Construction Costs on 30a

[SHELLY]

I imagine I'm one of few who finds it disturbing that vast areas of Florida (not just small "vacation" areas) are pricing out entire economic classes of our citizens--only to be replaced by third-world temporary workers.

 

[beachmouse]

Costs seem low, but you get what you pay for. There are a lot of million dollar homes here that do a good job of complying with hurricane code, but have absolutely terrible fit & finish- really bad paint jobs, cheapest possible interior doors and wire racks in closets instead of wood shelving, plastic trim, $20 lighting fixtures. We've hit Parade of Homes every year, and after seeing the impressively bad patch job on a 2x2 foot hole in the wall on a big Sandestin home, and the new house on Choctaw Bay in FWB where you could feel the living room floor was out of plumb just by walking across it, model homes with broken lighting fixtures, all kinds of obvious flaws like that, I've got a pretty short list of builders I'd trust down here.

Over all, I think Adams has slightly better build quality than a lot of the alleged custom luxury builders here. But it seems like all you've got to do is slap some granite counter tops in the kitchen, use a floor plan with a trophy bath, and have whatever flooring and paint color that's in fashion, and people pay insane prices for something where the quality isn't that great.

Another thing that drives prices up in Watercolor is that they've got much higher standards for fit & finish than other developments do- real solid core wood interior doors instead of plastic ones, better lighting fixtures, construction standards that require skilled craftsmen instead of day laborers, etc.

As for the temporary workers, anyone else notice that it seems like a lot more of the Eastern Europeans stayed the winter to work here instead of going back home? I'm wondering if we're starting to see something of a shift from the usual pattern of Bulgarian, Russian, and Polish college students who spent a couple summers in Florida to work on English skills and save up money for a down payment for an apartment back home when they graduated from college.

 

[Camp Creek Kid]

Keep in mind that there is a lot of fluctuation in construction prices. Obviously materials fluctuate with the world market prices. The materials used make a huge difference. All concrete construction ala Alys Beach is going to be as much as $300 a sqaure foot while a wood frame house with hardie plank siding could be as low as $150 a square foot. Rosemary Beach is expensive because the required wood windows, doors, siding, but those materials aren't meant for this climiate and require extensive up keep.

The biggest fluctuation is with contractors' fees. Many contractors have enjoyed building spec houses, but it has become difficult to sell any house so spec houses are risky. There will probably be many contractors who run out of their own projects to build and who will be looking for custom homes to do. The contractors' fee on a cost-plus contract is SoWal can be as much as 25% because there has been such a demand for builders. A normal contractors' fee (in say Chattanooga) is 8-12%. As work for contractors slows, I think many will be willing to negotiate lower contractors' fees. And if the contract isn't cost-plus, a contractor who needs the work will reflect that in his/her bid.

 

[TooFarTampa]

Costs seem low, but you get what you pay for. There are a lot of million dollar homes here that do a good job of complying with hurricane code, but have absolutely terrible fit & finish- really bad paint jobs, cheapest possible interior doors and wire racks in closets instead of wood shelving, plastic trim, $20 lighting fixtures. We've hit Parade of Homes every year, and after seeing the impressively bad patch job on a 2x2 foot hole in the wall on a big Sandestin home, and the new house on Choctaw Bay in FWB where you could feel the living room floor was out of plumb just by walking across it, model homes with broken lighting fixtures, all kinds of obvious flaws like that, I've got a pretty short list of builders I'd trust down here.

That applies almost anywhere, but I would imagine especially in SoWal. When the time comes for us to build, we will get on a contractor's waiting list if necessary, and I'll be doing a lot of flying up (if it is as easy as I hope it will be) to check on things. I'm sure there is a big difference between construction costs for crappy spec homes -- not to be confused with crappy Grayton sunsets -- and custom, quality built homes. Building an excellent home takes a lot of money and a lot more work on the owners' part (oversight, research). Yes, you can buy an already built new home or just write a check and let an available builder do his or her thing, but you are taking a big risk that way IMO. I do think that this is one of the ways RB, WC, WS etc can justify their higher pricing, because the quality seems to be better monitored throughout the construction and builders are used to higher expectations.

 

[SHELLY]

I see building costs and times only going up, up, up...especially when the "real" money starts to flow for Katrina rebuilding; then most of the skilled (and unskilled) labor and materials will be sucked to the West. (And that's considering NO hurricane landfalls this coming season.)

 

[SHELLY]

As for the temporary workers, anyone else notice that it seems like a lot more of the Eastern Europeans stayed the winter to work here instead of going back home? I'm wondering if we're starting to see something of a shift from the usual pattern of Bulgarian, Russian, and Polish college students who spent a couple summers in Florida to work on English skills and save up money for a down payment for an apartment back home when they graduated from college.

Mouse: Here's some insight on how the "Foreign Student Labor Trade" works:Foreign Student Labor

The Story Begins: "Two months ago, Izabel Mendon?a lived in a five-bedroom, nine-bathroom house in the capital of Brazil, Bras?lia, with a population of more than 2 million. Now, she makes sandwiches for a living at a Subway restaurant in Milton. Mendon?a, 19, is one of dozens of Brazilians who came to the Pensacola Bay Area as part of a work-and-travel program designed to help businesses tackle gaps in the local labor market.
What began more than a year ago as a short-term solution for food-service and hospitality employers has turned into a trend that is expected to continue as businesses struggle to fill low-wage jobs."

As I see it, it leaves lots of room for profiteering and abuse.

 

[beachmouse]

There are seasonal resorts in the Midwest and Northeast where the foreign students have been coming to work for 'The Season' for decades now, and the agreement seems to work well for both sides. The company in the article seems reputable, if a bit expensive.

And it's a two way street. There are a number of companies that will work with American college students to place them in the same kinds of jobs for a season in Australia, England, Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, etc.

IMO, the big problem with them in this area is that unless you're in Pensacola proper, there is no public transportation. (and when my pools association hires foreign lifeguards for summer work, they do provide them with cruiser bikes so they can get around town easier)

 

[SHELLY]

There are a number of companies that will work with American college students to place them in the same kinds of jobs for a season in Australia, England, Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, etc.

Somehow, when I envisioned what a globalized economy meant for upcoming generations, it didn't include having our future leaders learning how to say "Do you want fries with that" in 4 different languages. Then again, it will probably come in handy as the US continues to move to a service-based economy that relies heavily on low-paid migrant labor.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Don't look now SJ...but I think you just got insulted

It is okay, SHELLY. I agree with you on some things, but I think you like to beat a dead horse a bit too much sometimes.

 

[Santiago]

I imagine I'm one of few who finds it disturbing that vast areas of Florida (not just small "vacation" areas) are pricing out entire economic classes of our citizens--only to be replaced by third-world temporary workers.

I can't speak for vast areas of Florida but I for one am glad to have the "third world" workers doing some of our company's jobs. They seem to appreciate the opportunity and their productivity in many cases exceeds that of what we were accustomed to.