Frequently Asked Questions
Building a custom home can be one of the most difficult and important decisions you'll ever make as is choosing the general contractor. Typically this will be one of your most expensive purchases and choosing the wrong general contractor could possibly be a very expensive mistake. Sadly, many people have had bad experiences because they did not know what questions to ask.
Hopefully, some of the following questions will help you when you start your process to have your custom home built.
What are the right questions to ask?
There are many questions, but the most important is to find out if the contractors customers are satisfied. If they are, then you know that the price was reasonable, quality was good and the contractor followed up on call backs. If the contractor has years of experience, he or she will probably answer many of the questions you have before you ask them.
How do I select a General Contractor?
Once you've decided to start the process, ask neighbors near your property, banks, real estate agents or anyone you have made friends with during your visits to the area. Select more than one contractor, arrange appointments with them and request references. Ask to visit one of the homes they have built and one they are currently building. Inquire about the materials and standard features they include in their homes. At the end, you have to feel comfortable with your contractor and know that they are trustworthy.
What happens to the price of the home if we add upgrades during construction?
During the construction process, any upgrades are treated as "change orders." Prior to any work, the change order is agreed by both you and the contractor indicating the cost of the change and the total amount affecting the total price. Our policy is to reduce change orders because these can add up substantially. We try to have you make all selections and stipulate all the specifications prior to the beginning of construction.
How long does it take to build a home?
Typically, an average sized home in this area (1350 - 2500 sq. ft.) can take anywhere from 3 to 5 months to build. Of course, the larger the home, the longer it will take. Our homes are not all one-of-a-kind, unlike that of spec. homes. A good comparison would be baking a cake from scratch or buying one in a box.
How long does it take to build a custom home?
In one form or another, this question is one of the most frequent requests we receive from our visitors. Unfortunately, it is also one of the few questions that we simply cannot answer very specifically. Can you tell me how much it costs to take a vacation or send my kids to college? How much should I expect to spend on a new car?
What about the warranty?
We warranty our homes for 1 year on material and workmanship protection and 5 years on structural. Many of the materials and fixtures carry a much longer warranty which is offered by the manufacturer.
All of these questions contain so many variables that it is impossible for anyone to answer them accurately without first asking several additional questions and gathering much more information. Labor
and material costs can vary substantially based upon the time of the year, complexity or uniqueness of the project, good or bad economic times, jobsite conditions, regional markets, the unemployment rate,
local building codes, construction moratoriums, zoning laws, covenants and restrictions, availability of supplies and workers, weather conditions, natural disasters, public or private water and sewer, and
several hundred other factors. And, to make matters worse, there really isn't any uniform method of measuring square footage. Is your builder or realtor using exterior dimensions or interior dimensions?
Have they included the garage or basement in their calculations? What about decks or covered porches?
Unfortunately, the only way to be sure that your homebuilding budget is reasonable is to start by determining how much you can afford to spend, then be realistic about the size of the house you need, and finally, decide what and where you can afford to build.
After you have a good idea of your financial situation, visit several show homes in the community in order to see room sizes, the type of finishes, and the quality of workmanship that you should expect in that price-range. Also remember that sometimes some of the things seen in show homes often are not included in the price of the "standard model".