Identifying the best pro to build your new home starts by clarifying your wants and needs.
Should you heed the conventional advice about getting price bids from three builders? Maybe, but once you understand the complexities and uncertainties that go into a bid, you will see why there may be a more effective approach.
It’s natural to have questions and changes when building a custom home. Prevent surprises and delays by getting answers from the top.
There are lots of things homeowners can do to keep their building project running smoothly. Number one is making timely product choices, but another key action is to direct all change requests and questions, no matter how small, to the builder or the builder’s representative (usually the project superintendent).
It wasn’t that long ago that a window was a window … was a window. Basically, a hole in the wall fitted with a wood-framed pane of glass that allowed a view to the outside and provided a little bit of daylight into a house.
Over the past 25 years, windows have changed dramatically. Not only are they far more energy-efficient than their predecessors, they are available in a wide range of styles, frames and glass options. Today, professional builders and homebuyers are able to precisely align a window’s energy performance, cost, and style to achieve an optimum solution for any home.
The pro who conducts your project to its finale draws from a deep well of knowledge
Some builders call them job supervisors. Others refer to them as project managers, or PMs. Regardless of the title, these individuals are the unsung heroes of the residential construction business. Many homeowners don’t fully appreciate the skills these pros bring to the table, or how crucial they are to the homeowners’ satisfaction and the builder’s business.
Thanks to all of you who stopped by to visit our award-winning Feature Home during the Parade of Homes. I enjoyed chatting with the many friends, clients and new visitors who stopped by.
The best builders know that the initial meeting is about earning your trust
A big factor in someone’s choice of a builder is their comfort with the first person they meet from the company, whether it’s the owner or a sales person. Natural rapport is important, but gut feelings also play a role–feelings some homeowners aren’t sure how to interpret.
Simple, affordable and easy-to-install wireless is making the long-predicted smart home a must-have.
PC Magazine has called 2016 The Year of the Home—the start of a flowering of wireless devices that will make home life easier, healthier and more fun. Research certainly bolsters that view: a Coldwell Banker survey found that nearly half of homeowners either already own or are planning to buy smart home devices, and technology forecaster Gartner, Inc. foresees 500 connected devices in the average home by 2022.
Consulting with a builder before drawing the plans will save expense and headaches.
Most custom builders have had clients show up at their office with a set of finished plans that, in reality, will cost 25% to 30% more than the clients’ target budget. Fortunately, this problem is easily avoided. Working with the builder on a pre-budget can eliminate unpleasant surprises and help the clients get the home they want at a price they can manage.
Some big obstacles stand in the way of the three-bid advice.
Folk wisdom, online articles, and basic instincts advise homeowners to solicit bids from several qualified contractors. But three major obstacles get in the way of making those bids realistic and useful: the need for detailed plans and job specifications, the need for comparable bidders, and the need to structure the bids for easy comparisons. Getting all three right is rare.
Strict allowance policies benefit homeowners as much as builders.
Why do builders prefer that the homeowners choose every single item that will go into the house before they break ground? It’s not just for the builder’s convenience. A choice postponed may end up being made at a time when the homeowners are feeling a lot of construction stress. Decisions made under stress raise the chance of buyer remorse.
