Lessons from a Contractor’s Wife – Part 7
Hi, I’m Sarah! I’m the wife of Lucas Casper, the owner of Casper Builders. Usually, I stay happily on the sidelines of the business, but when Lucas and I decided to build our own house this year, I suddenly found myself wearing many hats: part-time designer, part-time laborer, part-time project manager, and full-time “gofer.”
In this blog series, I’m going to share what building a custom home looks like from the non-professional’s perspective. Settle in for the surprises, the lessons learned, and all the little details that no one tells you about until you’re in the thick of it. Come see how the sausage is made!
Know Your Limits: Why I’ll Never Be on a Roof Again
I thought I had no fear of heights. Turns out, I have no fear of heights when safely secured behind a railing, window, or inside an airplane at 30,000 feet. Put me on a roof a mere 13 feet above the ground and suddenly I’m splayed out like I’m about to be frisked. Lucas and I discovered this charming fact about me in 2020 after the Derecho when I agreed to help him reroof our house. As he walked all over the (admittedly low) roof with impunity, I sprawled out on my stomach feeding him supplies within arm’s reach as he did the bulk of the work.
You may recall my post about being the cheap labor option when it comes to homebuilding in Part 3. Free labor means you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit! So even though Lucas is comfortable gallivanting across joists like a misguided mountain goat, I maintain a death grip on the door frame and refuse to step foot on the temporary plywood flooring. As the budget-friendly labor option, I’ve learned to stick to tasks that don’t require me to get my own general liability insurance.
Here’s a picture of our house. You can clearly see which posts I stained. And which ones I did not.
LESSON: Know your limits.
Casper Builders has trusted subcontractors for the work that requires actual professionals, and each one is required to provide us with their Certificate of Insurance (COI). This covers them should they be injured or cause damage onsite. Iowa contractors aren’t required to be bonded (Surety Bonds) when working in the state, but they absolutely should carry General Liability insurance at a minimum (your General Contractor should make sure the subcontractors they hire have this). When building a house, you will also need Builder’s Risk insurance.
LESSON: Make sure your contractor provides you a COI.
At the end of the day, sweat equity can save you money and give you pride of ownership—just use your head about what you’re capable of doing safely. Trust me, your insurance agent will thank you.