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 Choosing the Type of
Builder To Construct Your New Home
When you decide to build a new home, the type of house you want
influences what type of building company you select. Home building
firms can have from one to hundreds of employees. Some buyers prefer
the security a large corporate establishment represents. Others prefer
the personal attention and family feeling of smaller companies.
Careful consideration in choosing a builder can assure that the amount
of time, emotion and money you will invest in a new home will result
in a comfortable home that you can enjoy for years.
There are basically three types of builders: production builders,
semi-custom builders and custom builders. Choosing a builder in each
category has its advantages and disadvantages. Production builders are
organized for higher volume construction. They have standardized model
homes to tour and study the quality of the builder’s work. Having a
standardized list of choices, for floor coverings, tiles, countertops,
light fixtures, cabinets and exterior finishes means it’s faster and
easier to make selections. The cost of your selections is known
quickly and can make it easier to finalize your decision. Through
repletion, the production builder has worked any bugs out of floor
plans and the time to build is usually shorter. Higher volume work,
such as a subdivision, and the advantage in scheduling trade
contractors can result in significant cost savings.
A disadvantage to choosing a production builder is that any change to
the floor plan that alter the structural elements, such as foundation
walls, requires reengineering and resubmission of plans to the
building department. These expensive and time-consuming steps disrupt
the momentum of high volume construction.
Semi-custom builders work with existing plans, but are flexible
regarding changes. Some home buyers feel more comfortable starting
with a plan rather than developing their own. The disadvantage to
making changes to an existing floor plan is that the fine-tuning takes
time and money. When floor plans are changed, the economies of
large-volume work are lost, resulting in higher prices.
Custom builders specialize in starting with a blank sheet of paper and
creating a unique home. They have experience with a wide variety of
finishes, unusual treatments and design details. Because each house is
one-of-a-kind, home buyers can expect significant initial investment
in time and dollars for design development and the creation of working
blueprints and specifications.
There are several different sources for finding the builder. Local
home builder associations are professional organizations that can
provide lists of member companies. Visit the
Find a Professional directory for a list of their builder members.
Potential home buyers can check newspaper advertising and real estate
agents, as well as driving around and looking at new homes. Moving a
long distance from your current residence more challenging. A visit to
your new city where you can use the methods described above will
probably de necessary.
After you get a general idea of the available builders comes the
important task of narrowing your list of potential builders down to
one. Look closely at each builder’s finished work and their work in
progress. Notice the quality of site management. Are the homes and
materials reasonable protected from weather, traffic damage and theft?
When you meet the builder, ask about things that are important to you
and get some sense of the company’s personality. You will be spending
considerable time with the builder and his employees; you will want to
find a company with whom you are compatible. Ask to meet the person
who would be in charge of building your home. What experience does he
or she have?
Many builders today provide a homeowner manual that guides buyers
through the process and serves as a reference after the move-in. Find
out whom you would contact with questions. Are there routine points
when you are invited to tour your home and have the company’s
undivided attention to discuss questions? What is the policy on change
orders? Ask to see the contract documents and warranty and take blank
copies home. Pay close attention to sample specifications and written
warranty standards.
Throughout the selection stage, your explorations and conversations
will no doubt lead you to the same names again and again. Comparing
one detail after the next, you will probably keep coming back to the
same builder. When the price range is in line with your budget, and
you feel more excited than ever to get started, you have probably
found the right builder.
Information taken from Building Your Home, An Insiders Guide, by
Carol Smith. It is available through Home Builder Press (800)
223-2665. The cost is $21.95.
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