How to start with construction of my dream house?

I was wondering if anyone knows of a good resource to find contractors? I have been looking online and all I have seen are sites where you have to describe the job then wait to get called from a contractor or if I find a directory type of site there is a limited number of contractors in my area, but I know there are many more. I am trying to build my first house and I was planning on hiring all the contractors so I need a good resource to find them. Something with reviews and article would also be very beneficial, please let me know if anyone knows of a good place to look.

Ethan, where are you from?.......... My recommendation would be to look not for contractor's - but rather a GC (General Contractor) in your area to control the process with you. Any reputable GC is not only going know the Best subs in the area - they will also be able to get you the right numbers. Well worth the 4 or 5 percent OH&P you will pay them over the hard costs. The will also have the experience to fill in all of the blanks - all of the incidental things that you will never in a million years think of that become a cost of the project - and between controlling the bidding process...... assisting you through the design - handling he buyout and budget - overseeing the actual work, you will save thousands of dollars in real money - as well as hundreds of hours of you time that will otherwie be spent in frustration. They (as a GC) have a long term relationship with the subs and suppliers they do business with - those people see a future with them. On the other hand there is you - who they will view as a one shot deal......... When it comes down to a sub who is working on multiple projects - and they have you pulling their left arm to meet schedule - and me (or GC's like me) pulling their right arm to meet schedule - who do you think they will satisfy first? Think about it Sincerely, Rod

Sorry you had to type all that Rod. Check this out: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11814 It's the latest spam tactic 'round these parts.

Best of luck to you building your first house, it’s an adventure. I would recommend talking to your neighbors and friends and see if they know any contractors they worked with in the past. Since I’m sure you already did that you should try [SPAM DELETED! BY MODERATOR!] I found that they have a very easy to use search. They have the biggest list of contractors I have seen to date, plus you can write reviews and read their articles.

too bad there's little moderation lately on the forum since most mods are inactive. [lock]

Yeah, absolutely. The spammers are having a field day here. As the saying goees: When the cat's away, the mice will play... Except these aren't mice: Perhaps "rats" would fit better.

For the record, I sent a nasty e-mail to the contact address on that spammer web site. I got a reply back which first accused ME of being the spammer ( :?: :?: :shock: :?: :?: :!: Go figure!), then promised that if my accusations really are true, they would "take it seriously": So I sent links to the most recent threads that I could find, where they were spamming us. We'll see how seriously they take it.... - Stuart -