Building a custom home or adding on to your existing home is a pretty big decision. You’ll want a professional and capable home builder but how do you determine if a company holds these qualities? How will you avoid a potential money pit and end up with your dream home? The more you know going in, the better the home you’ll have when you come back out. Here are 5 easy tips to help get you started.
1. Know What You Want
Before you make contact with any prospective builders, make sure you have taken the time to think about what YOU want. Once the process is finished you may be living with your decision for years to come. Decide the type of home, the scope of the project, and how much you intend to spend. Many building companies may specialize in certain areas and just by having a good idea of what you hope to achieve can help narrow down your choices right away. Are you a first-time homeowner, upgrading your existing home, or are you building your custom dream home?
Understanding your own needs first is a great start on your home construction project. Not only will this help you to choose a builder that will fit your specific needs but will also allow you to more accurately discuss time frames and overall pricing.
2. Experience Matters
When it comes down to it, you’re going to want a seasoned professional in your corner. Find out everything you can about prospective builders.
How long have they been in business? What is the accumulative skill and experience of their team? Will they be able to organize and manage the entire process while keeping up with deadlines and budgets?
The answers to these questions are paramount and should carry much weight in your decision-making process.
3. Contact Multiple Home Builders and Embrace Bidding
Once you have a good idea of what you want and have done some research into potential builders, request a consultation and start the bidding process. It is important that this information is clear and specific, outlining costs with great detail.
The idea is that by getting multiple estimates for the same work you will be able to see where and how these companies will differentiate from one another in terms of cost and time.
4. Warranties
Nearly every product you buy carries with it a warranty of some kind. Your biggest investment, your home, should come with a long-term warranty. A written and insured warranty means that you’re covered in the event of a warranted problem and that your builder intends to do high-quality work.
This will give you the homeowner peace of mind knowing that any major repairs are years away and that you could expect prompt and quality service should a problem arise.
5. Talk to the Experts
Is your prospective builder local? Speak to other local professionals. Building inspectors, builders associations, material suppliers, lenders, and real estate agents can all give you valuable insight and perspectives on builders in your area.
Speak to enough people that have some connection to the industry and a pattern may emerge. You may learn that a specific company may have a great record with passing inspections, has an excellent relationship with suppliers and lenders, or that real estate agents love to work with their properties due to their high resale value.
Take Your Time When Choosing a Home Builder
This is one of the major decisions in your life and will likely impact your life for years to come. Take your time and gather up as much information as you can. Be ready, be informed, and the right builder for the job should become clear.
The team at DRF Builders is always happy to help by lending their expertise. Please feel free to contact us with any and all questions you may have about your next building project.
