Ask Parker Rose. At some point in life most individuals have to go through the nail biting experience of buying a home. It’s sort of become a grappling moment in life that’s anticipated. In generations past, it would be a house or two later when a family thinks about building a custom home to get exactly what they want and a home that will remain in the family for years. That’s when complications would really kick in! The decision to construct your own home can become quite an undertaking since there are so numerous variables to consider and manage.
But today, custom building and building on your own lot trends are really on the move and we’re seeing more and more first-time home buyer customers and not just the busy families in their prime and empty nesters wanting to “right size”.
If you’re considering building YOUR dream home, the following are some good questions we’re offering up for consideration and resolve. And, note, these points are not about what builders will or won’t do. They will go with their own standards unless you ask to discuss an alternative and in most cases they’ll be happy to accommodate you.
1. Look at the quality of the materials to be used. Take interior walls for example. 2×6 exterior walls with R-21, we believe, should be the standard. Some builders may use the 2×6 exterior walls but with R-19. Others examples of materials and sub-products that are key to the sustainability of your custom home are windows. Double hung windows over single hung windows with full wood interior trim is a better quality solution to have incorporated into the specifications and bill of materials.
Just because the home is going to be custom built doesn’t mean they’re all built the same so compare differences and not just price to make the best decisions.
2. There are three general cost categories in building a home. First, the house cost with or without the lot cost. (Parker Rose Custom Homes plays an active role in sourcing lots) Second, the site work. Some of the large builders may say that excavation is included. What they mean is that they include the actual digging of the hole that the home is to be built in. What is too often misunderstood is that this excavation doesn’t include leveling the house pad and stripping the topsoil (for you to later use for grass seeding). Also you’ll want to be clear about including provisions for prepping and finishing the driveway(s), stone fill, footer drains, gas, electric and sewer lines and septic systems.
Initial pricing can look great but when all of the needs to turn-key the property and home are met, costs can be much higher and actually, unfortunately, seem to skyrocket if added in at the last minute. Some of these services can easily be bundled and offered at cost but some builders will mark up their sub contractors 15 to 18%. Parker Rose Custom Homes provides excavation and other ancillary services bundled in at cost.
3. Seek a turn-key, full-service approach, from lot selection to having the front door keys tossed to you! Have the building contractor take the time to provide you with all the costs to building your new home so that you can make the most informed decision for your budget and life style. Parker Rose Custom Homes does site evaluations and obtain excavator bids at no cost to the customer.
4. Are you able to have designed exactly what you want? Some custom home builders will feel strong about sticking to “their” set of tried and true plans. Nothing wrong with that, especially if it works for you, the customer. But a true custom home builder will not steer you to a plan that only puts more margin in the project for them, but rather, will come up with the solution – alternative – that allows you to get exactly what you want. At Parker Rose Custom Homes, we will make necessary adjustments to meet your needs.
5. The term “In-house financing” initially sounds good but is it the best way for you to go? Quite a few of the large regional and national builders have in-house financing programs through their own lenders or their own subsidiary companies. Parker Rose Custom Homes works with local lenders that offer some of the best rates and programs to be found. We feel that it’s always better to work with a friendly hometown financial expert where you can walk into their door and speak with directly in person, rather than dealing with a different associate each time you call into a call center somewhere.
Reference Links:
https://www.nahb.org/other/consumer-resources/questions-to-ask-your-home-builder
Why Choose Parker Rose Custom Homes?
At Parker Rose Custom Homes, we’ve been all about “family-first” for years and have enjoyed taking a (smart) but pragmatic approach to custom home building. Our team is comprised of hands-on builders who are involved from conceptualization to execution and follow-up. We work hard to ensure that the experience and finished product is exactly as you expected – or better! We take pride in catering to each and everyone one of your needs. We hope to meet you one day to talk about what YOUR “forever home” will look like. See you on the lot!
