Scrlpu League Newspapers Owning a home ls part of the American drum – and building all or part of it yourself can add to the satisfaction besides helping to make the project financially feasible. Cutting costs ls the name of the game durmm current housing crunch brought on by ‘ tion and high interest rates. The test iu considering a personal housing project is whether you have the skill, savvy. good judgment. money and time required either in accomplishing the work or serving as your own contractor and bidding if out to others. ff you’re serious about it. experts caution thatyou “check things out” in advance financing, land availability, house plans, zoning laws, building codes, and availability of skilled help you may need. The high uiterest rates have made home buying and building prohibitive for a big percentage of Americans. If you’re able in find a way you’ll naturally want to hold borrowing to the lowest figure possible to keep the monthly payments and over-all costs affordahle. An official of Boise Cascade says it’s ruleof-tbumb that labor will run about one and a half times the cost ul materials – but this ulr viously will vary depending on the home and what goes into it. The drastic building slow-down has resulted in some favorable fat-tons for those who can afford to build. “Corpenters are starving for work,” said me building supplier. nnd “some building materials tparticulnrly in the framing and din –nsionaI categoryr are down Z0 percent or so in cost because of oversupfply.” Duane Herbert o Orem. president ul Utah Valley Homebuilders. a contractor himself. cautioned that skill and experience are needed to build a house. “You especially want expert work done on the cement. drywall and paintingl- things that show.” Herbert says e “right individual” might save 10 ta 20 percent on tlte cost. “But the task can be a headache and the best route often is contracting it to an expert who’ll dn it right and hold the cost down.” Jay Theobald. of Salem. who has had experience as a carpenter. recently completed a fine home. assisted by his father Evan 1’heobald of Provo. a retired builder. This was the second home Jay had built. “When you do it yourself you can get the quality you want and are willing to pay for.” he said. Some of the choices he mentioned include doors, either masonite or solid wood. thickness of the plywood over the floor jolsts and as root sheeting; and quality of the shingles, linoleum. and other materials Building your own home brings n certain satisfaction in accomplishment. Jay noted. “plus in my case. the pleasure of working with my father” The senior Theobald said anyone embark.ng on a home building project and seeking to cut costs must weigh necessity against luxury – essentials against extravagance W and make decisions accordingly Cllllord Anderson. a long-time Provo builder. quipped that building a house would be easier “it it werent for three words plumb. level and straight But he stressed the importance of these essentials of the trade. “Anyone can drive a nail- but knowing where to put it might be something else ” Anderson said he had encouraged a number of qualified young men “to build Your own lwuse.” Every dollar they save wi l be just that much less to pay back with high interest over a long period. he pointed out He had this advice for the man with a regular job who undertakes to build a house “To get the job done you must be determined and discipline yourself to work at nights. Saturdays and during vacations ” Anderson said that even when the work is contracted, there are many tasks the owner might reserve for himself For example: Grading. helping to set basement forms. applying sheetrock and paneling, and shingling in some situations Can a contractor purchase building sun glies “more cheaply than an individual uilderl One contractor said “Yes.” particularly with some materials Another said this lsn’t necessarily so “Shon around voursell,” he advised. “and you’ll find you often can match the contractor’s urine or even beat it ” Unless a home builder has the special skills required. experts advise that such technical phases as electrical work. plumbing and framing be entrusted only to experienced artisans In any case. the builder should keepin locse contact with the buildn-ie inspector Q in must cases building inspectors are willv ing to work with the person who “checks things out” in advance and shows diligence in working with znninz laws and building codes. Theot three guidelines, said Brent Snyder, chief Provo City Building officer. should be a must. Get the best set of plans you can. proceed first thing to work out your financlnf; and talk over the project with the hui ding inspector before taking any significant steps.