Part 10- How To Have A Successful Custom Home Building Experience
From The Builders Perspective
Owners that make timely decisions are every Builders dream and the key to keeping the construction of the home on schedule. Once the Builder receives the building permit from the local municipality it’s time for action! The Builder assembles his team and construction on the new home commences.
If the Owners have been working efficiently with the Interior Designer, all their selections have been made and they can sit back and watch their dream become a reality. The Interior Designer has recorded all the finishing details, the Owners have approved the selection sheets and the Builder has distributed them to his entire team. The final contract agreement has been signed with the Builder and the Owners know exactly how much their home will cost.
If they have been slow to make decisions the Owners are scrambling around, working feverishly to stay in front of the construction progress. The interest clock is ticking and they have no idea home much their home is going to cost. Are they over or under budget and by how much? This is a poor way to start the construction process. The Owners are stressed and the Builder is anxiously calling asking for decisions so he doesn’t have to stop construction on their home. This entire situation could have been avoided by making decisions more timely.
Instead, while your home plans are being designed the Owner works with the Interior Designer and makes all the decisions before you even sign the contract for construction. There is a preliminary meeting with the Builder’s Interior Designer to understand what type of appointments you would like included in your home. The Designer goes off to visit all the Builders suppliers, returns with samples then provides a room by room presentation of everything that you would like to have included in your home. Tile, carpet, cabinets, appliances, counter tops, paint colors, ceiling treatments etc. Everything to make a house a home and what they cost. Perhaps, this may take 2-3 meetings to get everything just right but it sure beats running all over town for weeks and weeks trying to remember what you selected at the flooring company 2 months ago. All the finishes are displayed at one time so you know just what each room in going to look like when it’s completed. The Builder can include these items in the final contract pricing. If the total exceeds your budget, adjustments can be made before construction commences.
Now that you know what your home is going to look like room by room and how much it’s going to cost to make your dream a reality, its time to sit back and watch the dream materialize. This is the fun part of building. All the tough issues are behind you, relax and enjoy.
Smart Builders send the Owners “Weekly Status Reports” as well as the main team members (Realtor, Interior Designer, Architect and Builder) so everyone is kept up to date with the project. The status report covers:
• Reaffirm the homes completion date.
• What was accomplished this week?
• What items have been started but not yet completed?
• What activities are scheduled for next week?
• Items needed from the Owners to keep the project on schedule.
• Attach a photo from live web camera for each work day.
A status report cuts down on the finger pointing. The key team members know what’s happening with the project and what they may be doing to hold things up. If the project is falling behind everyone is aware and steps can be taken to speed things up.
Attaching a photo from each day documents the progress on the home and provides a visual record.
Every week the Builder communicates to the Owners what he may need to keep their home on schedule. Homeowners that react quickly to Builder requests are every Builder dream Clients. They help him by providing the information needed. After all, it takes a solid team effort to design and build a fabulous home the Homeowners can enjoy for years to come.
Have an awesome day!
Mike
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