It may be true that production home builders offer a lower cost per square foot than other alternatives to home building, but the product may resign new homebuyers to "cookie-cutter" homes in less than unique neighborhoods in the process. Custom home builders throw the gates wide open to the well-heeled buyers who procure their own home site. But many buyers may not want to leave their "dream home" at the mercy of a general contractor, wondering if every well thought-out detail is being implemented, a true time frame for construction isn't just a pipe dream, and the whole project comes in within the original budget.

Another alternative is a concept conjured up a decade ago by Chuck Warrender, a general contractor with nearly 25 years of experience in the construction industry. Based in Kirkland, Washington, Kirk created "UBuildIt " as a solution to the traditional general contractor/homeowner approach to home building. His concept is based on the belief that the process of building a home produces better results for everyone involved when homeowners are better informed and more involved in the decision-making.

Under the UBuildIt System, homeowners serve as their own general contractors on new home-building projects. They manage the project on guidance from the UBuildIt manual as well as advice from a construction expert who works with them throughout the project. In a nutshell, UBuildIt offers expert help with owner control. The company provides homeowners with the knowledge and contacts they need to make informed decisions, and they realize a significant cost savings in the process, as much as 20 % of the total project costs, according to UBuildIt claims.

Warrender credits the Home Depot discount hardware store chain and the "This Old House" television show with spurring interest in such do-it-yourself construction projects. The business gets a flat fee for helping homeowners plan and bid their construction projects, and will also help them manage the project every step of the way for an additional percentage (usually 5% to 7%) of the construction cost itself. The planning fee varies depending on location and difficulty of the site. In addition, clients receive volume discounts on materials and subcontractor labor from UBuildIt suppliers. The company has even provided a network of small banks with whom they have formed a relationship to procure the more difficult-to-obtain owner/builder financing. The company offers franchises as well, targeting experienced general contractors who are at points in their careers that they would rather be paid for their expert advice than build the homes themselves. The franchise also offers help with remodeling projects, which accounts for 20% of their overall business.

Some industry types doubt whether individuals not versed in the homebuilding arena can do as good a job as a professional general contractor, even with the mentoring offered by UbuildIt. But Janet Reda, a UBuildIt customer who oversaw the construction of her family's 4200 square foot home in Woodinville, WA, said she would do it all again. "There were very few minor complications," she said. "The house got built in six months and it turned out fantastic." Indeed, a whopping 40% of the clientele who have used the UBuildIt system are women.

Warrender discourages homeowners who he feels lack the confidence needed to keep scores of subcontractors on schedule. "We do a complete cost breakdown of all the items going into a project, including everything from the cost of sheet rock to the towel bars", says Ted Carney, of the Mount Vernon, WA, branch of UBuildIt. "We also have 47 pages of specifications that we go through that allows good communication and clarification and lets them know what their options are."

Tm Lefebvre and his wife Mary built their 3500 square foot home with a project cost of $300,00 all told. "I'm pleased with UBuildIt's service, but if I ever do it again, I certainly won't need them," he says. "After the first three months, we were pretty much on auto pilot. We knew what was going on, what was coming next, and how to do it on our own."

With plans to expand nationally within the next year or so, UBuildIt has assisted more than 700 homeowners in the construction of their new homes, using 13 offices in western Washington, and one in West Lafayette, Indiana. The business is continually growing and the concept has caught fire wherever it goes. Suppliers like the system because it gives them a larger volume of steady business and smoother relationships with better-informed customers; UBuildIt franchise owners love it because they can provide the brains and support without physically overseeing the construction of the homes; and homeowners love it because they can sit back in the comfort of the home they chose every last detail for and smugly claim, "I built it!"

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Published: August 4, 1999

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