This may not be the best NG for this, but I'm sure there are people here who have some ideas on the topic. My wife & I are moving to LA. The housing costs out there have gone up about 25% annually in the last few years and are absolutely insane. We've looked at any number of 50-60 year old 1200 sq' wrecks in "OK" neighborhoods which have not had so much as a coat of paint since the owners bought them right after WWII, with people LINING UP to pay $800,000 for the privilege of gutting them & starting over. Since I want to consider all possible options, I'm thinking about buying a house in tear down condition & rebuilding on the lot. Surprisingly, such houses do appear fairly regularly in desirable neighborhoods, usually 50-80 year old small homes on decent sized lots. Even this isn't cheap, but again I want to cover all the bases. So I'm wondering what exactly the process would be. Say we buy a lot & tear down the existing house, what segment of the building industry would we approach to build our new home? I'm guessing you can do anything from retaining an architect to design a one-off masterpiece (not in our price range) to selecting some builder who has a number of "off the rack" designs suitable for your needs & budget, probably with some customizing possibilities ("trim levels" if we were talking cars). For this latter approach, do you select a "general contractor" who then lines up framing people, drywall, plumbing/electrical etc? Sounds like a nightmare if you don't get someone reliable. Comments from anyone who has some experience with this process in general and especially with doing it in the LA area would be greatly appreciated. We're thinking something in the 2,000 sq' range on a small lot (don't have kids & don't want to have to deal with too much lawn). Also, what's a ballpark figure for typical suburban home construction, per sq foot? Lots of variables, I know but just for an idea with "average level" materials used. At the moment, we're looking at the Century City/Culver City/Palms/Mar Vista areas, to be closer to work. The only thing crazier out there than the housing costs is the commute times! We currently have a nice apartment in the valley (Sherman Oaks) and we like the area but commuting to our jobs in Beverly Hills & Santa Monica is horrendous.
TIA
Dan