Building FAQs

1. Who Should Build A FirstDay?  At FirstDay, we like to think that we're advocating a way of life as much as trying to sell a product.  The ideal FirstDay owners are people who have decided that all they need is a small cozy house, and to save money and create equity they've decide to build it themselves.  For thousands of years everyone built themselves a house.  Solid construction doesn't take magic or years of experience, it's just good old fashion hard work.  We've spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly who should build a FirstDay. We often discourage those raising children or second home builders because we're afraid they don't have time, but a lot of these people prove us wrong.  The whole idea of FirstDay is that anyone with enough enthusiasm and energy can build one.  The important thing is that you have a solid and thorough plan of how you will get it done.  Give us a call and we'll help you develop that plan.

2. Can We Really Build This House Ourselves? The most important things you need to finish a FirstDay are determination and a solid plan.  A FirstDay is intentionally labor intensive. Nothing is precut, so the kit price stays low and the builders earn a lot of equity in the project.  A basic FirstDay takes at least 600 - 1,000 man hours to complete, while larger and more complicated houses take longer (see 4 below).  Do you have the time and determination?  You also will need some basic skills with wood.  Can you use a power saw? Are you good on ladders? Can you hammer nails?  How about all day long?  Sometimes we'll recommend that you hire a little professional or unprofessional help. Say you hire someone to do 200 hours work at $10 an hour. Does that fit into your budget?  We've seen FirstDays built in a variety of situations.  Call us and we'll help you develop your plan.

3. Are Your Houses Easy to Build? The concepts and labor required to build a FirstDay are all very easy.  FirstDays are designed for amateurs to build, so it can withstand small errors and still be strong and look great.  The difficulty comes in the amount of work required.  In other words- the work is easy, but there's a lot of it.  Building a FirstDay can be long, hard, discouraging, cold, wet, slow work. It is a lot easier to watch TV than it is to make the show. FirstDay is for people who want to make the show.

4. How Long Does it Take to Build a FirstDay?  We say a Basic FirstDay Cottage home (960 ft2, 16' x 30', 1 1/2 stories) can be built in 15 weekends, but we need to cover our idea of a weekend.  We expect you'll get in 4 hours on Friday evening, and then 10 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday. To finish a FirstDay that quickly you need to be the kind of person who will work consistently and eat lunch with a hammer in one hand.  It is really a lot of work, so you need to be really dedicated to putting the time in and staying on track.  We insist that you finish the construction in six months, because after that you will run out of steam.  Most people get them done in 4-6 months working mostly on weekends.  Larger homes (e.g., the saltbox, the cape or houses with additions) can take significantly longer, so prepare yourself for the better part of a year if you're looking at one of the bigger houses.   

5. Can I Hire a Contractor to Build My FirstDay? You can hire a contractor, but be extremely wary. FirstDay was not designed as a contractor built house.  The system of building is completely different and is designed for someone who has no idea what they are doing, not for someone who thinks they know everything.  Also remember that FirstDay is a very labor-intensive project. With contractors, labor costs money - sometimes big money. Expect a bill of $15,000 to $20,000 just for the labor to put the kit together.  We often recommend hiring good workers that are not professionals.  In many cases they will  work faster and cost  less than a contractor, and most importantly they will read the instructions and do it right.

6. Should I get My Friends and Relatives to Help? "Uncle Ned Was a Carpenter Once . . ."  Don't count on it. Building a FirstDay isn't a party for your friends and relatives.  Friends and relatives usually are more of a distraction than they are effective laborers.  Are you a good boss? Can you ask free help to work long and hard? Will they read the directions, or will you spend the whole time teaching them?  Count on doing the whole house, yourself and you'll still have friends and family left at the end.  If people do help, make sure they are being an asset and not a liability.  If they are a liability get rid of them.

7. Should I do the Plumbing, Wiring and Heat? No! You'll have enough to do! These jobs are not easy, and most areas of the country require a licensed professional to do this sort of work. We know what subcontractors should charge for these jobs, and we will provide input before you sign contracts. We can save you a lot of heartache and a substantial amount of money.

8. When Do I Get My Custom Plans? We will give you sketch plans and quotes in the beginning. We do this so you can put your ideas together and come to a definite decision of whether FirstDay is right for you. Often we will send  plans of a house that is similar to the design being considered. With these, people can get financing, quotes on foundation, plumbing, wiring, etc. When everything is in line and you're sure you want to build, we take a $1000 deposit and we begin developing custom plans for your house.  The final design process can be a long one.  After going through a few iterations, a final design is reached and you will get the custom plans along with a final quote for the price of your kit.

9. What is in the Kit? We like to say that the kit contains everything you need to build the house except: the foundation, plumbing, electrical, heating/cooling, kitchen counter top (cabinets are included) and any paint or stain.  There is also about $100 in miscellaneous tubes of caulking and odd nails or screws that are not included. The following is a basic list of what is included: beams, posts, sheathing, decking, (floor and ceiling), insulation, roofing, doors, windows, siding, nails, strapping, building wrap, kitchen cabinets.  More information can be found on the kit page.

10. What Tools Do I Need? You'll need a good electric circular saw and basic carpentry tools: hammer, square, apron, handsaw, and tape measure. You might want to get a cheap table saw ($150). You can rent ladders, wall brackets, and scaffolds. Don't waste a lot of money on fancy tools. You don't need a pickup truck so forget about buying one.  Building a FirstDay shouldn't be an excuse to buy more toys.  We also discourage the use of nail guns.  They can be dangerous to amateurs, and we want you to focus on how well you can build the house not on how quickly you can build it.  With a good hammer, a tape measure and a good electric saw you can finish almost the whole house.

11. How Do I know How To Build It? Along with a custom set of plans, you will receive our instruction book (2 copies). These instructions are amazing to us, because they really work. They were written assuming that this is the first big thing you have ever built. Youšll be alerted to possible errors, and you'll be encouraged to call us if you get into trouble (or hopefully before you do). Before you buy our kit, you'll get a chance to go over the instructions and can even talk to someone who has used them. We like to think of our book as 80 pages of anticipation and encouragement.

12. How Do I Unload the Kit? The kit is big. It fits on a 40' flatbed trailer and weighs 35,000 lbs. You can hire a forklift to get the big bundles off. The best way to unload is to have an unloading party. You'll need 8-10 people. They should be both strong and nimble. If you pass down the pieces one by one you will be able to stack everything where you want it and things will stay dry and clean. You must arrange to do all this in just four hours. The truck and driver can't wait all day, and typically the driver isn't allowed to help with the unloading.

FAQs - The House
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