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My daughter owns a lot. I would like to build a 1200 sq foot house on it for her.Any advice would be appreciated, i.e., should I inquire first at my local homebuilder's association? Is their advice skewed in favor of their members?
My daughter has some paralysis but is ambulatory. I want the home to be adapted for her needs.Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Home owners association and the active covenants for the neighborhood would be the first stop, and it will be written out in a long involved form, probably. Square footage, type of construction and any other building rules must be followed or put up for a vote by the association for an allowance to your situation if applicable.

A lot survey with any setbacks, easements, utility lines, elevations, etc will also be necessary for an architect to draw plans. Then one usually takes the plans to one or preferably more actual builders to give bids.

What a wonderful thing to do for your daughter. I would do some on line research into acessible construction. Very fortunate to be building from scratch and not retrofitting existing construction.

After you get info about modifications, contact the local builders association as you mentioned and see who they recommend. Interview, interview, interview and then check out references. Also - make sure you check properties that are several years old!

Absolutely, what charming recommended. ASK lots of people who have dealt with the various builders (or contractors, if you are thinking of doing it yourself)
The reputation of the builder/contractor is SO important, so that you know it will be done right and no big nasty surprises.

Do not forget to check with the municipality's codes department. They will have input, too , as far as set-backs,possibly utility connections , etc.

Also check with anyone you know who has built a home. Recommendation from a trusted source are the best.

Once you are considering a contractor visit a home that they have under constuction. You want to check on their building techniques. Do they do the bare minimum (or even skimp on things) or are they doing good construction. If you are unfamiliar with this either take someone with you who is or do your own research. I do recommend you do your own research in any case because you want to be able to check on things during the building process.

Added: there are a gazillion home plans on-line. Window shopping is free

This message has been edited. Last edited by: metwo,

Since there are many, many areas that DO NOT have Home Owners Assoc. (HOAs) you might want to start with either the city or county to find out all the restrictions for that particular piece of land.
As for finding a good contractor....I would ask at the local lumber yards & even Lowes contractor sales area. They know who is buying good materials and who is just slinging something together.
You also might want to find someone who has done work previously with handicapped facilities. They don't fit together the same as conventional construction. My DH has done several remodels to accomadate different handicaps up to & including one that was totally bedfast & had to have a shower that a hospital gurney type bed could go into & out of without causing problems. That took some doing & some wall moving.
If you are going to have someone else draw this for you I also suggest that you find someone with experience for handicapped. Many times a normal person doesn't think about things like a handle mounted on a wall by a toilet or all cabinets being at lower levels & with rolling shelves....or even lowering the normal height of cabinets for easier access.
So, I would suggest that you make a list of her special needs before you search for someone to build it. And also have it drawn up before you commit to a contractor. And be sure they understand EXACTLY what you want!

A quick googling finds dozens of links to ADA compliant building plans for when you're ready. I'm with Karen on checking with local building department officials first and would also look for state or local programs that may be of help.

Thank you for all of your helpful suggestions!
The property has no HOA but the area was recently designated an historical district. The houses are all small old bungalows and the neighbors are now sprucing up their properties. A new enormous university events complex was built within walking distance, which also increased the value of the area and will increase my daughter's quality of life.
We know a handyman who also is a professional home inspector. I am wondering if it can be written into a contract that he inspect various stages of the construction.I really trust him.
I agree that it is fun to "window shop"! The house plan that we have chosen has not been examined by an architect.There are little adaptations that would make home ownership easier for my daughter, like a built in ironing board,cupboard doors that open toward her useable hand, "slide on" toilet tissue holders, etc. There are lots of things to consider, both large and small!
Thank you again to each of you who responded.

Don't forget one other thing that many don't consider...toilet seat height! We put the taller ones in our house because DH & I are both past retirement age & they are MUCH easier to use than the "standard" toilet!
Might also consider that she has a shower/bath water handle, ONE handle, that controls both temps like you find in a lot of motels. Also, ease of getting into, out of & cleaning any shower/bath enclosure. Some are really tricky to clean!
I wouldn't think you would "need" to write into the contract about your friend inspecting the construction, but check with him...he might know if it were a requirement. Personally, I would just inform the contractor that you had hired this person to do inspections thruout the construction.

I don't know your daughter's condition, but you might want to keep in mind what the future also holds...halls wide enough for a wheelchair to pass, kitchen that would be wheel chair accessible, entrances, etc.
That is what DH & I did when we built our house since we aren't getting any younger and neither of us wanted to ever have to move again!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ga.karen,

If the area was designated as an historical there may be requirements for the exterior of home. Our local historic district prohibits alum. siding, the use of certain windows,and paint & trim have to fall into guidelines as well and material have to correlate with surrounding homes. Check with them about a new home in a historical district. Here they are very difficult to work with, all in the name of preservation.

Check with habitat for Humanity - they may have house plans for special needs to assist and may even lend a helping hand fiancially if you could use the help.. just a thought.

Also check with your local government who have housing programs for residents with special needs. Even though you have the lot there too,
may lend a helping hand.

Do your homework and I think I would head to the local Municipal Building department first
and if they are normal (LOL) will visit your building site and give insight on what needs to be done to your lot i.e grading, and information re utilities, etc.
If there is an association you may have to use a particular builder and or footprint.

You also may want to check $0 down USDA financing which builders here use, however they are city/county boundaries and your neighborhood has to be outside of that boundary.

Good luck..what great parents you are!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: real estate lady,

The local building code official should do inspections throughout the building process. That is part of their job....at least it is here in our town. They will issue a " certificate of occupancy " when everything is done completely.

I would absolutely approach any potential builder with your plan to use your inspector at any and all stages of construction. It is much easier and less expensive to correct small inconsistencies before additional work and material has been built around them. I would be extremely wary of any builder who had a problem with you retaining the inspector throughout the process.