Bids Packages Are OUT!!!

...now we wait for January 21st.

Contractors / Builders

OK time to pick our contestants for the project.  Sandy did a lot of research on builders, magazines, Angie's List, word of mouth.  I'm pretty sure I'd be happy with any of these builders, honestly:

1. Janiczek Homes - These guys are the top of our range.  They build serious Main Line homes. Get written up all the time (Main Line Today 2008, Main Line Today 2010).  They seem mostly geared to high end stuff - which we are not - but are very big "green" builders which we like.  Why not try for the brass ring, right?  
2. United American Builders - Sandy found UAB in her initial sweep.  The owner spoke with Sandy at length and gave us a really good feeling.  They have been around a long time, done a lot of new construction and will "build whatever we come up with". I like that.  
3. Lord Contractors - This is Tony's add to the list.  He's worked with Lord a number of times and has been very happy with their product.  Honestly we did not have them in our list, but that was only because we never dug that far.  They seem quite capable and very ready to do business.
4. Greth Homes - We had not heard of Greth, but after digging a little we found them to be HUGE.  My dad's neighbor is building a new addition - a big one, and using Greth for their work. She was very impressed in their quality and pricing.  All good things for us.  

Plan is to have the build packages (80% plans, item selections, material selections / allowances, engineering plans) out to the builders in December, and have responses due back January 21st.

Tony knows what he is doing... continually impresses me with his background and skill here. This is how it all works out.

Tony prepares the build package, sends it (BCC) to all the contractors.  Then, all the questions, comments or other communication goes through Tony.  Once a week, he will issue an Addendum to the bit package to all the contractors at once.  This way, we keep a level playing field and nobody gets the wrong / out of date information.

We have decided NOT to meet with anyone prior to bid submission. Feels kind of strange, actually, but it is the way we can keep things level.  So, we trust Tony... that's what we'll do.

Moving right along.

Floors, Heating, Driveways, Fireplaces and Plumbing...

Lots of activity - not much to actually show here though.

Been fully engaged in picking our radiant floor heating system (RadianTec), floors (reclaimed wood), fireplaces, and plumbing fixtures (Danze).

Preparing everything to get out bids to contractors.