The Process

First Step

The first step is to meet with us to discuss the general ideas for your house, your wants & needs and your budget. Since this is possibly the largest expense you will have in a lifetime, it is important that you are comfortable with us. We will be spending the next 9-12 months together so we should have a good working relationship. 

The Land

The hardest part of the building process is finding the lot. While it’s not required, we suggest meeting with us to examine the lot before purchasing it. The parcel may look like the perfect lot on paper but there may be easements, setbacks or geo-tech restrictions on building your dream home on the lot. We will help to find those and prevent any setbacks once we start the home design. Once you find that lot, then we can start the home design process.

The Design – 1-2 months

To begin work on the design, you will put together a list of needs and wants for your home and any preferences on the way you will live in it and we will review them together. This list should include:

• Approximate size of your home
• One story or two
• What rooms will be on the first floor and second floor?
• Size of the rooms
• Which rooms do you want together? Or separated?
• How many bedrooms and bathrooms?
• Any special rooms like a theater, gym, playroom?

If you have pictures or ideas saved, those help greatly in starting off in the right direction. From this we start with boxes for the rooms and approximate sizes, these will be arranged into a floor plan layout with more detail added as we review the initial designs. Once we have worked out the floor plan, then the exterior elevations are created. Before the house plans are finalized, we will go over the materials and selections you want in the home. This is where the pictures and styles help by giving direction for materials, rooflines, windows, etc. that you like. When the house plans are finished, we will provide a 3D rendering to give you a better vision of the finished product.

Estimates & Financing – 1-2 months

Now that the plans are complete, we will send them out to the subcontractors and suppliers for bids. This process usually takes about 2 weeks. As we receive the bids and put them together for a total cost to build price, we will review them with you and answer questions you may have. During the time it takes to get estimates, we will put together a construction contract and building specs outlining every detail of the house. The specs will include materials and finishes used in every part of the house so that there is no confusion along the way for you, the subcontractors or us. As we review the specs for the house and agree on a cost to build, we can then send a complete building package to the bank for financing. The bank approval usually takes about 45 days.

Construction – 7-10 months

After the financing is taken care of, we can apply for and pick up the building permits to start on your home.  Once you are able to walk through and see the space, it will be easier to visualize the finished product. As part of building a custom home, there will be changes.

Our approach to decisions and changes is different than most. Rather than having to select every detail of the home before you even start construction, we put together allowances for finish items in the house based on the finish quality you are expecting. As construction progresses, you will be notified of upcoming decisions and selections to make for the house. Since you aren’t limited to a few predetermined selections, this helps to make the process fun and not such a daunting task. There are too many amazing materials and designs out there to be limited to A, B or C. This is your custom home.

Finish

At the completion of the home, we do a walk-thru to go over any items that need to be repaired or adjusted. We offer a 1 year warranty with the option of an additional 2 year mechanical and 10 year structural warranty. After the 1st year we return to the home to create a warranty punchlist for repairs.