Why Bother To Build Your Own House?

Reader Contribution by David Wright And Richard Drace
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RD: In our last installment, we discussed the quantity reason for being an owner-builder: You can get more house building your own than buying ready-made, and that’s valid, as long as you listen to our warnings and be careful what you wish for. 

DW: But if you can afford it, why not just hire the professional specialists? I’ve gained more and more respect for the professionals through the years…. and my wife has, too, particularly after I mess up something I thought I would be easy to do myself.

RD: Well, I know this is going to sound weird, but I’m going out on a limb here and make the claim that the careful amateur can sometimes achieve better quality control than the professional contractor.  This is the quality reason – the owner-builder might spend more time and pay more attention to detail and end up with a higher quality product. The idea is “if you want it done right, do it yourself.”

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