5 Critical Considerations for Choosing Your Custom Home Builder
Choosing the right custom home builder for your custom home project is the most crucial part of a successful build. Not all home builders are equally skilled, experienced, or even qualified, so choose carefully!
If you want to live in your dream home—you’ll likely need to design and build it yourself.
The fact is, home buyers rarely find their perfect fit on the existing home market. They shop around and eventually settle on a house that fits enough of their wants to be made acceptable.
The advantage of building a custom home is that there’s no need to settle. You have the opportunity to plan and execute every aspect of your home, from it’s positioning on the lot you choose to every last detailed material.
There are, however, some possible drawbacks to building a custom home. Building a house from scratch requires a lot of time, effort, and expense.
Before you can even start the building process, you have to plan out every aspect of the project alongside a budget.
One of the most crucial steps you must take in this process is choosing a custom home builder with the expertise to help you plan, budget, and skillfully bring your vision to life.
The success of a custom home building project relies heavily on the contractor you select for your build.
But how can you ensure that you’ve chosen the right custom home contractor for your project?
Let’s discuss!
#1. Custom Built Homes & Home Builder Reputation
A custom home builder’s reputation will give you a clear indication of what you can expect if you were to entrust them with your own custom home, so research and referral are incredibly important.
Paying customers are usually honest in their review of a home building professional, as well as the products, services, and experience that they provided.
Before signing a contract with any old custom home builder, do yourself a favor and get online.
Look for reviews, references, credentials, past project photos, and anything else you can find on any builders you are considering.
You can even go as far as contacting preferred building suppliers to find out if they have worked with the builder before to learn more about their home building reputation and professionalism.
A custom home builder’s reputation depends not only on the quality of work they deliver but also on how willing they are to meet their clients’ requirements in terms of timely completion and going the extra mile to solve specific problems.
#2. Custom Home Building Experience & Credentials
Suppose a home builder is new to the industry. In that case, they may not have the necessary skills needed to solve problems efficiently, stay within your budget, meet quality standards, or complete the project within a reasonable time, especially when it comes to extensive building projects.
You may feel an inexperienced builder would be a better option as they may be willing to work for less money. However, an established building company will actually be the most affordable option as the chances of structural defects and recurring costs are significantly lower.
In addition to experience, your builder should also have credentials that are up to date. A building team that regularly undergoes training will value and employ the latest building practices and standards, reducing input costs, saving time, and provide you with a better outcome overall.
#3. Do Your Custom Home Builder Use Subcontractors?
A builder is not the only person that will be working on your custom home.
Homebuilders typically appoint subcontractors specializing in certain areas, such as roofing, plumbing, carpentry, and floorwork.
You may choose a reputable and experienced builder. Still, if he hires one of his subcontractor buddies, all your effort in vetting the builder would be for nothing, especially if the subcontractor delivers sub-par work.
Ask your home builder for a list of the subcontractors they may use and their credentials. A professional builder will typically furnish you with the subcontractors’ reviews, certifications, and references so that you can rest assured you are dealing with professionals.
To be as thorough as possible, don’t be afraid to arrange meetings with the subcontractors to learn more about their services, see their license, and discuss your requirements.
In many cases, builders are loyal to their preferred subcontractors rather than their clients.
To avoid these kinds of pitfalls, ensure that the subcontractors who will be working on your custom home have the necessary skills, experience, and professionalism you seek as well.
#4. What Will Be Your Custom Home’s Predicted Turnaround Time?
The completion time is critical for custom home building, especially if you intend to live in the house by a specific deadline.
If your builder has many projects going on at the same time as yours, their staff could neglect your project and leave you hanging for weeks, if not months.
To ensure a reasonable turnaround time, state the date of completion in the contract with a legal consequence to ensure your builder holds up their end of the deal.
A luxury home builder that is willing to agree to a date of completion is, in all likelihood, a professional and will take all of the necessary steps to ensure that they get the work done on time.
Failure to state and agree to your custom home’s turnaround time in writing before completing your initial contract will allow the builder to prolong the project while working at other sites.
Open-Ended project durations almost always result in additional expenses and frustration.
#5. Custom Home Quality & Value
The quality of building materials and craftsmanship applied to your custom home project is a crucial consideration to contemplate before selecting your home builder.
To get an idea of the type of quality you can expect, visit homes that the contractor has built in the past and take an in-depth look at the building’s quality.
Try to talk to the owners of these custom-built homes if possible and ask them about the builder’s performance, specifically regarding completion time, cost-efficiency, and overall satisfaction.
Be fully aware of the value your builder is claiming to offer you through their services. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
If the turnaround times, costs, and value all sound unreasonably good, the chances are that they are trying to secure you as a client without paying heed to their promises.
Research Results in a Custom Home Builder You Can Trust
We understand that it may be tempting just to accept a builder’s word on the quality of their work, experience, and credentials, as well as that of their subcontractors; many people have.
However, many of those same people have unfortunately had to learn the hard way that by not doing some research and utilizing a written agreement to their advantage, they set themselves up for quite a bit of prolonged trouble and disappointment.
BUT, with a little dedicated time and in-depth research, you’ll have nothing to worry about. Many professional home builders offer high-quality solutions for new construction homes all over the US.
By taking these considerations into account, you will be able to find the best professional for your custom home project and can rest assured that you will be fulfilled by the time you move into your beautiful new home.
If you’ve found yourself Googling “Custom Home Builders Near Me,” don’t settle for the first couple of contractors you come across; dig deeper.
For Custom Home design and building services you can rely on, contact Picklo Homes today!
Our experienced team of professionals is more than happy to address your every concern and ensure you get what you want out of your custom home build.