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Building a Custom Home
Visit Our Real Estate Info Directory
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ou have gathered the home designs and torn out magazine photographs of homes that
you've been saving for the past ten years. Now that you've bought a home site in the
Carolinas, it's time to choose a custom home builder. But, where do you get started?
Relocating to another state, or even within the state, is exciting, but also can be
stressful -- moving the family, getting the children in school, finding good doctors
and a local gym.
You're making one of the most important decisions of your
life, and the decisions will be made easier with some insight on how to choose the
team who can most efficiently build the home of your dreams.
Before starting your custom-builder search, decide on the size, type, style, and price of the home you
are considering. Do you have plans designed? Or, do you need an architect or residential designer to
help design your new home? Most custom builders will build to your plans or will help you with your
design needs.
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n excellent way to get started is to review local area homebuilder guides and publications and speak
with the local Home Builder Association. These guides profile the area's builders and can answer many
of your questions. Most Home Builders Associations have annual parade of homes tours, which is an
excellent way to tour many new homes and actually see the quality of artisanship. Usually the builders
and their teams are on site at the parade to answer questions.
Once you have decided to pursue a custom builder, the next step is determining which builders are
qualified to build in your selected development. As an example, Estates of Wakefield Plantation in
North Raleigh has made this process easier with a carefully selected team of twenty custom homebuilders.
Long Creek Plantation, the 2,400-acre Fazio golf community in Columbia, SC offers a choice of thirteen
and often approves requests beyond their list in certain neighborhoods.
Narrowing down your selection to one builder still can be challenging. Here are a few questions to ask
the custom homebuilders in the interview process:
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1. EXPERIENCE QUESTIONS:
How long has the builder been building homes? How long has the builder been building homes using the current business name? How did the builder learn the business, and whom did the builder work with or for before going solo? How many homes does the builder construct a year, on average? How long has the builder been building in the area that you have selected? How many homes has the builder built in your price range? Can you meet and talk with the construction superintendent?
2. CLIENT REFERENCES:
Ask for permission to contact two or three recent buyers; a spec buyer and a custom homebuyer may give you two different viewpoints. Also ask for a list of addresses of several homes the builder has constructed, including other homes currently under construction, a new home, one at least two years old and one five years old if possible, to allow you to view the exterior of these homes.
3. EXPERTISE QUESTIONS:
How many months is it taking to complete a home, on average, understanding that larger homes take longer? Which jobs does the builder team perform? Which are subcontracted? Are there jobs the builder is qualified to perform yet elects to subcontract? How does the builder select, supervise, and compensate subcontractors? What is the builder's average inspection performance (passes 25 percent on first inspection? 50 percent?)? Here the management skills of the superintendent are critical. (After all, many of the same builders in a region use much of the material and even the subs,) Is the job site maintained in a neat and organized fashion?
4. PROFESSIONALISM QUESTIONS:
What is the builder's general contractor's license number and the level of license held? Is the builder a member of the local Home Builders Association, the Board of Realtors or any other local professional trade organizations?
5.
PROCESS
QUESTIONS:
How often will you meet with the builder during construction? What decisions will the builder make, and which will be referred to you? How does the builder prefer you to communicate -- phone calls, phone appointments, faxes, e-mail, and digitized progress photos by email or postings to "your page" on the builder’s web site, on-site visits? Who else on the team can give you accurate information about progress? Can you reach the builder during the day, and are you willing to accept calls at work from the builder?
6. SERVICE QUESTIONS:
When will the walk-through be scheduled, who will attend, and what information will be covered? How many unfinished items were on the punch list of the last home finished? How long did it take to complete those items? Who will have access to your home to make punch list repairs after you move in, and how much notice is given?
7. WARRANTY QUESTIONS:
Does the builder participate in a group warranty program or offer their own warranty? Have there ever been any warranty claims filed on a home the builder has constructed? Will you receive complete warranty information in writing?
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"If you're building a 2,500-square-foot or 10,000-square-foot home,
you want to make sure you're working with a builder who fits your needs,"
said Jon Rufty, president of Rufty Homes Inc., one of the custom homebuilders
in the Estates of Wakefield Plantations.
"We are currently working with a
couple relocating from Arizona to Raleigh. They were referred from the
realtor who showed them around the city. The couple selected a beautiful
2.5-acre lot in the estate section, then were ready to move to the next
step. After interviewing three custom home builders, we fit their needs
and were experienced with the challenge of working with clients from across
the country."
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"If you're building a 2,500-square-foot or 10,000-square-foot home,
you want to make sure you're working with a builder who fits your needs."
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Mr. Rufty continues, "We also assembled a team of experts in the area
including a local residential designer, who drew their plans and an interior
decorator who has worked on many of the exterior color selections as well as
interior design selections. Working together in a charrette process to insure
client needs and superior craftsmanship results in a more efficient delivery
to custom home buyers."
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Aspects of this article reprinted and rewritten from New Home Builders Magazine.
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