Spending and Saving

Spending to Date (Feb. 2, 2012)

1. Surveys, design, engineering 18557
2. Permits 5780
3. Transportation, Accommodation, On-site storage 5352
4. Foundation Materials 33301
5. Foundation Labour 50293
6. Landclearing, Landscaping, Garden 85160
7. Framing Labour 66693
8. Framing Materials 20763
9. Plumbing 31916
10. Heating 40948
11. Roof 26147
12. Windows and Doors 48916
13. Electrical 42369
14. Septic 7764
15. Hook-ups (utility) 1062
16. Equipment Rentals 16420
17. Insulation 19133
18. Finishing materials 92512
19. Appliances 6730
20. Cabinetry 42053
21. Finishing labour 92328
22. Studio materials 20951
23. Studio labour 16831
24. Miscellaneous 671
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
TOTAL 776,230

Saving to Date

1500 sq ft fir flooring (if you can find it) (thx Kim) @ $1.65/sf 7275
11 fir stair treads @ $9 780
10 old fir doors (thx Tim)@ $17ea 1350
24 bundles cedar shingles @$17 552
D’s labour@ $20/hr 100
3 windows @ $60 1200
16′ garage door (thx Mike) @$140 3000
300 bricks @ $0.13 171
140 glass block @$1 ea 1029
claw foot tub & brass hardware (thx Riley) @250 1500
French door w frame @$60 300
25 sheets laminated glass deck railing (thx Nancy)@0 1800
maple workbench top @35 200
1 day painting faschia x 2 people @0 320
100 pieces clear old growth fir 8′ trim (thx Chris)@100 900
Red french door studio (thx Ed) @ 225 1000
Stained glass light fixture (thx Ed) @ 25 200
SS sink and counter (thx Mike) @75 300
2 dual flush toilets (thx Kar-yee) 300 ea 400
200 sq ft tile (thx Daniel) @ 50 350
38 hr masonry labour – D @0$ 2000
7 hr general labour – D @ 0$ 140
Solid oak table (nook – thx Sally Ann) @$80 200
33 bundles #1 cedar shingles ($18 ea thx Moira) 726
80 hr general labour – D @$0 1600
16 hr cleanup labour – G & D @0 320
exterior French door ($100 – thanks, Dianne) 200
16 hr painting Mar 20 – G & D $0 320
20 hr site cleanup Mar 15-19 – G $0 400
D, Gail, Tess labour 1600
Gail – 20 hours shingle-dipping @20 400
light fixtures – kept returning and re-buying at CTire sales – much as I hate Canadian Tire 350
Gail – 8 hours shingle-dipping/ 3 hr painting 220
D labour vacuum system/shingling – 35 @$20 700
Gail – 12 hr painting @ $20 240
D & G – shingles, staining, insulation 26 @$20 520
Gail – cleaning, insulating, painting 12 @ $20 240
Garage door  opener @120 (CL – thanks Garry) 240
Kitchen sink @200 (sale – thanks Totem!) 200
13 Stair treads (thanks Hans) 130
12  4×8 Slat boards (int studio walls – thanks Paul) @17 500
PST/HST on labour by doing before July 1 32684
Gail – 105 hr painting/cleaning @ $20
2100
Taxes saved by buying used/doing labour ourselves 4329
G&D painting/installing T&G 70 hr@$20 1400
G – painting/tiling/underfloor heat labour 20@20 400
wrought iron fencing (Craigslist – thanks Ted) $450 2000
Restore – used building materials ($274) 600
Labour – tiling, shingling, cleaning, recycling, painting – G, D, and Raff 236x$20 4720
Stone treads (200) thx Adam 800
Fir/oak finishing materials ($290 – thanks Siggi) 600
G, D, B – misc. painting, shingling, finishing, cleaning 225 hr @$20 4500
G, D – shopping, sanding, ripping, painting, flooring, installing 424 hr @ $20 8480
G – slate entry, bathroom tiling, painting, finishing, trim, stairs, railing 108hr @ $20 2160
D – closets, doors, stairs, woodbox, light installation, slate mortar, window trim, finishing 74 hr @ $20 1480
D & G – labour: garden, door installs, finishing 300 hr @ $20 6000
D&G -labour: garden, landscaping, painting, shingling 320 hr @$20DD- labour: studio stucco, shingling, wood prep, railing construction 35hr@@20G – Front entry stonework, bathroom tiling, landscaping: 150 hr@20G- Bath: tiling, painting, glass block; powder rm, flagstone, stucco: 136 hr@20D- loft built-ins, plumbing, flagstone, studio deck, garden shed, stucco 75@20T/K – deck 12@$20

HERE’STHE BIG ONE: Gail: General Contracting overhead @ 12.5% of all costs

PLUS 12% of 107,078 in HST we didn’t have to pay

 640070030002720

1500

240

113,761

13,450
TOTAL SAVED 247,757

{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

Liam January 19, 2010 at 10:07 am

Only 1932 on survey and engineering? That’s pretty (really) cheap.

gail January 19, 2010 at 3:44 pm

Hah, that’s because our engineer hasn’t billed us yet. That will change. A little sensitive about engineers, are you?

Jennifer Cooper March 26, 2010 at 7:12 am

Hi Gail,

Jennifer here – just checking on your progress with the house. You guys are doing a tremendous job, hope you are still having fun, too.
I’m in the process of cleaning out my parent’s second home in Pt. Roberts. It’s now up for sale, and we’re trying to “relocate” its contents. Much has been taken to Hospice, Sally Ann and the dump. We’re also holding a couple of garage sales in April.

Dick Hunt, Erstwhile Builder. December 25, 2010 at 6:58 pm

Astonishing what people have come up with through dreaming large and huge labor, planning and shopping. Like the ultimate green house. Thank you for the feast of viewing. My pilot friend is preparing a flight plan to do a fly over over the house and views when the weather permits.

albert Luk January 30, 2011 at 8:56 pm

Hi,

I have been reno my last year bought 80 years old house in Vancuver the West side. The more we dug in the more we have to take out and more reno. We planned just$50,000 reno job last year and now we are $450,000 in red. Our trade workers asked $250/day that’s just 6.5 hrs work after lunch and 2 cofee breaks. or even worst usually another hour on discussion and make them work only 5.5 hrs/day or $45.45 an hr !!

albert Luk January 30, 2011 at 9:54 pm

So what is the square footage of the house youare building for $715,000++? Does it include basement?

Gail January 31, 2011 at 10:25 am

3400, which includes garage(350), basement (1255), and separate studio building (380).

J. David Cox February 5, 2011 at 9:09 am

Thanks for reading my blog, Gail. You have single-handedly raised my readership by 8%, from 12 to 13. And I am stunned that we are ‘friends’ from the floating home days. Sheesh, that is 30+ years ago, two kids, a couple of career attempts and a lot of water under the bridge ago. Building off-the-grid is quite the undertaking, isn’t it? And, for us, it is still going on. I am part way into a half dozen projects with a few still on the drawing board in my head. A house may get done but a homestead never does. Please write so we can reconnect. I am trying to place a ‘Gail’ from 30 years ago and coming up blank. Mind you, Sally-of-forty years has taken to wearing a name tag so it could be me.

Joy July 13, 2011 at 9:07 pm

Being a general contractor was a great investment (and a HUGE job) Gail. Congratulations on time very well spent.

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