Three Questions To Answer Before Selecting A Home Builder

Posted on: 1 April 2019

Having a new home built from the ground up is an incredible experience. Not only do you get to have the home of your dreams, but you also get to see it through from conception to final construction. If this is your first time building a new home, however, the process can be overwhelming and that can sometimes turn what should be an exciting experience into a frustrating one. One of the best things you can do to make sure that the process is smooth, enjoyable, and worry-free is to select a competent home builder. When choosing your builder, be sure that you have answers to these three important questions.

Have You Looked at Your Builder's Portfolio?

Any builder should be happy to show you their previous work. Expect builders that you interview to offer plenty of detailed photos of previous home projects that they have been involved in. These photos should include plenty of views of both the interior and the exterior of the home. In many cases, builders will offer to drive you by homes that they worked on so you can get a feel for how they look in the real world.

When evaluating this information, it is important to get a sense of whether your builder has experience working on homes like yours. Has your builder worked on homes with similar features? If your home has cathedral ceilings, has your builder been involved in projects with cathedral ceilings before or will this be a learning experience for them? As a general rule, you want to seek out builders that can bring their talent and experience to your unique project.

Do You Have References?

Almost all builders will provide you with references on request, as well as testimonials from previous customers. In some cases, builders will even have prior customers who are willing to allow for home tours. If tours such as this are not available, you should ask if the builder has a model home or other demonstration location that you can tour.

While simply viewing photos and doing a quickly drive-by can give you a sense of where a builder's experience lies, there is no substitute for getting a closer look at their work. Only by examining projects that your potential builder has worked on in detail will you be able to determine if their level of craftsmanship is up to your expectations.

Is Your Builder Being Upfront About Pricing?

Many less reputable builders will try to provide lowball pricing estimates in order to quickly grab your business. For this reason, it is important to talk to multiple builders and carefully evaluate the prices they provide. In addition to comparing their labor and materials costs against other builders and the local average, it is important to also make sure that nothing is being left out. Be sure that your costs will not balloon out of control once the project is underway.

For more information, consult with custom home builder services in your area. 

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