How To Find A Custom Home Builder To Create Your Dream Home

If you’ve decided to take the next step towards building your dream home, you want to make sure you pick the best custom home builder for the job. A lot of work goes into this process before you even choose a contractor. It’s good to be mindful, thorough, and smart when it comes to choosing the right custom home builder. This is your home after all, and the process should be every bit as wonderful as the end result. Here are some tips on how to phase the dilemma that is choosing between any number of builders. 

Plan, Plan, and Plan Some More

Before taking the plunge on building your custom home, you should do a lot of research so you can be well prepared when the time comes to talk to your contractor. Too many times people take on the challenge of building their home without knowing all the ins and outs. They end up scratching it all together and buying instead of building due to time or budget constraints they didn’t plan for. 

Where do you want to build?

Do your research on what neighborhoods are going to work for your custom build. There may be different restrictions or property taxes depending on the city or county and maybe the area you were thinking of isn’t actually ideal for your new home. Look for areas that have affordable plots of land, in nice areas that are either built up already or will be in the future. Or, if you don’t want neighbors, look into more remote areas and have a list ready for your contractor when that time comes, with all the necessary information listed. 

What type of home would you like?

You should know exactly the type of home you want to build, early on. You’ll want the layout and style of your home to reflect you and your style. The types of homes are endless, and whether you want a basement, single level, or multi-level home will drastically affect how long and how much your custom build can be, and may dictate the company you choose to go with. So think long and hard about the direction you want to take. 

What is your budget?

Determining your budget for your custom home build is going to have a lot more pieces to it than your budget for buying a home. You will need to consider the price of the land, prepping the site for the build, framing, plumbing and electrical systems, exterior finishes, interior finishes, final steps and polishing, miscellaneous, and the end sales price. It can really add up, so talk with a professional to plan out all the areas and give them each their own range of budget, and you will get a range for your budget that you will then be able to use to determine where, when, and how you will get your custom home built. 

Make a List of Potential Builders

Do some research on builders in your area by looking at reviews, getting a feel for who they are on their websites and web presence, and come up with a nice compiled list of your favorites to start. 

Utilize your local Home Builders’ Association for help.

The National Association of Home Builders can help you find legitimate, credentialed builders in your area. You should only choose a builder who is called out as having the proper certifications and having a special certification like GAF Master Elite builder only solidifies their professionalism and good work. Utilize the resources available to you before trying to browse a search engine on your own. 

Ask family and friends for recommendations.

One of your best tools to finding good companies to work with is getting recommendations from people you trust that have worked with them before. Put those feelers out on social media, or via text and ask if anyone knows anyone who recently built a home. Word of mouth can be one of the best ways to discover new businesses to work with. First-hand reviews should absolutely be utilized. 

Real estate companies may be able to help refer builders for your area. 

Realtors and other people in the industry can be great resources for this kind of stuff. They work with people buying and selling houses every day. They know what the average rate of houses are in certain areas, and can even discuss trends so you know where the market is going and can help aid your decision on where to build or how much to invest in your new home. 

Do your homework and research who’s most active in the area.

Look for a home builder that is active in the community. Watch their social media and see that they are actively working on homes, attend events, and have a general good vibe about their community. Look for a company that cares and is passionate about home building, and shares that with the world! 

Do Your Research

Don’t get the wool pulled over your eyes by a sketchy contractor. Show up prepared, with some research under your belt, so you know a bit what to expect and what questions you still have for them after reading up on it. 

Narrow your list down and prepare a list of questions to ask the contractors. 

Start by asking your questions online that you have about the process, and see what your research tells you. If you can get multiple perspectives on an issue, you can be well prepared to handle what the contractor will tell you, and compare to the answers you’ve found. Don’t be afraid to challenge them based on what you found, because there may not always be one way to do things. On the other hand, don’t take what non-professionals have said online as truth. The builders will know what’s best, but it’s good to know what you’re getting into before you meet with them. 

Check out any open houses or newly built homes they’ve done in the neighborhood.

Keep your eyes and ears open for any open houses for homes built by local companies. Help yourself and go check it out and see what kind of work they do! Seeing first-hand their work can be a great tell for what you could expect in your new home. If you want to be even more investigative, try and take a look at newly built homes that are occupied, and drive by and check out the handy work. It might help inspire you in your decisions on what type of home to build and where. 

Keep note of how they communicate and interact with you.

Be mindful of how the owners or managers communicate with you during your research. If they are rude, unresponsive, or unwilling to share information, they may not be the ones to go with. Sometimes a company doesn’t want to engage until they have a contract signed, which may be a red flag. Look for a company who is transparent, vocal, and willing to answer any questions you may have. Someone who is unresponsive now may be unresponsive and hard to reach when you work with them, which will not be good and can really dampen the entire experience. So, just be aware of how they communicate and keep track of anything they say to make sure they don’t go back on their word. 

Look for Quality and Value

Building your custom home is a major investment, and your money should be used for the highest quality and best value products. 

Above all, shop for quality products, and research the products they use. 

A lot of builders may have contracts and agreements with material companies to use only that product. Do your due diligence and if you see a company that uses only a certain brand of paint, wood, or other materials, research those materials and ensure they are sound. A company that has an agreement with a reputable brand can be a great sign that the work you get from them is going to be of the utmost quality. Since they work with that same brand so often, they are likely masters at that craft and you can guarantee great craftsmanship, and probably some warranties along with it. 

Ask around for prices to compare and counter.

Call around for prices on materials to make sure a company isn’t massively up charging you for it, just because of their deal or claim to use that brand. You want the best value for your materials, and if you find a company is going to rip you off just to buy the materials through them, then maybe go a different route. 

Look for a company who is transparent about what they use, what they charge, and what you can expect. 

A company that is willing to share the nitty-gritty details of what products they use, how much they charge for it, and what types of quality each has, that’s a good sign that they just want to do what is best for the customer. Look for transparency, not talking down brands — there’s a big difference. A company that can talk about the different levels of quality between brands and products, without talking down on them, can be a good person to work with. They have worked enough with different brands to know the major differences and guide you through the best way to get the best value out of your investment. 

At Treasured Spaces, we love to achieve that “wow” factor when a customer sees their end result. It drives us to create unique, beautiful homes that our clients love. From the very first meeting to the final reveal, we work diligently with clients to give them their dream home they envisioned from the start. To get started on your custom home build, give us a call at 612-255-1680.