

25:49

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

we were talking, he's like, well, what do you mean when you mean per square foot? Because he's like,

25:54

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

I talked to another guy, and they count every porch and every overhang, anything that's like

26:00

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

under roof. But then if there's a patio, that counts too. And so you just have to know what

26:05

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

the definition is. There's so many different ways. Some people do heated square footage. Some people

26:11

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

do under roof. Some people do any kind of surface. So the calculation and the number, the 350 per square

26:19

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

foot means nothing unless you know how we're counting those square feet.

26:23

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Right. And I would say that the price per square foot metric is for, like, getting to the parking

26:28

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

lot of the ballpark. That's it.

26:31

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Right.

26:31

S… Speaker 4 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Right. Absolutely.

26:32

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

It's a very rough number. It is plus or minus 20%, right? Or maybe even 30%.

26:39

S… Speaker 3 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah, yeah.

26:40

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

It is not a number that you use to say, okay, great. I want to save X dollars. Let me chop

26:46

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

off seven square feet, and then I will be able to meet my...

26:49

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Exactly.

26:50

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Like, it doesn't work like that, because not every square foot is the same. A square foot

26:54

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

of kitchen is way more expensive than a square foot of living room or whatever. So it's like

27:00

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

talking about how much a car costs per pound. Like, it doesn't... It might be useful in some

27:07

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

ways, but it doesn't really tell us the full story. So I think, to me, price per square

27:14

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

foot is a good, like I said, parking lot of the ballpark price. So not ballpark, parking

27:20

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

lot.

27:21

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah. Are we even talking about the same thing?

27:24

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yep. And that way, you know, you can say, well, okay, I'm thinking about a 3,000 square

27:29

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

foot. Sherry just told me, like, 350 is the low end. So maybe if I'm trying to do some

27:36

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

nicer things, it's going to be more like 450 or 500. Is that even in the realm of possibility?

27:45

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

So that's 1.5 million for construction, for construction of the home. And there's so many

27:51

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

more things that add on, like they alluded to, soft costs. But that does include allowances,

27:57

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

and it does include a finished home.

27:59

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Right. And I think, you know, we talk about, or I talk to my clients about project budget

28:05

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

and construction budget. So those are two different things. So word to the wise, when homeowners talk

28:15

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

about budget, they are talking about project budget. So they're talking about all in. They're

28:22

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

talking about the furniture. They're talking about the architect's costs. They're talking about

28:26

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

the land costs. They're talking about the money they have to spend to live somewhere else while

28:31

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

their house is being built or whatever. When people in the industry are talking about costs,

28:38

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

they're talking about construction costs, which doesn't include any of that stuff.

28:42

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Right.

28:43

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

No land costs, no architect, no furniture, no financing costs, no relocation costs,

28:49

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

just the cost of building and finishing the house. That's it. So then all that other stuff is on top

28:57

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

of that. So I have a little worksheet that I send to people that basically says, take your all in

29:02

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

number. Let's say it's a million dollars. And that's what you have to spend. By the time you're

29:07

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

done subtracting everything out, contingency, right? We've talked about contingency on here before.

29:12

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

Yeah. So you subtract architect, contingency, you know, land costs, financing costs, furniture costs,

29:20

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

whatever. And you might be left with a number that's more like 600 and not a million, right?

29:26

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

For construction costs.

29:27

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

For construction. Yeah. So it's important to get that math right. And as this is another one of our

29:33

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

broken record moments, do it early. We're here to walk through that math with you guys,

29:39

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

you know, as homeowners and see where it comes out. And it just keeps getting more and more

29:49

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

narrowed in, more and more focused as you work through the process. So, you know, we use square

29:54

S… Speaker 2 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

foot numbers to see, is this even a project? Is this even, does this make sense? Do you already have

29:59

S… Speaker 1 (046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0))

your land?

046_2026_05_05_Mailbag 2_Audio(0)

Buod

Magtanong sa AI Tungkol sa Transcript na Ito