There are many decisions to make when it comes to building your custom home. But the most important one? Deciding who will be your custom builder. To help you make the right decisions, here are some tips on how to choose the right custom builder for your home.
Determine Your Expectations and Style
Before you look for a custom builder, take a moment to think about the expectations you want for this experience. What level of involvement do you want in the building of your home? Do you want to sit back and relax while the builder works, or do you want to be very hands-on with the process?
It’s also important to consider the style you want for your home. While custom builders are 100% custom, having ideas of what you want your home to look like, what floorplan you’d prefer, and what must-haves you need will help you feel prepared going into finding the builder you want.
Do Your Research
Once you have those things in mind, it’s time to dig deep into research! It’s always best to start your research by talking to friends, family, and neighbors for positive custom builder referrals. However, sometimes your trusted circle doesn’t have any experience with builders. That’s where you turn to search engines!
When researching, be sure to look at their websites to find their process and past builds. But don’t stop there. When researching online, be sure to read reviews. And don’t be scared off because a builder doesn’t have a perfect 5-star rating. While negative reviews can help you weed out bad builders, they can sometimes be fake. Look over all reviews carefully, and if the custom builder responds to reviews, be sure to see how they act in those responses as well.
Meet Them
After you do your research, you’ll narrow your list down to custom home builders you see as your potential pick. The next step is to contact them and schedule a meeting. If you can schedule in-person meetings, all the better. You will be working closely with your builder for quite some time, so you want to feel comfortable with them and confident in them.
If you can’t meet in person, that’s okay, as this meeting still allows you to ask questions, gauge their customer service, and discover if they’re the right fit for you. During this time, the builder can also provide you with more details with information on their design process and introduce you to other team members. If you meet them in person, you can also see samples of their finishes or even be given a tour of a finished home.
Don’t Solely Rely on the Price
When choosing a home builder, it can be tempting to go with the lowest price. Price is a big factor in deciding who to go with, but make sure you choose quality over low pricing. A lower price may look nice, but it can be an indicator of incomplete proposals, low-quality materials, or inexperienced builders who aren’t aware of the true costs of building a home. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. And that’s not something you want to mess with when it comes to your custom home!
Ask the Right Questions
As we mentioned before, meeting with potential custom builders is a great time to ask questions. Never be afraid to ask your builder questions. Ask any and all questions that you need answered. If you need help, here are some questions that can get the ball rolling for you:
- How many of your builds finish on time?
- What is a realistic timeframe for the completion of my home?
- What does your typical design/build process look like?
- How do you handle changes or upgrades during the building process?
- Who will supervise the project? How often will they be onsite?
- How often do quality inspections take place?
- How often will I be taken through the site?
- Who will be my point of contact?
When asking questions, take note of how they answer them. Are they patient with your questions? Or are they giving you short answers and seeming like they’d rather you sit quietly on the sidelines? This can give you a window into how working with them will be.
Pick a Builder You Can Trust
Choosing the right builder can be a tough decision. There’re many builders out there, and you don’t want to choose one and find out you made the wrong choice.
The other points we’ve made are important, but you should also be listening to your gut through this process. By combining information with a sense of trust and confidence, you will be able to decide on the builder that is best equipped to build you the home of your dreams.
Ridgeline Homes is Ready to Build with You
If you’re on the hunt for a custom home builder in Montrose, Colorado, we’d love to be a contender! At Ridgeline Homes, we don’t just build you a house; we build you the beautiful custom-design home of your dreams. Let us show you how simple and enjoyable custom homeownership can be. We’re ready to start this exciting process with you.
