Choosing Custom Home Builder

Tips When Choosing a Custom Home Builder

When you want to get a home built from a custom builder, there are various things to consider. You want to make sure you get a custom home builder that is going to do the job right and make the home that you will most likely spend the rest of your life in. To ensure you get what you want, you need to find a custom home builder and these are the things to consider when looking for a custom home builder.

1.    The first thing you do is ask for references. References are very important because it allows you to talk to former customers and see the work of the custom builder first hand. You want to look at the homes the custom builder has made so you can see if their style matches what you are looking for. When you do talk to the references and home owners, make sure you ask them if they could finish on time and on budget. Ask them if there were any additional upgrade costs, minor changes and how were conflicts or problems resolved?

2.    Get an estimate. Do not just choose a builder because they give you a low estimate. You want to take all the estimates you get, put them together and determine which of the home builders will give you the most for what you can afford.

3.    When you are choosing a custom home builder, write down any questions you may want to ask. Some questions include whether or not the contractor is bonded and insured and if they are, what is the name and location of the insurance company.

4.    You want to know about the crew of the custom home builder and that means you should ask questions about the experience of the builder's crew. You should also talk to them about how often he/she will be at the work site. This is important because a crew works better when the boss is there and if the boss is never there, the speed of construction may dip. You should also ask about whether or not the crew is covered by worker's compensation and how many members of the screw are unskilled workers.

A custom home builder will build the home you want to spend the rest of your life in. Just make sure to follow these tips and questions to ensure you get what you want with your custom home.

Custom Home Builders - How Can You Know Which One Is The Right Builder For You?

So many people are searching for the best possible home builder available to them that can deliver their home to the highest quality and in the best possible time frame. A large majority of home buyers can satisfy their requirements by searching through display homes and visually inspecting the quality of the work within the home and see if it is up to their personal standards. However, when it comes to custom home builders, it's a lot more difficult. Most custom builders don't have display homes to view, so what are your options then?

There are a number of ways home buyers can find their custom home builder. They can search the Yellow Pages (Do people still use the yellow pages? I don't and haven't for at least the last 15 years), observe what is going on around their neighborhood and write down details of builders who may be building in their suburb, speak with friends or family about their experience or do what a lot of people try to do, search the internet for them.

The difficulty then becomes more acute - you've now discovered a few custom builders you'd like to qualify. However, in most cases you've got to walk through unfinished homes as they're the only ones the builder can make accessible to you. On a rare occasion you may be able to go through a home that was recently completed with the owners permission. BINGO! That's great! Because if that client wasn't happy with their home, there's no way they'd be doing the builder a favor and letting you walk through their home.

However, in most cases a lot of working with a custom home builder comes down to trust because it's just so difficult to get real evidence or proof that they can do what they are saying they can do. This is where you may want to utilize the services of a Building Broker who has already done the qualifying for you. More than likely, they will keep updated via the Builders Registration Board and Building Disputes Tribunal on actions against home builders, and over years acquire the knowledge of which builders are best avoided. This will save you a lot of stress when you come to build your individually designed house because that task is big enough on its own without the added headache of a builder who can't perform.