Which Custom Home Builder? (Part 1 in a Series)

The quest in building your perfect dream home may often be chocked-full of surfing Pinterest, various architectural/building websites, driving new neighborhoods, visiting home shows and builder showrooms …maybe even considering sustainable technologies like renewable energy!  The possibilities are literally endless!

But as anyone who has built a home, especially a custom home, can tell you, the pitfalls are also nearly endless.

Obviously, a good home builder will not only make every effort to competitively and competently build your home, but will also creatively add value to your vision with ideas for improving functionality, energy efficiency, curb appeal, etc.

The best value-added builders also have systems of standard operating procedures to facilitate the integration of the wide range of tangible and intangible resources found between the builder, the design team, suppliers and the myriad of trade contractors necessary to complete your vision.  Although your builder will be charged with orchestrating this process to maximize the benefit and value of your new home, there is no doubt that building a great home is always a team process and communication is key in establishing expectations, avoiding misunderstandings and the potential for adverse financial and legal ramifications.

Where to begin?

Before you start considering and contracting with your design professionals, assess, organize and prioritize all your desires for your new home.  Although this list may be subject to constant change, being organized in your thoughts and communications at any given moment will greatly assist everyone in the process as you begin to vet members for your building team, convey your vision, garner preliminary budget estimates, then ultimately monitor for selections made during the construction phase.

If you’re just getting started, make a list!  A digital list will provide greater ease for modification and communication. I would list your needs and desires under the appropriate category in an outline such as this Home Building Design Idea Outline.  You can also paste photos, links and snippets from websites or other scanned material. Remember, a picture really does paint a thousand words! The physical construction of a home is largely a linear process and such organization will also help give you an idea where your needs and desires chronologically fall in the construction process.

In any event, stay tuned for future posts on this series for selecting a custom home builder.

Note: The views expressed are solely the opinion of the author.
Image source: Thinkstock via Custom Direct Inc.