People sometimes use the terms “house” and “home” interchangeably, but they do not necessarily mean the same thing. A home is a house, but not every house is a home.
While a house refers to the physical structure where people reside, a home implies much more. It also refers to a house’s ability to meet its occupants’ personal demands. As a result, custom-building improves the likelihood of a house becoming more than just a house.
The reason for this is that they are highly personalized. However, the service quality of the home builder you hire for the construction task will determine whether or not you will have that dream custom home. This article outlines 5 ways to help you find and choose the right builder for this crucial task.
Guide to Selecting the Right Custom Home Builder
While there are great custom home builders that would help you realize your dream custom home, there are incompetent ones. To ensure that you avoid the latter, the following are some expert and proven tips to help you find the ideal home builder:
Understand Your Goals and Needs
It is safe to say that everyone (or better still, most people) wants to have a house of their own. However, our uniqueness is what makes the idea of a dream home a very personal thing. In simpler terms, what one person would consider as his/her dream home might be a turn-off for another.
As a result, understanding and defining your goals and needs in a home is a great place to start. On that note, some things that need to be clearly defined include your:
- Preferred Style – For instance, do you want a rustic cabin, modern farmhouse, or sleek contemporary style?
- Necessary Features – What one potential homeowner considers necessary might be an absolute luxury for another. So, find out the features that you believe you must have. This could be having a gym, home office, extra bedroom, or even open floor plans
- Budget – Figure out how much you are willing to spend on this project. However, ensure that it is a realistic figure, and also plan for contingencies
- Site – Where you build also determines how you build to a large extent. This is because there are location-relevant factors like soil conditions, zoning rules, and permits to navigate
- Timeline – Figure out how long you want the project to take
At the very least, ensure that you get clarity on the above-listed. A thorough understanding of what you want as it concerns the above-listed ensures that you can communicate your needs to the home builder.
Build a Relevant Shortlist
Start gathering names of reputable custom-home building services once you are done clearly defining your goals and needs. You need to know the right place to search for these building services. The following are some places where you can search:
Online Platforms
The internet allows you to read reviews about possible options and even go through portfolios. Zillow, Google, Houzz, and even Instagram are some of the platforms that come in handy for this purpose.
However, knowledge of how to tell credible platforms apart from biased ones is important. For more on this, you can see: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/.
Builders Association
The best service providers in this line of work typically affiliate with and receive vetting from pertinent builder associations. The builder’s associations would mostly depend on the location.
Referrals
You should ask people around who have hired such service providers for the same purpose. Their experience can help you make the right choice.
Evaluate Credentials
Credential evaluation is essential, and it has to do with assessing the expertise, experience, and work portfolio of the considered options. There are key things to examine in this regard and they include:
Project Portfolio
This is simply reviewing the images of completed projects or even requesting a site visit to see for yourself some projects that the companies you are considering have completed in the past. While reviewing these past jobs, pay close attention to the style range, service quality, and attention to detail.
Home Type Specialty
There are several custom-home styles. After figuring out your preferred style, make sure that the service providers under consideration have the capability and experience to build such.
Years of Industry Experience
Examine how long the custom-home builder has been in the business of offering this service. By the way, industry experience is also about the years of industry experience of key players in the company.
Licensing and Insurance
Make sure that any option under consideration has the legal right to offer services in your area. After confirming the company is duly licensed, make sure it is also adequately insured.
Conduct Thorough Interviews
Make sure you set up a time to interview the options you are considering. Do this no matter how impressive they seem on paper or how highly people around recommend them.
Conducting a thorough interview requires asking the right questions. On this note, some of the very important and relevant questions to ask include the following:
- How do you manage a custom home build from the initial concept through to the final delivery?
- What guarantees do you offer on your workmanship and materials?
- How do you address change orders, including communication, documentation, and potential cost implications?
- Can you share information about your core team of subcontractors and the longevity of those associations?
- How often can I expect to receive updates on the project, and through what methods?
- What is your financial management process for custom home builds, and how do you ensure projects remain on budget?
- Could you provide a list of references from homeowners you’ve recently completed projects for?
These questions above are not exhaustive, but their answers will address many of your concerns and help you determine if you are considering the right company. So, ensure that you ask these questions and pay attention to the answers provided.
Contract Review and Clear Communication
Go through the contract provided by the custom home builder, regardless of verbal assurances and agreements. This is because the contract is the binding agreement between the service provider and client. Therefore, make sure the contract clearly and fairly covers the following areas:
- Payment Schedule
- Work Scope
- Material Specifications
- Warranties and Guarantees
- Dispute Resolution
- Change Order Process
- Timeline with Contingencies
To protect your interests, having a construction-savvy lawyer review this document is a good idea. On your end, you should also keep the line of communication open and as flawless as possible. For example, check in often, keep records, and set early expectations. You can check here for more on ensuring proper communication as a client.
Conclusion
Finding and working with the right custom home builder is a matter of thoughtful consideration. This article has discussed 5 important things to help steer your thoughts in the right direction, and you should take them seriously.
