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too many DIYers just put in an allowance or guess, only to discover the real materials cost far more.

You can use a detailed checklist to help you determine what you need. You can find free ones online, but they tend to be incomplete. You can find highly detailed ones priced below $20. You can make sure you get the right pricing by doing the actual selection of everything you want in the home before you start. Price out things like towel bars, mirrors, shower doors, window treatments and so forth. Think of everything you have in your existing home that you’ll need to have when you move in.

Once you have the pricing information for everything that’s required, get multiple bids for things where you’ll need a subcontractor. Be sure to write out exactly what you want the sub to do and what materials he needs to supply. Include a section in the bid where the sub spells out what he’ll not be doing. That’s very important. Be sure to add a cost for what he’ll not be doing.

Finally, try to estimate the hours it will take you to do the tasks you’ll attempt. Whatever number you come up with for each task, multiply it by 1.5 or 2, especially for all the finish work. At the end of the project you’ll be tired and not as productive.

I believe you’ll discover the number of hours of work required will be staggering. At this point, you need to plug those hours into your calendar to see when you can work. Keep in mind that building a new home is a full-time occupation for actual builders and subcontractors.

If you think you’ll get the same results doing the work on weekends, after your day job responsibilities and on vacation, you need to pinch yourself. It will take you years to complete the house doing it this way. Also, don’t forget about weather considerations and the diminished daylight in winter months. Bad weather can put seasoned builders weeks behind. It may cause you to lose months of time.