Building a custom home can be an intimidating process that often begins with one big step: selecting a home builder. And while a Google search might offer a list to begin with, 1:1 interviews are the best way to determine the right fit for you and your project. Interviewing a Custom Home Builder Throughout months […]
Building a custom home can be an intimidating process that often begins with one big step: selecting a home builder. And while a Google search might offer a list to begin with, 1:1 interviews are the best way to determine the right fit for you and your project.
Interviewing a Custom Home Builder
Throughout months of planning, construction and even for up to a year after your project’s completion, you will work very closely with your custom home builder and their team of professionals. It’s a big commitment. For this reason, it’s very important to make sure you are working with someone you trust and enjoy. Choosing the right builder allows for an exciting and rewarding experience, while choosing the wrong one has the potential for a frustrating, stressful and expensive experience. Here are ten questions you should ask any custom home builder when interviewing them for your project.
10 Questions to ask your potential Home Builder
1. Are you fully licensed and insured?
A custom home is an expensive project with significant amounts of liability. You want to be sure that you are working with a reputable home builder that is not only experienced, but has the securities of a license and insurance. This should be a firm non-negotiable for you and your project.
Sycamore Home Co. is fully licensed and insured with both builder’s risk and general liability insurance. Please contact us for more information about either of these.
2. What do you offer that other home builders do not?
For some builders, this might be an easy question for you to answer yourself. You might have things in mind such as great reputation, quality craftsmanship, or solid reviews. Those should be the bare minimum. Your custom home builder should be able to openly share what sets them apart from other builders.
At Sycamore Home Co, we recognize that building a beautiful, lasting and true-to-you custom home is just the foundation of what we offer. We pride ourselves on being incredibly transparent, overly communicative and operating with integrity in a field that is sometimes known for a single sticker price without explanation.
3. What are the benefits of building with you?
Each home builder offers a different approach to building a custom home. Your builder should be able to outline exactly what sets them apart and why you would want to consider working with them. You want to know what they can provide for you that you can’t find anywhere else in your area.
Sycamore Home Co. utilizes a unique approach in that we offer truly custom homes. Our clients work directly with a professional interior designer to design their home to exact specifications. For example, if a client requests built-ins, the blueprints aren’t only marked with “Built Ins Go Here,” but instead include a fully dimensioned and stylized drawing of the final approved design. Details like this are carried out through the entire building process so that our clients are left with their dream custom homes and not a modified spec plan.
4. Who will oversee my project?
This is an important question to ask to gain a better understanding of how the construction company is structured and who you will be primarily working with. Sometimes the person that is selling you on your project isn’t the one that will be physically building it, and unfortunately, just because a company has a great salesperson, doesn’t mean they are the most qualified home builder. When making such an important decision you’ll want to understand the qualifications – and personalities! of the people you’ll be in direct contact with. And most of all, you don’t want to be left feeling high and dry after signing your contract.
At Sycamore Home Co, we lead with transparency. Our three owners are each dedicated to one of the following pillars of our company: Customer Service, Operations and Construction. Throughout your project, you’ll be able to utilize all three for a best-in-class experience, and you can trust your home will be under their direct supervision.
5. How will I communicate with you during my project?
The success of a project lives and dies by communication. Building a home is an incredibly involved and personal process. Communication should be a top priority to you when selecting the person who will build your home. Some builders require all communication to be funneled through an app or email system of theirs, while others prefer direct phone calls or messages.
6. How long will it take to build my home?
For many reasons, it’s important to have a general idea of how long construction might last for a home of the same size and complexity as yours. This is an important detail to note for financing, pricing and your overall expectations! Keep in mind, the answer to this question is dependent upon things such as: size of home, season you begin, size of construction company, your ability to make decisions on time, and Mother Nature.
While the length of construction is dependent on many variables, we always make an effort to be realistic with our customers when estimating how long a particular project should take. It is important for us to set realistic expectations from the beginning, so our clients can trust that we are providing them with our best knowledge.
7. How customizable is my custom home?
A “custom home” means something different to every builder you speak with. It’s important that you and the builder you choose have the same definition of a custom home. For some, this means simply tweaking layouts, colors and finishes within one of their existing floor plans. For others, it means building a new floor plan for the first time, executed by a draftsman and designer with your dream home intentions in mind.
At Sycamore Home Co, we only build truly custom homes. This means, you won’t find us sharing a booklet of pre-designed homes for you to pick from and modify. We are eager to welcome your team of architects and designers into our process, forming a well-rounded and knowledgable Build Team.
8. I have a big life event/holiday coming up. Can I expect my home to be move-in ready by then?
Before embarking on your construction journey, take some time to think about any major life events or holidays that you have coming up. Many people will say they want to be in their new home by Christmas. This is a detail to share when interviewing a builder so they are able to tell you whether or not that is possible. It’s always best to set realistic expectations upfront, so there is no disappointment on the backside.
9. Do you include landscaping in your custom home design process?
When picturing your completed home, is it sitting on a dirt lot? Or, is it filled with lush landscaping and a thick, green lawn? Chances are, the latter! Make sure to confirm with your builder that landscaping is including within their bid and the scope of work so you aren’t left with a surprise at the end of your project.
And finally… a question to ask yourself: Do I trust this person AND feel we could work well together for a year (or longer)?
Meeting someone for the first time leaves you with an initial gut reaction. It’s important to ask yourself if the builder you are interviewing feels like a salesperson making a deal or a craftsman excited to work with you. Keeping in mind that your custom home project will likely take at least a year to complete, picture yourself meeting or talking with this person weekly, if not more.
Are you interested in building or remodeling a home in the Columbia, Missouri area? Send us a message today to learn more about Sycamore Home Co.
