Is there a way to figure home building costs without labor?

Q. I am curious if there is a way to figure how much it would be to build a home without the labor. Every sight I search shows the national average cost for home building but they throw in the national labor wage. How do I figure it out?

A. Average cost / 3 = materials cost only in general practice.

This was taught me, some 45 yrs. ago and seems to hold true today. The scope and size of contract when going the other way, as in pricing, "what to charge a customer" from a contractors point of view has a bearing on stipulated price, that in turn contains both material and labour. They seem to charge (material cost X 3.33 = contract price) on average. Maybe this is "Murphy"s Law" allowance

You can check it out simply by taking a set of drawings into "Big Box Store" for material take-off and pricing, Then take the same drawings to 3 contractors for Estimates, Subtract material cost from Estimates, average your results divide by material cost and see how close to "TWO" the result is, closer to "TWO" the better!

In residential construction I always say spend more on the materials and less on labour...

When did nails and screws become common in home building?

Q. Obviously, nails and screws are the common fastener for home building these days, but I am curious when they actually became the standard? I am having a debate with someone who seems to think that they are necessary to make a nice house, but this person doesn't understand that they use to be very expensive; and as such, most homes were built without them. I just can't figure out when that time frame was.

Any help on pinpointing the date would be helpful (with some citations would be preferable).

A. "I am having a debate with someone who seems to think that they are necessary to make a nice house"

Loghouses and log cabins were used by First Nations and settlers long before metal became used for nails, as did mud huts in Africa and thatch cottages in Britain, adobe brick houses in Mexico and the Mediterranean.
A nail is hardly the be all and end off of 'nice house' design.

"but I am curious when they actually became the standard?"

No clue, I cheated lol - the source link follows.

"In the 16th century the invention of the first water powered slitting mill introduced the first cut nails. Hot iron was hammered into sheets and each sheet was slit into bars by rollers that cut like shears. Each bar was then made into nails and spikes by "nailers". The head and the point were still forged and this type of nail was used from the 16th to the 19th century.
In the year 1811 the first machine cut nails were produced. These nails were flat and had no head. Sections of rolled plate iron were cut into strips the same width as the length of the nail. Each strip was then place under a contraption that cut each nail at an angle. The sheet was then turned over and the next nail was cut. The result of this process produced a nail that tapered to a point on only two sided.
In the 1840's a machine capable of making a headed nail was introduced. Stamping machines were being used by the late 1860's and several types of nails could be stamped at the same time.
Wire nails are now common and are the dominate type of nails used today but cut nails can still be found and are not uncommon.

Early wood screws were developed in the mid 16th century. The wood screw which is really nothing more than a round nail with a threaded shaft and a slot in the head for removal was first used in locks and clocks. They were very expensive to produce and were not used for everyday woodworking.
The first machine made screws were introduced in the 18th century. They had blunt ends. The first pointed end screws were produced in the 1840's by an English inventor George Nettlefield. They became widely used with this new type of production."
http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Wooden-Storage-Shed---The-History-of-Nails-and-Wood-Screws&id=3390880

Hope that helps :)

What can I do now to start a custom home building Company?

Q. I'm in high school and I want to own my own custom home building business. Unfortunately I don't know much about construction. What can I do now to get started in this career? What skills should I learn?

A. You need to take some classes on architecture and maybe some type of electrical classes and you need to learn how to do plumbing and roofing which can be taught to you by a person who already has the trade. I would say maybe you could contact some one already in the business and maybe think about helping them with a job first. Learn everything before you start. You should talk to your guidance counselor and see what college classes you need to take and what colleges you need to consider.

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Is there a way to figure home building costs without labor?

Q. I am curious if there is a way to figure how much it would be to build a home without the labor. Every sight I search shows the national average cost for home building but they throw in the national labor wage. How do I figure it out?

A. Average cost / 3 = materials cost only in general practice.

This was taught me, some 45 yrs. ago and seems to hold true today. The scope and size of contract when going the other way, as in pricing, "what to charge a customer" from a contractors point of view has a bearing on stipulated price, that in turn contains both material and labour. They seem to charge (material cost X 3.33 = contract price) on average. Maybe this is "Murphy"s Law" allowance

You can check it out simply by taking a set of drawings into "Big Box Store" for material take-off and pricing, Then take the same drawings to 3 contractors for Estimates, Subtract material cost from Estimates, average your results divide by material cost and see how close to "TWO" the result is, closer to "TWO" the better!

In residential construction I always say spend more on the materials and less on labour...

When did nails and screws become common in home building?

Q. Obviously, nails and screws are the common fastener for home building these days, but I am curious when they actually became the standard? I am having a debate with someone who seems to think that they are necessary to make a nice house, but this person doesn't understand that they use to be very expensive; and as such, most homes were built without them. I just can't figure out when that time frame was.

Any help on pinpointing the date would be helpful (with some citations would be preferable).

A. "I am having a debate with someone who seems to think that they are necessary to make a nice house"

Loghouses and log cabins were used by First Nations and settlers long before metal became used for nails, as did mud huts in Africa and thatch cottages in Britain, adobe brick houses in Mexico and the Mediterranean.
A nail is hardly the be all and end off of 'nice house' design.

"but I am curious when they actually became the standard?"

No clue, I cheated lol - the source link follows.

"In the 16th century the invention of the first water powered slitting mill introduced the first cut nails. Hot iron was hammered into sheets and each sheet was slit into bars by rollers that cut like shears. Each bar was then made into nails and spikes by "nailers". The head and the point were still forged and this type of nail was used from the 16th to the 19th century.
In the year 1811 the first machine cut nails were produced. These nails were flat and had no head. Sections of rolled plate iron were cut into strips the same width as the length of the nail. Each strip was then place under a contraption that cut each nail at an angle. The sheet was then turned over and the next nail was cut. The result of this process produced a nail that tapered to a point on only two sided.
In the 1840's a machine capable of making a headed nail was introduced. Stamping machines were being used by the late 1860's and several types of nails could be stamped at the same time.
Wire nails are now common and are the dominate type of nails used today but cut nails can still be found and are not uncommon.

Early wood screws were developed in the mid 16th century. The wood screw which is really nothing more than a round nail with a threaded shaft and a slot in the head for removal was first used in locks and clocks. They were very expensive to produce and were not used for everyday woodworking.
The first machine made screws were introduced in the 18th century. They had blunt ends. The first pointed end screws were produced in the 1840's by an English inventor George Nettlefield. They became widely used with this new type of production."
http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Wooden-Storage-Shed---The-History-of-Nails-and-Wood-Screws&id=3390880

Hope that helps :)

What can I do now to start a custom home building Company?

Q. I'm in high school and I want to own my own custom home building business. Unfortunately I don't know much about construction. What can I do now to get started in this career? What skills should I learn?

A. You need to take some classes on architecture and maybe some type of electrical classes and you need to learn how to do plumbing and roofing which can be taught to you by a person who already has the trade. I would say maybe you could contact some one already in the business and maybe think about helping them with a job first. Learn everything before you start. You should talk to your guidance counselor and see what college classes you need to take and what colleges you need to consider.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Is there a way to figure home building costs without labor?

Q. I am curious if there is a way to figure how much it would be to build a home without the labor. Every sight I search shows the national average cost for home building but they throw in the national labor wage. How do I figure it out?

A. Average cost / 3 = materials cost only in general practice.

This was taught me, some 45 yrs. ago and seems to hold true today. The scope and size of contract when going the other way, as in pricing, "what to charge a customer" from a contractors point of view has a bearing on stipulated price, that in turn contains both material and labour. They seem to charge (material cost X 3.33 = contract price) on average. Maybe this is "Murphy"s Law" allowance

You can check it out simply by taking a set of drawings into "Big Box Store" for material take-off and pricing, Then take the same drawings to 3 contractors for Estimates, Subtract material cost from Estimates, average your results divide by material cost and see how close to "TWO" the result is, closer to "TWO" the better!

In residential construction I always say spend more on the materials and less on labour...

When did nails and screws become common in home building?

Q. Obviously, nails and screws are the common fastener for home building these days, but I am curious when they actually became the standard? I am having a debate with someone who seems to think that they are necessary to make a nice house, but this person doesn't understand that they use to be very expensive; and as such, most homes were built without them. I just can't figure out when that time frame was.

Any help on pinpointing the date would be helpful (with some citations would be preferable).

A. "I am having a debate with someone who seems to think that they are necessary to make a nice house"

Loghouses and log cabins were used by First Nations and settlers long before metal became used for nails, as did mud huts in Africa and thatch cottages in Britain, adobe brick houses in Mexico and the Mediterranean.
A nail is hardly the be all and end off of 'nice house' design.

"but I am curious when they actually became the standard?"

No clue, I cheated lol - the source link follows.

"In the 16th century the invention of the first water powered slitting mill introduced the first cut nails. Hot iron was hammered into sheets and each sheet was slit into bars by rollers that cut like shears. Each bar was then made into nails and spikes by "nailers". The head and the point were still forged and this type of nail was used from the 16th to the 19th century.
In the year 1811 the first machine cut nails were produced. These nails were flat and had no head. Sections of rolled plate iron were cut into strips the same width as the length of the nail. Each strip was then place under a contraption that cut each nail at an angle. The sheet was then turned over and the next nail was cut. The result of this process produced a nail that tapered to a point on only two sided.
In the 1840's a machine capable of making a headed nail was introduced. Stamping machines were being used by the late 1860's and several types of nails could be stamped at the same time.
Wire nails are now common and are the dominate type of nails used today but cut nails can still be found and are not uncommon.

Early wood screws were developed in the mid 16th century. The wood screw which is really nothing more than a round nail with a threaded shaft and a slot in the head for removal was first used in locks and clocks. They were very expensive to produce and were not used for everyday woodworking.
The first machine made screws were introduced in the 18th century. They had blunt ends. The first pointed end screws were produced in the 1840's by an English inventor George Nettlefield. They became widely used with this new type of production."
http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Wooden-Storage-Shed---The-History-of-Nails-and-Wood-Screws&id=3390880

Hope that helps :)

What are the major (and minor) risks in owning a home built in 1916?

Q. I came across a beautiful Craftsman style home built in 1916 and wonder how much of a task it would be to keep up a home that old.

A. Old homes can have character. I bought a home built in 1910 and my only apprehension was that I knew nothing about steam heat. But the boiler was only 1 year old and heatinghelp.com helped me tune that for comfort and efficiency, so I now actually prefer that over scorched air. The steel combo storm/screens are quite old, but seal the old windows up in winter for no drafts, and previous owner had insulated. Thermal mass of drywall over plaster holds the temperature, and residual heat from steam radiators makes a lower temperature comfortable. So my highest gas bill for 3 bedroom home in sub-zero F temperatures has been under $200.

Basically hire someone to do a good inspection to see if the home has issues or if it has had upgrades that would minimize anything major in the near future.

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Where to begin the custom-home building process?

Q. Can someone point me to a good consumer-oriented website or offer advice on the steps toward getting a custom home built? My wife and I have a couple lots in mind, we're narrowing down a list of floor plans. We could use some guidance as far what tasks â and in what order â we should be planning for.

A. the process is going to be different for different areas. i would recommend going to amazon.com and buying a few books on how to be your own general contractor, and how to build your own home. (i have i think is called "building your own home on a shoe string") some go into more detail than others. but read a few and get aquainted with some of the terms and such. they will also go through the steps.
but here are the basic steps.
1) find /buy land. make sure it meets all of your requirements, and the local requirements for building. consider a perk test, septic planning, access roads, frontage, any minimum size requirements.
2) site planning. where is the septic located (or are you on town sewer and water). where is the house going, where is the well going (if not on town water) where is the electric going to come in from. and which way will the house be oriented (stake out the corners)
3) excavation and foundation (this will go off the plans that you have decided on) (be prepared for the unexpected, who knows what they will find when they dig)
4) framing
5) skinning (roof and exterior walls and maybe siding, windows) inside is now protected from the elements)
6) electric, plumbing, hvac
7) insulating
8) interior walls, floors, ceilings
9) appliances, painting, finish electrical and plubing fixtures.
10) final walkthrough, cleanup, touchup.

those are the basics

Home building industry price elasticity of demand elastic or inelastic?

Q. I have been searching for an explanation of what this even means and I cannot find anything that is helping me. Can someone please help me. I need to take the home building industry and focus on how it is affected by the economy. I also need to know if it is elastic or inelastic and what the price elasticity of supply for this industry is. I really appreciate any help I can get. Thanks!!!

A. Lets start with what the question means. Then you can apply it to the home building industry. In economics and business studies, the price elasticity of demand (PED) is an elasticity that measures the nature and degree of the relationship between changes in quantity demanded of a good and changes in its price.

For all normal goods and most inferior goods, a price drop results in an increase in the quantity demanded by consumers. The demand for a good is relatively inelastic when the quantity demanded does not change much with the price change. Goods and services for which no substitutes exist are generally inelastic. Demand for an antibiotic, for example, becomes highly inelastic when it alone can kill an infection resistant to all other antibiotics. Rather than die of an infection, patients will generally be willing to pay whatever is necessary to acquire enough of the antibiotic to kill the infection.

Inelastic demand is commonly associated with "necessities," although there are many more reasons a good or service may have inelastic demand other than the fact that consumers may "need" it. Demand for salt, for instance, at its modern levels of supply is highly inelastic not because it is a necessity but because it is such a small part of the household budget. (Technology has increased the supply of salt modernly and reduced its historically high price.) Demand for water, another necessity, is highly inelastic for similar supply side reasons. Demand for other goods, like chocolate, which is not a necessity, can be highly elastic.

Substitution serves as a much more reliable predictor of elasticity of demand than "necessity." For example, few substitutes for oil and gasoline exist, and as such, demand for these goods is relatively inelastic. However, products with a high elasticity usually have many substitutes. For example, potato chips are only one type of snack food out of many others, such as corn chips or crackers, and predictably, consumers have more room to turn to those substitutes if potato chips were to become more expensive.

It may be possible that quantity demanded for a good rises as its price rises, even under conventional economic assumptions of consumer rationality. Two such classes of goods are known as Giffen goods or Veblen goods. Another case is the price inflation during an economic bubble. Consumer perception plays an important role in explaining the demand for products in these categories. A starving musician who offers lessons at a bargain basement rate of $5.00 per hour will continue to starve, but if the musician were to raise the price to $35.00 per hour, consumers may perceive the musician's ability to charge higher prices for lessons as an indication of higher quality, thus increasing the quantity of lessons demanded.

PED is determined by a number of factors that essentially all fall under the umbrella of "choice". By choice we mean the power of choice that the consumer of a given good holds to give up the consumption of said good. The greater this choice the more price elastic the good will be and, by contrast, as the balance of this power falls in favour of the supplier the more inelastic the good will be. This is due to the consumer's "Perceived Value". A good which is difficult to replace or give up consuming will have a higher perceived value than that which is more easily replaced thus the consumer will be willing to pay more for such a good. Perceived Value represents the absolute maximum price a consumer is willing to pay for a good. When the price exceeds this level, the consumer will give up consumption of this good.

Availability of Good Quality Substitutes: Easily substitutable goods will enable buyers to switch to an alternative good and thus such goods will exhibit greater elasticity than goods that do not have substitutes available, ceteris paribus (assuming all other variables are equal). It is important to understand that a given good is in essence unique and thus the comparability of the available substitute(s) in terms of quality to the original good is an important sub-variable. The better the substitute(s) can replace the original good in terms of desirability, affordability, practicality etc. the more elastic the good will become. For example, a commuter taking the train to work could switch to taking the bus if faced with rising train fares. However, this may mean more inconvenience and/or longer journey time for example and thus will form part of his consideration before switching that mode of transport and it may take a certain price difference before he will resort to this option representing the substitute's quality. A contrasting inelastic good would be water which is arguably insubstitutable so a local community faced with rising water costs will be left with little choice but to pay the increased costs forming a price inelastic good.
Whether the good is habit forming or obligatory: Addictive drugs, whether psychologically addictive or physically addictive, and other goods where dependency plays a key role will naturally exhibit inelastic properties. At aggregate level, rising costs of such goods are unlikely to reduce demand significantly. Classic examples of such goods would be alcohol and tobacco or in an extreme case, heroin. A heroin addict will virtually go to any length to achieve the next fix irrespective of cost. Governments often place taxes on these types of goods, namely alcohol, tobacco and fuel because of their highly inelastic demand since consequently such goods are assured revenue generators for the treasury.
The proportion of the consumer's income the good represents: Goods which typically make up a small proportion of people's income will exhibit inelastic qualities. Conversely, goods which form a large proportion of people's income will cause greater responses in demand to comparable % increases or decreases in price. For example, if cinema ticket costs rise by 20%, decreases in demand are unlikely to be pronounced. However a 15% drop in a "luxury" good such as a car or LCD Television changes in demand are likely to be relatively greater.
How closely the good is defined: Taking our example from (2), cigarettes in general are, as discussed, an inelastic good. However a particular brand of cigarettes will exhibit far more elastic properties if its price rises. In general therefore, the exact type of good will affect its PED properties.
How closely the consumer (end-user) is defined?: This is an important factor intrinsically related to most of the preceding variables. "Choice" is very subjective and factors 1,2 and 3 vary relative to the individual consumer because every single consumer can potentially have a different Perceived Value of a good. A good that is easily replaceable or habit forming or expensive for one person may well not be for another and thus how well the consumer is defined will affect the PED. At nationwide level, if the cost of butter rises significantly consumers can choose to consume margarine instead but a shop who makes and sells butter cookies will not have this option and thus the PED will be far more inelastic in the latter case. A driver faced with rising petrol bills may opt to switch to using the train. However an airline company has no choice but to absorb rising fuel costs and will according have a much more inelastic demand curve for essentially the same good.
How closely the time period is defined: Generally the greater the time period, the more possible it may be for a good to be replaced with a substitute. Using home energy as an example, a gas user faced with rising gas bills will unlikely be able to switch to electric alternatives overnight due to possibly contractual tie-ins and time needed to change a stove to electric hob for example. However over three months, a switch is far more viable and the PED will be accordingly more elastic. Likewise, prices are dynamic. Over short time periods, prices of substitutes maybe static, over longer periods, the price of substitutes may drop, making them more appealing. [Puiatti, 18:36 10-Nov-07]

Various research methods are used to calculate price elasticity:

Test markets
Analysis of historical sales data
Conjoint analysis
When the price elasticity of demand for a good is inelastic (|Ed| < 1), the percentage change in quantity demanded is smaller than that in price. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers rises, and vice versa.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is elastic (|Ed| > 1), the percentage change in quantity demanded is greater than that in price. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers falls, and vice versa.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is unit elastic (or unitary elastic) (|Ed| = 1), the percentage change in quantity is equal to that in price.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is perfectly elastic (Ed is undefined), any increase in the price, no matter how small, will cause demand for the good to drop to zero. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers falls to zero. The demand curve is a horizontal straight line. A banknote is the classic example of a perfectly elastic good; nobody would pay £10.01 for a £10 note, yet everyone will pay £9.99 for it.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is perfectly inelastic (Ed = 0), changes in the price do not affect the quantity demanded for the good. The demand curve is a vertical straight line; this violates the law of demand. An example of a perfectly inelastic good is a human heart for someone who needs a transplant; neither increases nor decreases in price affect the quantity demanded (no matter what the price, a person will pay for one heart but only one; nobody would buy more than the exact amount of hearts demanded, no matter how

What is the recent economic activity on HOME BUILDING?

Q. Recent ecnomic activity (taxes or spending) done by the U.S. government and how it effects the home building industry.


I am doing a paper for school and not having much luck on this topic. Anything helps! Thanks guys!

A. growth is all most zero

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What are the major (and minor) risks in owning a home built in 1916?

Q. I came across a beautiful Craftsman style home built in 1916 and wonder how much of a task it would be to keep up a home that old.

A. Old homes can have character. I bought a home built in 1910 and my only apprehension was that I knew nothing about steam heat. But the boiler was only 1 year old and heatinghelp.com helped me tune that for comfort and efficiency, so I now actually prefer that over scorched air. The steel combo storm/screens are quite old, but seal the old windows up in winter for no drafts, and previous owner had insulated. Thermal mass of drywall over plaster holds the temperature, and residual heat from steam radiators makes a lower temperature comfortable. So my highest gas bill for 3 bedroom home in sub-zero F temperatures has been under $200.

Basically hire someone to do a good inspection to see if the home has issues or if it has had upgrades that would minimize anything major in the near future.

How can i get home building materials at builders cost?

Q. all home building supplies at the best price and home blueprint

A. The idea of material suppliers giving wholesale or discounted prices has to do with perceived volume of business. If you are building a house, take the total material list to a couple of lumber yards for a bid on the total package. Most of the time, a lumber yard will bid a complete house material package at or near the wholesale price. Builders who buy half a million dollars a year from a lumber yard are going to get the best prices and likely have an assigned salesman to cater to him. Having an apartment building or a contractor's license is not going to give someone the right to demand any significant discount. If you are a high volume buyer with the money to pay, that will the only credential you will need for the best service and the best prices from any business you walk into.

If you are just wanting wholesale prices on small quantity odds and ends, your best bet is to go to a place like Home Depot. I have found the level of service at Home Depot to be in line with the volume of my business there, which is minimal.

does anybody know of a good home building company in southern california?

Q. i want to buy a home but it is not fully built, it still needs someone to finish building it, so does anybody know of a good home building company here in southern california? thanks!!!

A. Morrison Homes builds houses in So. Ca.

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How can i get home building materials at builders cost?

Q. all home building supplies at the best price and home blueprint

A. The idea of material suppliers giving wholesale or discounted prices has to do with perceived volume of business. If you are building a house, take the total material list to a couple of lumber yards for a bid on the total package. Most of the time, a lumber yard will bid a complete house material package at or near the wholesale price. Builders who buy half a million dollars a year from a lumber yard are going to get the best prices and likely have an assigned salesman to cater to him. Having an apartment building or a contractor's license is not going to give someone the right to demand any significant discount. If you are a high volume buyer with the money to pay, that will the only credential you will need for the best service and the best prices from any business you walk into.

If you are just wanting wholesale prices on small quantity odds and ends, your best bet is to go to a place like Home Depot. I have found the level of service at Home Depot to be in line with the volume of my business there, which is minimal.

Where to begin the custom-home building process?

Q. Can someone point me to a good consumer-oriented website or offer advice on the steps toward getting a custom home built? My wife and I have a couple lots in mind, we're narrowing down a list of floor plans. We could use some guidance as far what tasks â and in what order â we should be planning for.

A. the process is going to be different for different areas. i would recommend going to amazon.com and buying a few books on how to be your own general contractor, and how to build your own home. (i have i think is called "building your own home on a shoe string") some go into more detail than others. but read a few and get aquainted with some of the terms and such. they will also go through the steps.
but here are the basic steps.
1) find /buy land. make sure it meets all of your requirements, and the local requirements for building. consider a perk test, septic planning, access roads, frontage, any minimum size requirements.
2) site planning. where is the septic located (or are you on town sewer and water). where is the house going, where is the well going (if not on town water) where is the electric going to come in from. and which way will the house be oriented (stake out the corners)
3) excavation and foundation (this will go off the plans that you have decided on) (be prepared for the unexpected, who knows what they will find when they dig)
4) framing
5) skinning (roof and exterior walls and maybe siding, windows) inside is now protected from the elements)
6) electric, plumbing, hvac
7) insulating
8) interior walls, floors, ceilings
9) appliances, painting, finish electrical and plubing fixtures.
10) final walkthrough, cleanup, touchup.

those are the basics

What is the recent economic activity on HOME BUILDING?

Q. Recent ecnomic activity (taxes or spending) done by the U.S. government and how it effects the home building industry.


I am doing a paper for school and not having much luck on this topic. Anything helps! Thanks guys!

A. growth is all most zero

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Does any one have any experience with having their home build on their own land?

Q. Since cost of new home still pretty high in North East region, I am wondering if any one have experience with having a New home build on their own land.
I am thinking about buying a land and then having a home build with developer so I can save some money in process.
2 Q
1. Is that a good idea?
2. Will I save some money by doing this?

A. Building your own home can be a great experience. You get to be involved in all of the decision-making process, you choose exactly how you want things to look, etc.

It can be a nightmare though---bad contractors, delays because of weather, etc.

Just make sure that you are very careful when contracting, and don't try to start building in the middle of winter!

You can save money by building on your own, but don't use cheap contractors that will use substandard materials. Research everything and everyone you use carefully. You can also save money by working on some of it yourself---if you have skills in construction. Don't try to take on a job that you aren't qualified at(like wiring---when you have no idea about being an electrician!!) because you could end up paying for it later on.

Best of luck!

What are the issues with copper plumbing in a home built in 1988?

Q. I have a friend who has a home that has copper plumbing. The residence was built in 1988, and she was told by a neighbor that copper plumbing is bad and has to be removed/replaced in order to keep the value of the home for resale. This doesn't seem to make sense and the home DOES NOT have any plumbing issues to date. The neighbor cautioned that copper plumbing can burst. Is there any ring of truth to this or is the neighbor thinking of something else. A home built in 1988 doesn't seem that old to me.
Please help. All answers are welcome. Thanks.
Additional details. Here is the suspected issue:

Different metals or types of pipe: copper and galvanized iron, were directly connected in the potable water supply system

From this point of view, we are told the entire plumbing in the home needs to be changed. Can this be right?

A. If the copper pipe is stressed, it will create a leak, but only if stressed. By this I mean thin wall, kinks, etc.

I have never heard of copper pipes devaluing a home. If anything, copper will add value compared to CPVC or galvanized. If there are no issues with leakage or significant corrosion, leave it.

what are the steps to getting your own home built on your own land?

Q. I have land that I want to build a home on. I am a single mother and I do not know where to begin to get me a home built. I would like to know if there are any programs out there to help me get my house built on my property for a decent amount of money. I have 3 acres to put a home on. I am in the state of Florida.

A. If you sit with a loan officer for 30 minutes, they can explain all the programs available to you. Once you have that done, pretty much all you have to do is pick the builder you want. There are many private builders that offer warranty. I've seen some here in san antonio texas that build for as little as $60/square foot on custom homes. Google custom home builders in your city/state. or yellow pages.

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What are the major (and minor) risks in owning a home built in 1916?

Q. I came across a beautiful Craftsman style home built in 1916 and wonder how much of a task it would be to keep up a home that old.

A. Old homes can have character. I bought a home built in 1910 and my only apprehension was that I knew nothing about steam heat. But the boiler was only 1 year old and heatinghelp.com helped me tune that for comfort and efficiency, so I now actually prefer that over scorched air. The steel combo storm/screens are quite old, but seal the old windows up in winter for no drafts, and previous owner had insulated. Thermal mass of drywall over plaster holds the temperature, and residual heat from steam radiators makes a lower temperature comfortable. So my highest gas bill for 3 bedroom home in sub-zero F temperatures has been under $200.

Basically hire someone to do a good inspection to see if the home has issues or if it has had upgrades that would minimize anything major in the near future.

How can i get home building materials at builders cost?

Q. all home building supplies at the best price and home blueprint

A. The idea of material suppliers giving wholesale or discounted prices has to do with perceived volume of business. If you are building a house, take the total material list to a couple of lumber yards for a bid on the total package. Most of the time, a lumber yard will bid a complete house material package at or near the wholesale price. Builders who buy half a million dollars a year from a lumber yard are going to get the best prices and likely have an assigned salesman to cater to him. Having an apartment building or a contractor's license is not going to give someone the right to demand any significant discount. If you are a high volume buyer with the money to pay, that will the only credential you will need for the best service and the best prices from any business you walk into.

If you are just wanting wholesale prices on small quantity odds and ends, your best bet is to go to a place like Home Depot. I have found the level of service at Home Depot to be in line with the volume of my business there, which is minimal.

does anybody know of a good home building company in southern california?

Q. i want to buy a home but it is not fully built, it still needs someone to finish building it, so does anybody know of a good home building company here in southern california? thanks!!!

A. Morrison Homes builds houses in So. Ca.

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When did nails and screws become common in home building?

Q. Obviously, nails and screws are the common fastener for home building these days, but I am curious when they actually became the standard? I am having a debate with someone who seems to think that they are necessary to make a nice house, but this person doesn't understand that they use to be very expensive; and as such, most homes were built without them. I just can't figure out when that time frame was.

Any help on pinpointing the date would be helpful (with some citations would be preferable).

A. "I am having a debate with someone who seems to think that they are necessary to make a nice house"

Loghouses and log cabins were used by First Nations and settlers long before metal became used for nails, as did mud huts in Africa and thatch cottages in Britain, adobe brick houses in Mexico and the Mediterranean.
A nail is hardly the be all and end off of 'nice house' design.

"but I am curious when they actually became the standard?"

No clue, I cheated lol - the source link follows.

"In the 16th century the invention of the first water powered slitting mill introduced the first cut nails. Hot iron was hammered into sheets and each sheet was slit into bars by rollers that cut like shears. Each bar was then made into nails and spikes by "nailers". The head and the point were still forged and this type of nail was used from the 16th to the 19th century.
In the year 1811 the first machine cut nails were produced. These nails were flat and had no head. Sections of rolled plate iron were cut into strips the same width as the length of the nail. Each strip was then place under a contraption that cut each nail at an angle. The sheet was then turned over and the next nail was cut. The result of this process produced a nail that tapered to a point on only two sided.
In the 1840's a machine capable of making a headed nail was introduced. Stamping machines were being used by the late 1860's and several types of nails could be stamped at the same time.
Wire nails are now common and are the dominate type of nails used today but cut nails can still be found and are not uncommon.

Early wood screws were developed in the mid 16th century. The wood screw which is really nothing more than a round nail with a threaded shaft and a slot in the head for removal was first used in locks and clocks. They were very expensive to produce and were not used for everyday woodworking.
The first machine made screws were introduced in the 18th century. They had blunt ends. The first pointed end screws were produced in the 1840's by an English inventor George Nettlefield. They became widely used with this new type of production."
http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Wooden-Storage-Shed---The-History-of-Nails-and-Wood-Screws&id=3390880

Hope that helps :)

What can I do now to start a custom home building Company?

Q. I'm in high school and I want to own my own custom home building business. Unfortunately I don't know much about construction. What can I do now to get started in this career? What skills should I learn?

A. You need to take some classes on architecture and maybe some type of electrical classes and you need to learn how to do plumbing and roofing which can be taught to you by a person who already has the trade. I would say maybe you could contact some one already in the business and maybe think about helping them with a job first. Learn everything before you start. You should talk to your guidance counselor and see what college classes you need to take and what colleges you need to consider.

What are the major (and minor) risks in owning a home built in 1916?

Q. I came across a beautiful Craftsman style home built in 1916 and wonder how much of a task it would be to keep up a home that old.

A. Old homes can have character. I bought a home built in 1910 and my only apprehension was that I knew nothing about steam heat. But the boiler was only 1 year old and heatinghelp.com helped me tune that for comfort and efficiency, so I now actually prefer that over scorched air. The steel combo storm/screens are quite old, but seal the old windows up in winter for no drafts, and previous owner had insulated. Thermal mass of drywall over plaster holds the temperature, and residual heat from steam radiators makes a lower temperature comfortable. So my highest gas bill for 3 bedroom home in sub-zero F temperatures has been under $200.

Basically hire someone to do a good inspection to see if the home has issues or if it has had upgrades that would minimize anything major in the near future.

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Where to begin the custom-home building process?

Q. Can someone point me to a good consumer-oriented website or offer advice on the steps toward getting a custom home built? My wife and I have a couple lots in mind, we're narrowing down a list of floor plans. We could use some guidance as far what tasks â and in what order â we should be planning for.

A. the process is going to be different for different areas. i would recommend going to amazon.com and buying a few books on how to be your own general contractor, and how to build your own home. (i have i think is called "building your own home on a shoe string") some go into more detail than others. but read a few and get aquainted with some of the terms and such. they will also go through the steps.
but here are the basic steps.
1) find /buy land. make sure it meets all of your requirements, and the local requirements for building. consider a perk test, septic planning, access roads, frontage, any minimum size requirements.
2) site planning. where is the septic located (or are you on town sewer and water). where is the house going, where is the well going (if not on town water) where is the electric going to come in from. and which way will the house be oriented (stake out the corners)
3) excavation and foundation (this will go off the plans that you have decided on) (be prepared for the unexpected, who knows what they will find when they dig)
4) framing
5) skinning (roof and exterior walls and maybe siding, windows) inside is now protected from the elements)
6) electric, plumbing, hvac
7) insulating
8) interior walls, floors, ceilings
9) appliances, painting, finish electrical and plubing fixtures.
10) final walkthrough, cleanup, touchup.

those are the basics

Home building industry price elasticity of demand elastic or inelastic?

Q. I have been searching for an explanation of what this even means and I cannot find anything that is helping me. Can someone please help me. I need to take the home building industry and focus on how it is affected by the economy. I also need to know if it is elastic or inelastic and what the price elasticity of supply for this industry is. I really appreciate any help I can get. Thanks!!!

A. Lets start with what the question means. Then you can apply it to the home building industry. In economics and business studies, the price elasticity of demand (PED) is an elasticity that measures the nature and degree of the relationship between changes in quantity demanded of a good and changes in its price.

For all normal goods and most inferior goods, a price drop results in an increase in the quantity demanded by consumers. The demand for a good is relatively inelastic when the quantity demanded does not change much with the price change. Goods and services for which no substitutes exist are generally inelastic. Demand for an antibiotic, for example, becomes highly inelastic when it alone can kill an infection resistant to all other antibiotics. Rather than die of an infection, patients will generally be willing to pay whatever is necessary to acquire enough of the antibiotic to kill the infection.

Inelastic demand is commonly associated with "necessities," although there are many more reasons a good or service may have inelastic demand other than the fact that consumers may "need" it. Demand for salt, for instance, at its modern levels of supply is highly inelastic not because it is a necessity but because it is such a small part of the household budget. (Technology has increased the supply of salt modernly and reduced its historically high price.) Demand for water, another necessity, is highly inelastic for similar supply side reasons. Demand for other goods, like chocolate, which is not a necessity, can be highly elastic.

Substitution serves as a much more reliable predictor of elasticity of demand than "necessity." For example, few substitutes for oil and gasoline exist, and as such, demand for these goods is relatively inelastic. However, products with a high elasticity usually have many substitutes. For example, potato chips are only one type of snack food out of many others, such as corn chips or crackers, and predictably, consumers have more room to turn to those substitutes if potato chips were to become more expensive.

It may be possible that quantity demanded for a good rises as its price rises, even under conventional economic assumptions of consumer rationality. Two such classes of goods are known as Giffen goods or Veblen goods. Another case is the price inflation during an economic bubble. Consumer perception plays an important role in explaining the demand for products in these categories. A starving musician who offers lessons at a bargain basement rate of $5.00 per hour will continue to starve, but if the musician were to raise the price to $35.00 per hour, consumers may perceive the musician's ability to charge higher prices for lessons as an indication of higher quality, thus increasing the quantity of lessons demanded.

PED is determined by a number of factors that essentially all fall under the umbrella of "choice". By choice we mean the power of choice that the consumer of a given good holds to give up the consumption of said good. The greater this choice the more price elastic the good will be and, by contrast, as the balance of this power falls in favour of the supplier the more inelastic the good will be. This is due to the consumer's "Perceived Value". A good which is difficult to replace or give up consuming will have a higher perceived value than that which is more easily replaced thus the consumer will be willing to pay more for such a good. Perceived Value represents the absolute maximum price a consumer is willing to pay for a good. When the price exceeds this level, the consumer will give up consumption of this good.

Availability of Good Quality Substitutes: Easily substitutable goods will enable buyers to switch to an alternative good and thus such goods will exhibit greater elasticity than goods that do not have substitutes available, ceteris paribus (assuming all other variables are equal). It is important to understand that a given good is in essence unique and thus the comparability of the available substitute(s) in terms of quality to the original good is an important sub-variable. The better the substitute(s) can replace the original good in terms of desirability, affordability, practicality etc. the more elastic the good will become. For example, a commuter taking the train to work could switch to taking the bus if faced with rising train fares. However, this may mean more inconvenience and/or longer journey time for example and thus will form part of his consideration before switching that mode of transport and it may take a certain price difference before he will resort to this option representing the substitute's quality. A contrasting inelastic good would be water which is arguably insubstitutable so a local community faced with rising water costs will be left with little choice but to pay the increased costs forming a price inelastic good.
Whether the good is habit forming or obligatory: Addictive drugs, whether psychologically addictive or physically addictive, and other goods where dependency plays a key role will naturally exhibit inelastic properties. At aggregate level, rising costs of such goods are unlikely to reduce demand significantly. Classic examples of such goods would be alcohol and tobacco or in an extreme case, heroin. A heroin addict will virtually go to any length to achieve the next fix irrespective of cost. Governments often place taxes on these types of goods, namely alcohol, tobacco and fuel because of their highly inelastic demand since consequently such goods are assured revenue generators for the treasury.
The proportion of the consumer's income the good represents: Goods which typically make up a small proportion of people's income will exhibit inelastic qualities. Conversely, goods which form a large proportion of people's income will cause greater responses in demand to comparable % increases or decreases in price. For example, if cinema ticket costs rise by 20%, decreases in demand are unlikely to be pronounced. However a 15% drop in a "luxury" good such as a car or LCD Television changes in demand are likely to be relatively greater.
How closely the good is defined: Taking our example from (2), cigarettes in general are, as discussed, an inelastic good. However a particular brand of cigarettes will exhibit far more elastic properties if its price rises. In general therefore, the exact type of good will affect its PED properties.
How closely the consumer (end-user) is defined?: This is an important factor intrinsically related to most of the preceding variables. "Choice" is very subjective and factors 1,2 and 3 vary relative to the individual consumer because every single consumer can potentially have a different Perceived Value of a good. A good that is easily replaceable or habit forming or expensive for one person may well not be for another and thus how well the consumer is defined will affect the PED. At nationwide level, if the cost of butter rises significantly consumers can choose to consume margarine instead but a shop who makes and sells butter cookies will not have this option and thus the PED will be far more inelastic in the latter case. A driver faced with rising petrol bills may opt to switch to using the train. However an airline company has no choice but to absorb rising fuel costs and will according have a much more inelastic demand curve for essentially the same good.
How closely the time period is defined: Generally the greater the time period, the more possible it may be for a good to be replaced with a substitute. Using home energy as an example, a gas user faced with rising gas bills will unlikely be able to switch to electric alternatives overnight due to possibly contractual tie-ins and time needed to change a stove to electric hob for example. However over three months, a switch is far more viable and the PED will be accordingly more elastic. Likewise, prices are dynamic. Over short time periods, prices of substitutes maybe static, over longer periods, the price of substitutes may drop, making them more appealing. [Puiatti, 18:36 10-Nov-07]

Various research methods are used to calculate price elasticity:

Test markets
Analysis of historical sales data
Conjoint analysis
When the price elasticity of demand for a good is inelastic (|Ed| < 1), the percentage change in quantity demanded is smaller than that in price. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers rises, and vice versa.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is elastic (|Ed| > 1), the percentage change in quantity demanded is greater than that in price. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers falls, and vice versa.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is unit elastic (or unitary elastic) (|Ed| = 1), the percentage change in quantity is equal to that in price.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is perfectly elastic (Ed is undefined), any increase in the price, no matter how small, will cause demand for the good to drop to zero. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers falls to zero. The demand curve is a horizontal straight line. A banknote is the classic example of a perfectly elastic good; nobody would pay £10.01 for a £10 note, yet everyone will pay £9.99 for it.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is perfectly inelastic (Ed = 0), changes in the price do not affect the quantity demanded for the good. The demand curve is a vertical straight line; this violates the law of demand. An example of a perfectly inelastic good is a human heart for someone who needs a transplant; neither increases nor decreases in price affect the quantity demanded (no matter what the price, a person will pay for one heart but only one; nobody would buy more than the exact amount of hearts demanded, no matter how

What is the recent economic activity on HOME BUILDING?

Q. Recent ecnomic activity (taxes or spending) done by the U.S. government and how it effects the home building industry.


I am doing a paper for school and not having much luck on this topic. Anything helps! Thanks guys!

A. growth is all most zero

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What are the major (and minor) risks in owning a home built in 1916?

Q. I came across a beautiful Craftsman style home built in 1916 and wonder how much of a task it would be to keep up a home that old.

A. Old homes can have character. I bought a home built in 1910 and my only apprehension was that I knew nothing about steam heat. But the boiler was only 1 year old and heatinghelp.com helped me tune that for comfort and efficiency, so I now actually prefer that over scorched air. The steel combo storm/screens are quite old, but seal the old windows up in winter for no drafts, and previous owner had insulated. Thermal mass of drywall over plaster holds the temperature, and residual heat from steam radiators makes a lower temperature comfortable. So my highest gas bill for 3 bedroom home in sub-zero F temperatures has been under $200.

Basically hire someone to do a good inspection to see if the home has issues or if it has had upgrades that would minimize anything major in the near future.

How can i get home building materials at builders cost?

Q. all home building supplies at the best price and home blueprint

A. The idea of material suppliers giving wholesale or discounted prices has to do with perceived volume of business. If you are building a house, take the total material list to a couple of lumber yards for a bid on the total package. Most of the time, a lumber yard will bid a complete house material package at or near the wholesale price. Builders who buy half a million dollars a year from a lumber yard are going to get the best prices and likely have an assigned salesman to cater to him. Having an apartment building or a contractor's license is not going to give someone the right to demand any significant discount. If you are a high volume buyer with the money to pay, that will the only credential you will need for the best service and the best prices from any business you walk into.

If you are just wanting wholesale prices on small quantity odds and ends, your best bet is to go to a place like Home Depot. I have found the level of service at Home Depot to be in line with the volume of my business there, which is minimal.

Where to begin the custom-home building process?

Q. Can someone point me to a good consumer-oriented website or offer advice on the steps toward getting a custom home built? My wife and I have a couple lots in mind, we're narrowing down a list of floor plans. We could use some guidance as far what tasks â and in what order â we should be planning for.

A. the process is going to be different for different areas. i would recommend going to amazon.com and buying a few books on how to be your own general contractor, and how to build your own home. (i have i think is called "building your own home on a shoe string") some go into more detail than others. but read a few and get aquainted with some of the terms and such. they will also go through the steps.
but here are the basic steps.
1) find /buy land. make sure it meets all of your requirements, and the local requirements for building. consider a perk test, septic planning, access roads, frontage, any minimum size requirements.
2) site planning. where is the septic located (or are you on town sewer and water). where is the house going, where is the well going (if not on town water) where is the electric going to come in from. and which way will the house be oriented (stake out the corners)
3) excavation and foundation (this will go off the plans that you have decided on) (be prepared for the unexpected, who knows what they will find when they dig)
4) framing
5) skinning (roof and exterior walls and maybe siding, windows) inside is now protected from the elements)
6) electric, plumbing, hvac
7) insulating
8) interior walls, floors, ceilings
9) appliances, painting, finish electrical and plubing fixtures.
10) final walkthrough, cleanup, touchup.

those are the basics

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Does any one have any experience with having their home build on their own land?

Q. Since cost of new home still pretty high in North East region, I am wondering if any one have experience with having a New home build on their own land.
I am thinking about buying a land and then having a home build with developer so I can save some money in process.
2 Q
1. Is that a good idea?
2. Will I save some money by doing this?

A. Building your own home can be a great experience. You get to be involved in all of the decision-making process, you choose exactly how you want things to look, etc.

It can be a nightmare though---bad contractors, delays because of weather, etc.

Just make sure that you are very careful when contracting, and don't try to start building in the middle of winter!

You can save money by building on your own, but don't use cheap contractors that will use substandard materials. Research everything and everyone you use carefully. You can also save money by working on some of it yourself---if you have skills in construction. Don't try to take on a job that you aren't qualified at(like wiring---when you have no idea about being an electrician!!) because you could end up paying for it later on.

Best of luck!

What are the issues with copper plumbing in a home built in 1988?

Q. I have a friend who has a home that has copper plumbing. The residence was built in 1988, and she was told by a neighbor that copper plumbing is bad and has to be removed/replaced in order to keep the value of the home for resale. This doesn't seem to make sense and the home DOES NOT have any plumbing issues to date. The neighbor cautioned that copper plumbing can burst. Is there any ring of truth to this or is the neighbor thinking of something else. A home built in 1988 doesn't seem that old to me.
Please help. All answers are welcome. Thanks.
Additional details. Here is the suspected issue:

Different metals or types of pipe: copper and galvanized iron, were directly connected in the potable water supply system

From this point of view, we are told the entire plumbing in the home needs to be changed. Can this be right?

A. If the copper pipe is stressed, it will create a leak, but only if stressed. By this I mean thin wall, kinks, etc.

I have never heard of copper pipes devaluing a home. If anything, copper will add value compared to CPVC or galvanized. If there are no issues with leakage or significant corrosion, leave it.

what are the steps to getting your own home built on your own land?

Q. I have land that I want to build a home on. I am a single mother and I do not know where to begin to get me a home built. I would like to know if there are any programs out there to help me get my house built on my property for a decent amount of money. I have 3 acres to put a home on. I am in the state of Florida.

A. If you sit with a loan officer for 30 minutes, they can explain all the programs available to you. Once you have that done, pretty much all you have to do is pick the builder you want. There are many private builders that offer warranty. I've seen some here in san antonio texas that build for as little as $60/square foot on custom homes. Google custom home builders in your city/state. or yellow pages.

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What are the major (and minor) risks in owning a home built in 1916?

Q. I came across a beautiful Craftsman style home built in 1916 and wonder how much of a task it would be to keep up a home that old.

A. Old homes can have character. I bought a home built in 1910 and my only apprehension was that I knew nothing about steam heat. But the boiler was only 1 year old and heatinghelp.com helped me tune that for comfort and efficiency, so I now actually prefer that over scorched air. The steel combo storm/screens are quite old, but seal the old windows up in winter for no drafts, and previous owner had insulated. Thermal mass of drywall over plaster holds the temperature, and residual heat from steam radiators makes a lower temperature comfortable. So my highest gas bill for 3 bedroom home in sub-zero F temperatures has been under $200.

Basically hire someone to do a good inspection to see if the home has issues or if it has had upgrades that would minimize anything major in the near future.

How can i get home building materials at builders cost?

Q. all home building supplies at the best price and home blueprint

A. The idea of material suppliers giving wholesale or discounted prices has to do with perceived volume of business. If you are building a house, take the total material list to a couple of lumber yards for a bid on the total package. Most of the time, a lumber yard will bid a complete house material package at or near the wholesale price. Builders who buy half a million dollars a year from a lumber yard are going to get the best prices and likely have an assigned salesman to cater to him. Having an apartment building or a contractor's license is not going to give someone the right to demand any significant discount. If you are a high volume buyer with the money to pay, that will the only credential you will need for the best service and the best prices from any business you walk into.

If you are just wanting wholesale prices on small quantity odds and ends, your best bet is to go to a place like Home Depot. I have found the level of service at Home Depot to be in line with the volume of my business there, which is minimal.

Where to begin the custom-home building process?

Q. Can someone point me to a good consumer-oriented website or offer advice on the steps toward getting a custom home built? My wife and I have a couple lots in mind, we're narrowing down a list of floor plans. We could use some guidance as far what tasks â and in what order â we should be planning for.

A. the process is going to be different for different areas. i would recommend going to amazon.com and buying a few books on how to be your own general contractor, and how to build your own home. (i have i think is called "building your own home on a shoe string") some go into more detail than others. but read a few and get aquainted with some of the terms and such. they will also go through the steps.
but here are the basic steps.
1) find /buy land. make sure it meets all of your requirements, and the local requirements for building. consider a perk test, septic planning, access roads, frontage, any minimum size requirements.
2) site planning. where is the septic located (or are you on town sewer and water). where is the house going, where is the well going (if not on town water) where is the electric going to come in from. and which way will the house be oriented (stake out the corners)
3) excavation and foundation (this will go off the plans that you have decided on) (be prepared for the unexpected, who knows what they will find when they dig)
4) framing
5) skinning (roof and exterior walls and maybe siding, windows) inside is now protected from the elements)
6) electric, plumbing, hvac
7) insulating
8) interior walls, floors, ceilings
9) appliances, painting, finish electrical and plubing fixtures.
10) final walkthrough, cleanup, touchup.

those are the basics

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Where to begin the custom-home building process?

Q. Can someone point me to a good consumer-oriented website or offer advice on the steps toward getting a custom home built? My wife and I have a couple lots in mind, we're narrowing down a list of floor plans. We could use some guidance as far what tasks â and in what order â we should be planning for.

A. the process is going to be different for different areas. i would recommend going to amazon.com and buying a few books on how to be your own general contractor, and how to build your own home. (i have i think is called "building your own home on a shoe string") some go into more detail than others. but read a few and get aquainted with some of the terms and such. they will also go through the steps.
but here are the basic steps.
1) find /buy land. make sure it meets all of your requirements, and the local requirements for building. consider a perk test, septic planning, access roads, frontage, any minimum size requirements.
2) site planning. where is the septic located (or are you on town sewer and water). where is the house going, where is the well going (if not on town water) where is the electric going to come in from. and which way will the house be oriented (stake out the corners)
3) excavation and foundation (this will go off the plans that you have decided on) (be prepared for the unexpected, who knows what they will find when they dig)
4) framing
5) skinning (roof and exterior walls and maybe siding, windows) inside is now protected from the elements)
6) electric, plumbing, hvac
7) insulating
8) interior walls, floors, ceilings
9) appliances, painting, finish electrical and plubing fixtures.
10) final walkthrough, cleanup, touchup.

those are the basics

Home building industry price elasticity of demand elastic or inelastic?

Q. I have been searching for an explanation of what this even means and I cannot find anything that is helping me. Can someone please help me. I need to take the home building industry and focus on how it is affected by the economy. I also need to know if it is elastic or inelastic and what the price elasticity of supply for this industry is. I really appreciate any help I can get. Thanks!!!

A. Lets start with what the question means. Then you can apply it to the home building industry. In economics and business studies, the price elasticity of demand (PED) is an elasticity that measures the nature and degree of the relationship between changes in quantity demanded of a good and changes in its price.

For all normal goods and most inferior goods, a price drop results in an increase in the quantity demanded by consumers. The demand for a good is relatively inelastic when the quantity demanded does not change much with the price change. Goods and services for which no substitutes exist are generally inelastic. Demand for an antibiotic, for example, becomes highly inelastic when it alone can kill an infection resistant to all other antibiotics. Rather than die of an infection, patients will generally be willing to pay whatever is necessary to acquire enough of the antibiotic to kill the infection.

Inelastic demand is commonly associated with "necessities," although there are many more reasons a good or service may have inelastic demand other than the fact that consumers may "need" it. Demand for salt, for instance, at its modern levels of supply is highly inelastic not because it is a necessity but because it is such a small part of the household budget. (Technology has increased the supply of salt modernly and reduced its historically high price.) Demand for water, another necessity, is highly inelastic for similar supply side reasons. Demand for other goods, like chocolate, which is not a necessity, can be highly elastic.

Substitution serves as a much more reliable predictor of elasticity of demand than "necessity." For example, few substitutes for oil and gasoline exist, and as such, demand for these goods is relatively inelastic. However, products with a high elasticity usually have many substitutes. For example, potato chips are only one type of snack food out of many others, such as corn chips or crackers, and predictably, consumers have more room to turn to those substitutes if potato chips were to become more expensive.

It may be possible that quantity demanded for a good rises as its price rises, even under conventional economic assumptions of consumer rationality. Two such classes of goods are known as Giffen goods or Veblen goods. Another case is the price inflation during an economic bubble. Consumer perception plays an important role in explaining the demand for products in these categories. A starving musician who offers lessons at a bargain basement rate of $5.00 per hour will continue to starve, but if the musician were to raise the price to $35.00 per hour, consumers may perceive the musician's ability to charge higher prices for lessons as an indication of higher quality, thus increasing the quantity of lessons demanded.

PED is determined by a number of factors that essentially all fall under the umbrella of "choice". By choice we mean the power of choice that the consumer of a given good holds to give up the consumption of said good. The greater this choice the more price elastic the good will be and, by contrast, as the balance of this power falls in favour of the supplier the more inelastic the good will be. This is due to the consumer's "Perceived Value". A good which is difficult to replace or give up consuming will have a higher perceived value than that which is more easily replaced thus the consumer will be willing to pay more for such a good. Perceived Value represents the absolute maximum price a consumer is willing to pay for a good. When the price exceeds this level, the consumer will give up consumption of this good.

Availability of Good Quality Substitutes: Easily substitutable goods will enable buyers to switch to an alternative good and thus such goods will exhibit greater elasticity than goods that do not have substitutes available, ceteris paribus (assuming all other variables are equal). It is important to understand that a given good is in essence unique and thus the comparability of the available substitute(s) in terms of quality to the original good is an important sub-variable. The better the substitute(s) can replace the original good in terms of desirability, affordability, practicality etc. the more elastic the good will become. For example, a commuter taking the train to work could switch to taking the bus if faced with rising train fares. However, this may mean more inconvenience and/or longer journey time for example and thus will form part of his consideration before switching that mode of transport and it may take a certain price difference before he will resort to this option representing the substitute's quality. A contrasting inelastic good would be water which is arguably insubstitutable so a local community faced with rising water costs will be left with little choice but to pay the increased costs forming a price inelastic good.
Whether the good is habit forming or obligatory: Addictive drugs, whether psychologically addictive or physically addictive, and other goods where dependency plays a key role will naturally exhibit inelastic properties. At aggregate level, rising costs of such goods are unlikely to reduce demand significantly. Classic examples of such goods would be alcohol and tobacco or in an extreme case, heroin. A heroin addict will virtually go to any length to achieve the next fix irrespective of cost. Governments often place taxes on these types of goods, namely alcohol, tobacco and fuel because of their highly inelastic demand since consequently such goods are assured revenue generators for the treasury.
The proportion of the consumer's income the good represents: Goods which typically make up a small proportion of people's income will exhibit inelastic qualities. Conversely, goods which form a large proportion of people's income will cause greater responses in demand to comparable % increases or decreases in price. For example, if cinema ticket costs rise by 20%, decreases in demand are unlikely to be pronounced. However a 15% drop in a "luxury" good such as a car or LCD Television changes in demand are likely to be relatively greater.
How closely the good is defined: Taking our example from (2), cigarettes in general are, as discussed, an inelastic good. However a particular brand of cigarettes will exhibit far more elastic properties if its price rises. In general therefore, the exact type of good will affect its PED properties.
How closely the consumer (end-user) is defined?: This is an important factor intrinsically related to most of the preceding variables. "Choice" is very subjective and factors 1,2 and 3 vary relative to the individual consumer because every single consumer can potentially have a different Perceived Value of a good. A good that is easily replaceable or habit forming or expensive for one person may well not be for another and thus how well the consumer is defined will affect the PED. At nationwide level, if the cost of butter rises significantly consumers can choose to consume margarine instead but a shop who makes and sells butter cookies will not have this option and thus the PED will be far more inelastic in the latter case. A driver faced with rising petrol bills may opt to switch to using the train. However an airline company has no choice but to absorb rising fuel costs and will according have a much more inelastic demand curve for essentially the same good.
How closely the time period is defined: Generally the greater the time period, the more possible it may be for a good to be replaced with a substitute. Using home energy as an example, a gas user faced with rising gas bills will unlikely be able to switch to electric alternatives overnight due to possibly contractual tie-ins and time needed to change a stove to electric hob for example. However over three months, a switch is far more viable and the PED will be accordingly more elastic. Likewise, prices are dynamic. Over short time periods, prices of substitutes maybe static, over longer periods, the price of substitutes may drop, making them more appealing. [Puiatti, 18:36 10-Nov-07]

Various research methods are used to calculate price elasticity:

Test markets
Analysis of historical sales data
Conjoint analysis
When the price elasticity of demand for a good is inelastic (|Ed| < 1), the percentage change in quantity demanded is smaller than that in price. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers rises, and vice versa.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is elastic (|Ed| > 1), the percentage change in quantity demanded is greater than that in price. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers falls, and vice versa.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is unit elastic (or unitary elastic) (|Ed| = 1), the percentage change in quantity is equal to that in price.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is perfectly elastic (Ed is undefined), any increase in the price, no matter how small, will cause demand for the good to drop to zero. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers falls to zero. The demand curve is a horizontal straight line. A banknote is the classic example of a perfectly elastic good; nobody would pay £10.01 for a £10 note, yet everyone will pay £9.99 for it.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is perfectly inelastic (Ed = 0), changes in the price do not affect the quantity demanded for the good. The demand curve is a vertical straight line; this violates the law of demand. An example of a perfectly inelastic good is a human heart for someone who needs a transplant; neither increases nor decreases in price affect the quantity demanded (no matter what the price, a person will pay for one heart but only one; nobody would buy more than the exact amount of hearts demanded, no matter how

What is the recent economic activity on HOME BUILDING?

Q. Recent ecnomic activity (taxes or spending) done by the U.S. government and how it effects the home building industry.


I am doing a paper for school and not having much luck on this topic. Anything helps! Thanks guys!

A. growth is all most zero

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How can i get home building materials at builders cost?

Q. all home building supplies at the best price and home blueprint

A. The idea of material suppliers giving wholesale or discounted prices has to do with perceived volume of business. If you are building a house, take the total material list to a couple of lumber yards for a bid on the total package. Most of the time, a lumber yard will bid a complete house material package at or near the wholesale price. Builders who buy half a million dollars a year from a lumber yard are going to get the best prices and likely have an assigned salesman to cater to him. Having an apartment building or a contractor's license is not going to give someone the right to demand any significant discount. If you are a high volume buyer with the money to pay, that will the only credential you will need for the best service and the best prices from any business you walk into.

If you are just wanting wholesale prices on small quantity odds and ends, your best bet is to go to a place like Home Depot. I have found the level of service at Home Depot to be in line with the volume of my business there, which is minimal.

Where to begin the custom-home building process?

Q. Can someone point me to a good consumer-oriented website or offer advice on the steps toward getting a custom home built? My wife and I have a couple lots in mind, we're narrowing down a list of floor plans. We could use some guidance as far what tasks â and in what order â we should be planning for.

A. the process is going to be different for different areas. i would recommend going to amazon.com and buying a few books on how to be your own general contractor, and how to build your own home. (i have i think is called "building your own home on a shoe string") some go into more detail than others. but read a few and get aquainted with some of the terms and such. they will also go through the steps.
but here are the basic steps.
1) find /buy land. make sure it meets all of your requirements, and the local requirements for building. consider a perk test, septic planning, access roads, frontage, any minimum size requirements.
2) site planning. where is the septic located (or are you on town sewer and water). where is the house going, where is the well going (if not on town water) where is the electric going to come in from. and which way will the house be oriented (stake out the corners)
3) excavation and foundation (this will go off the plans that you have decided on) (be prepared for the unexpected, who knows what they will find when they dig)
4) framing
5) skinning (roof and exterior walls and maybe siding, windows) inside is now protected from the elements)
6) electric, plumbing, hvac
7) insulating
8) interior walls, floors, ceilings
9) appliances, painting, finish electrical and plubing fixtures.
10) final walkthrough, cleanup, touchup.

those are the basics

What is the recent economic activity on HOME BUILDING?

Q. Recent ecnomic activity (taxes or spending) done by the U.S. government and how it effects the home building industry.


I am doing a paper for school and not having much luck on this topic. Anything helps! Thanks guys!

A. growth is all most zero

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Is there a way to figure home building costs without labor?

Q. I am curious if there is a way to figure how much it would be to build a home without the labor. Every sight I search shows the national average cost for home building but they throw in the national labor wage. How do I figure it out?

A. Average cost / 3 = materials cost only in general practice.

This was taught me, some 45 yrs. ago and seems to hold true today. The scope and size of contract when going the other way, as in pricing, "what to charge a customer" from a contractors point of view has a bearing on stipulated price, that in turn contains both material and labour. They seem to charge (material cost X 3.33 = contract price) on average. Maybe this is "Murphy"s Law" allowance

You can check it out simply by taking a set of drawings into "Big Box Store" for material take-off and pricing, Then take the same drawings to 3 contractors for Estimates, Subtract material cost from Estimates, average your results divide by material cost and see how close to "TWO" the result is, closer to "TWO" the better!

In residential construction I always say spend more on the materials and less on labour...

What are the major (and minor) risks in owning a home built in 1916?

Q. I came across a beautiful Craftsman style home built in 1916 and wonder how much of a task it would be to keep up a home that old.

A. Old homes can have character. I bought a home built in 1910 and my only apprehension was that I knew nothing about steam heat. But the boiler was only 1 year old and heatinghelp.com helped me tune that for comfort and efficiency, so I now actually prefer that over scorched air. The steel combo storm/screens are quite old, but seal the old windows up in winter for no drafts, and previous owner had insulated. Thermal mass of drywall over plaster holds the temperature, and residual heat from steam radiators makes a lower temperature comfortable. So my highest gas bill for 3 bedroom home in sub-zero F temperatures has been under $200.

Basically hire someone to do a good inspection to see if the home has issues or if it has had upgrades that would minimize anything major in the near future.

How can i get home building materials at builders cost?

Q. all home building supplies at the best price and home blueprint

A. The idea of material suppliers giving wholesale or discounted prices has to do with perceived volume of business. If you are building a house, take the total material list to a couple of lumber yards for a bid on the total package. Most of the time, a lumber yard will bid a complete house material package at or near the wholesale price. Builders who buy half a million dollars a year from a lumber yard are going to get the best prices and likely have an assigned salesman to cater to him. Having an apartment building or a contractor's license is not going to give someone the right to demand any significant discount. If you are a high volume buyer with the money to pay, that will the only credential you will need for the best service and the best prices from any business you walk into.

If you are just wanting wholesale prices on small quantity odds and ends, your best bet is to go to a place like Home Depot. I have found the level of service at Home Depot to be in line with the volume of my business there, which is minimal.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

What is the recent economic activity on HOME BUILDING?

Q. Recent ecnomic activity (taxes or spending) done by the U.S. government and how it effects the home building industry.


I am doing a paper for school and not having much luck on this topic. Anything helps! Thanks guys!

A. growth is all most zero

Does any one have any experience with having their home build on their own land?

Q. Since cost of new home still pretty high in North East region, I am wondering if any one have experience with having a New home build on their own land.
I am thinking about buying a land and then having a home build with developer so I can save some money in process.
2 Q
1. Is that a good idea?
2. Will I save some money by doing this?

A. Building your own home can be a great experience. You get to be involved in all of the decision-making process, you choose exactly how you want things to look, etc.

It can be a nightmare though---bad contractors, delays because of weather, etc.

Just make sure that you are very careful when contracting, and don't try to start building in the middle of winter!

You can save money by building on your own, but don't use cheap contractors that will use substandard materials. Research everything and everyone you use carefully. You can also save money by working on some of it yourself---if you have skills in construction. Don't try to take on a job that you aren't qualified at(like wiring---when you have no idea about being an electrician!!) because you could end up paying for it later on.

Best of luck!

What are the issues with copper plumbing in a home built in 1988?

Q. I have a friend who has a home that has copper plumbing. The residence was built in 1988, and she was told by a neighbor that copper plumbing is bad and has to be removed/replaced in order to keep the value of the home for resale. This doesn't seem to make sense and the home DOES NOT have any plumbing issues to date. The neighbor cautioned that copper plumbing can burst. Is there any ring of truth to this or is the neighbor thinking of something else. A home built in 1988 doesn't seem that old to me.
Please help. All answers are welcome. Thanks.
Additional details. Here is the suspected issue:

Different metals or types of pipe: copper and galvanized iron, were directly connected in the potable water supply system

From this point of view, we are told the entire plumbing in the home needs to be changed. Can this be right?

A. If the copper pipe is stressed, it will create a leak, but only if stressed. By this I mean thin wall, kinks, etc.

I have never heard of copper pipes devaluing a home. If anything, copper will add value compared to CPVC or galvanized. If there are no issues with leakage or significant corrosion, leave it.

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does anybody know of a good home building company in southern california?

Q. i want to buy a home but it is not fully built, it still needs someone to finish building it, so does anybody know of a good home building company here in southern california? thanks!!!

A. Morrison Homes builds houses in So. Ca.

Where to begin the custom-home building process?

Q. Can someone point me to a good consumer-oriented website or offer advice on the steps toward getting a custom home built? My wife and I have a couple lots in mind, we're narrowing down a list of floor plans. We could use some guidance as far what tasks â and in what order â we should be planning for.

A. the process is going to be different for different areas. i would recommend going to amazon.com and buying a few books on how to be your own general contractor, and how to build your own home. (i have i think is called "building your own home on a shoe string") some go into more detail than others. but read a few and get aquainted with some of the terms and such. they will also go through the steps.
but here are the basic steps.
1) find /buy land. make sure it meets all of your requirements, and the local requirements for building. consider a perk test, septic planning, access roads, frontage, any minimum size requirements.
2) site planning. where is the septic located (or are you on town sewer and water). where is the house going, where is the well going (if not on town water) where is the electric going to come in from. and which way will the house be oriented (stake out the corners)
3) excavation and foundation (this will go off the plans that you have decided on) (be prepared for the unexpected, who knows what they will find when they dig)
4) framing
5) skinning (roof and exterior walls and maybe siding, windows) inside is now protected from the elements)
6) electric, plumbing, hvac
7) insulating
8) interior walls, floors, ceilings
9) appliances, painting, finish electrical and plubing fixtures.
10) final walkthrough, cleanup, touchup.

those are the basics

Home building industry price elasticity of demand elastic or inelastic?

Q. I have been searching for an explanation of what this even means and I cannot find anything that is helping me. Can someone please help me. I need to take the home building industry and focus on how it is affected by the economy. I also need to know if it is elastic or inelastic and what the price elasticity of supply for this industry is. I really appreciate any help I can get. Thanks!!!

A. Lets start with what the question means. Then you can apply it to the home building industry. In economics and business studies, the price elasticity of demand (PED) is an elasticity that measures the nature and degree of the relationship between changes in quantity demanded of a good and changes in its price.

For all normal goods and most inferior goods, a price drop results in an increase in the quantity demanded by consumers. The demand for a good is relatively inelastic when the quantity demanded does not change much with the price change. Goods and services for which no substitutes exist are generally inelastic. Demand for an antibiotic, for example, becomes highly inelastic when it alone can kill an infection resistant to all other antibiotics. Rather than die of an infection, patients will generally be willing to pay whatever is necessary to acquire enough of the antibiotic to kill the infection.

Inelastic demand is commonly associated with "necessities," although there are many more reasons a good or service may have inelastic demand other than the fact that consumers may "need" it. Demand for salt, for instance, at its modern levels of supply is highly inelastic not because it is a necessity but because it is such a small part of the household budget. (Technology has increased the supply of salt modernly and reduced its historically high price.) Demand for water, another necessity, is highly inelastic for similar supply side reasons. Demand for other goods, like chocolate, which is not a necessity, can be highly elastic.

Substitution serves as a much more reliable predictor of elasticity of demand than "necessity." For example, few substitutes for oil and gasoline exist, and as such, demand for these goods is relatively inelastic. However, products with a high elasticity usually have many substitutes. For example, potato chips are only one type of snack food out of many others, such as corn chips or crackers, and predictably, consumers have more room to turn to those substitutes if potato chips were to become more expensive.

It may be possible that quantity demanded for a good rises as its price rises, even under conventional economic assumptions of consumer rationality. Two such classes of goods are known as Giffen goods or Veblen goods. Another case is the price inflation during an economic bubble. Consumer perception plays an important role in explaining the demand for products in these categories. A starving musician who offers lessons at a bargain basement rate of $5.00 per hour will continue to starve, but if the musician were to raise the price to $35.00 per hour, consumers may perceive the musician's ability to charge higher prices for lessons as an indication of higher quality, thus increasing the quantity of lessons demanded.

PED is determined by a number of factors that essentially all fall under the umbrella of "choice". By choice we mean the power of choice that the consumer of a given good holds to give up the consumption of said good. The greater this choice the more price elastic the good will be and, by contrast, as the balance of this power falls in favour of the supplier the more inelastic the good will be. This is due to the consumer's "Perceived Value". A good which is difficult to replace or give up consuming will have a higher perceived value than that which is more easily replaced thus the consumer will be willing to pay more for such a good. Perceived Value represents the absolute maximum price a consumer is willing to pay for a good. When the price exceeds this level, the consumer will give up consumption of this good.

Availability of Good Quality Substitutes: Easily substitutable goods will enable buyers to switch to an alternative good and thus such goods will exhibit greater elasticity than goods that do not have substitutes available, ceteris paribus (assuming all other variables are equal). It is important to understand that a given good is in essence unique and thus the comparability of the available substitute(s) in terms of quality to the original good is an important sub-variable. The better the substitute(s) can replace the original good in terms of desirability, affordability, practicality etc. the more elastic the good will become. For example, a commuter taking the train to work could switch to taking the bus if faced with rising train fares. However, this may mean more inconvenience and/or longer journey time for example and thus will form part of his consideration before switching that mode of transport and it may take a certain price difference before he will resort to this option representing the substitute's quality. A contrasting inelastic good would be water which is arguably insubstitutable so a local community faced with rising water costs will be left with little choice but to pay the increased costs forming a price inelastic good.
Whether the good is habit forming or obligatory: Addictive drugs, whether psychologically addictive or physically addictive, and other goods where dependency plays a key role will naturally exhibit inelastic properties. At aggregate level, rising costs of such goods are unlikely to reduce demand significantly. Classic examples of such goods would be alcohol and tobacco or in an extreme case, heroin. A heroin addict will virtually go to any length to achieve the next fix irrespective of cost. Governments often place taxes on these types of goods, namely alcohol, tobacco and fuel because of their highly inelastic demand since consequently such goods are assured revenue generators for the treasury.
The proportion of the consumer's income the good represents: Goods which typically make up a small proportion of people's income will exhibit inelastic qualities. Conversely, goods which form a large proportion of people's income will cause greater responses in demand to comparable % increases or decreases in price. For example, if cinema ticket costs rise by 20%, decreases in demand are unlikely to be pronounced. However a 15% drop in a "luxury" good such as a car or LCD Television changes in demand are likely to be relatively greater.
How closely the good is defined: Taking our example from (2), cigarettes in general are, as discussed, an inelastic good. However a particular brand of cigarettes will exhibit far more elastic properties if its price rises. In general therefore, the exact type of good will affect its PED properties.
How closely the consumer (end-user) is defined?: This is an important factor intrinsically related to most of the preceding variables. "Choice" is very subjective and factors 1,2 and 3 vary relative to the individual consumer because every single consumer can potentially have a different Perceived Value of a good. A good that is easily replaceable or habit forming or expensive for one person may well not be for another and thus how well the consumer is defined will affect the PED. At nationwide level, if the cost of butter rises significantly consumers can choose to consume margarine instead but a shop who makes and sells butter cookies will not have this option and thus the PED will be far more inelastic in the latter case. A driver faced with rising petrol bills may opt to switch to using the train. However an airline company has no choice but to absorb rising fuel costs and will according have a much more inelastic demand curve for essentially the same good.
How closely the time period is defined: Generally the greater the time period, the more possible it may be for a good to be replaced with a substitute. Using home energy as an example, a gas user faced with rising gas bills will unlikely be able to switch to electric alternatives overnight due to possibly contractual tie-ins and time needed to change a stove to electric hob for example. However over three months, a switch is far more viable and the PED will be accordingly more elastic. Likewise, prices are dynamic. Over short time periods, prices of substitutes maybe static, over longer periods, the price of substitutes may drop, making them more appealing. [Puiatti, 18:36 10-Nov-07]

Various research methods are used to calculate price elasticity:

Test markets
Analysis of historical sales data
Conjoint analysis
When the price elasticity of demand for a good is inelastic (|Ed| < 1), the percentage change in quantity demanded is smaller than that in price. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers rises, and vice versa.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is elastic (|Ed| > 1), the percentage change in quantity demanded is greater than that in price. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers falls, and vice versa.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is unit elastic (or unitary elastic) (|Ed| = 1), the percentage change in quantity is equal to that in price.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is perfectly elastic (Ed is undefined), any increase in the price, no matter how small, will cause demand for the good to drop to zero. Hence, when the price is raised, the total revenue of producers falls to zero. The demand curve is a horizontal straight line. A banknote is the classic example of a perfectly elastic good; nobody would pay £10.01 for a £10 note, yet everyone will pay £9.99 for it.

When the price elasticity of demand for a good is perfectly inelastic (Ed = 0), changes in the price do not affect the quantity demanded for the good. The demand curve is a vertical straight line; this violates the law of demand. An example of a perfectly inelastic good is a human heart for someone who needs a transplant; neither increases nor decreases in price affect the quantity demanded (no matter what the price, a person will pay for one heart but only one; nobody would buy more than the exact amount of hearts demanded, no matter how

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