Save on House Building: Become Your Own Contractor

If you're looking to build a house, an Upstate company says it can save you 15% to 30% of the cost. You become your own contractor, but the company says you don't have to know anything about construction.

By: | News Channel 7
Published: May 13, 2008

Even though Mason Ailstock is not a general contractor, he's building his dream home. Said Ailstock, showing us around his framed living room, "This is going to be the fireplace and entertainment center."

He's doing it through a company called UBuildIt that, you guessed it, let's him be the contractor.

Said Ailstock, "We were able to pick out the houseplans, the finishes, and everything and really see it through while having UBuildIt there with a process to follow, a methodology to make sure we were successful."

UBuildit's Robert Raditz says the company offers help in planning and building a house. Said Raditz, "Our client is actually the contractor of record. They pull their own building permits. We, as a licensed builder, help them oversee the project, manage the project."

Raditz says it can save home builders 15% to 30% because they don't have to pay a contractor or pay a markup for that contractor's suppliers or sub-contractors.

Said Raditz, "With UBuildIt, we go out and competitively bid the project to multiple subs, multiple electricians, multiple framers, and then there is no mark up whatsoever."

We asked Ailstock how much money he thinks he's saved using UBuildIt. "Oh gosh, thousands, tens of thousands. There's no way we could have afforded this size of house buying in a local development."

Ailstock chose UBuildIt because it lets him choose every detail of the house.

Using UBuildIt means you will have to be very involved in the building of your home, but you may end up with a more personal and less expensive home. Said Ailstock, "It's an adventure. Building anything is an adventure. But it's been something as a family we can pour ourselves into because it is our home, where we're going to raise our kids."

Raditz says UBuildIt's fees are based on the size and complexity of the home and it currently has 24 Upstate clients.

You can read more at www.ubuildit.com.