More Progress

It is actually beginning to feel like something may actually get built!! Go figure. Progress is continuing at a nice pace now. Have been working on the bidding/costing. So far it has been pretty amazing the difference in price quotes on various trades.

Lumber has ranged from $23,000 to $29,000. Electricians have ranged from $13,000 to $20,000. Demolition has ranged from $4,200 to $8,900.

As you can see, this is by far the biggest advantage of controlling this process yourself. If I was using a builder, they likely would have just went with one bid, with the subcontractor they typically use.

Given there are 15-20 trades bidding this job, and just the 3 I listed above have a total price difference of nearly $20,000 - very easy to see how one can save $50,000+ just on choosing subcontractors after several have bid. That savings is even before any dirt is moved...pretty insane. And pretty easy to see how lucrative this business can be (or was) in the heyday 3 years ago for builders.

Big day on Tuesday afteroon, as I will official meet with Naperville to submit the intial docs for demo/rebuild. After submission, can hopefully be digging within 6 weeks (if all goes well with the permit process). So far all the people I have met with and talked with have been very accomodating for a rookie like me. Who knows, maybe my inexperience and determination are a breath of fresh air - given I am sure 99% of the folks they see are experienced big time builders with big bank rolls (not that there is anything wrong with that).

The process of getting to permit has been the longest - as you need to have so many ducks lined up in a row before you even go in and submit. Luckily, our architect has done over 100 Naperville homes, so he is very familiar with Naperville codes and requirements. However, even then the paperwork trail is nearly endless - requiring you to jump through many hoops just to be able to get to the point of permit submission.

We have also started to scope out kitchen cabinets. My god...what a limitless galaxy of options. The sheer number of brands, door styles, finishes, glazes, colors, distressing, and so on are mind numbing. Given its only one of 1,000 decisions to be made, we know we can't dilly dally, but we were able to get a jump start by meeting with some designers this past weekend. We will see where their prices come back

On a side note, ran across an interesing site that confirms why we despised the location of our old Bartlett townhome. Don't get me wrong, we loved the townhome and the park in the development, but you were pretty much held hostage in the cul-de sac unless you wanted to get in your car. This site (walkscore.com) calculates the walkability of your home in its surrounding neighborhood.

Needless to say, the old Bartlett diggs didnt fare so well...26 out of 100 (completely car dependent)

The new Naperville diggs rate much much better for getting out on foot...71 out of 100 (very walkable).

While I didnt need walkscore to tell me that, interesting website that pretty much nails it on the head.