Category: Home Improvement

How To Find the Right Home Builder for Your New Home

In order to build your dream home, you’ll need a custom homebuilder that can help you bring your vision to life. Building a custom home is unlike any other experience. You get to make your dream home a reality, with the location, layout, and features you’ve always wanted in a house.

Extensive experience.

A long and successful history of crafting homes in your area is one of the most important qualities to look for in a custom homebuilder.  Many builders come and go, but one of the telltale signs of a quality custom home builder is standing the test of time.

Happy customers.

Another perk of choosing a builder with a lot of experience is that you get to hear what existing customers think. Look for other homeowners who have shared their experience with the builder, like the ones here. This will help you get a sense of how smoothly the building process goes, as well as how the company treats its customers.

A strong presence in the area.

One of the benefits of building a custom home is the opportunity to choose your perfect location, whether that’s in a quite Overland Park suburb or tucked in the middle of 10 remote acres in Olathe. You can make the homebuilding process easier on yourself by selecting a builder that has several design locations in your area. You’ll likely be stopping by the design center several times during the build, and choosing a well-established builder ensures that you never have to travel far for support.

Assistance with home design, site evaluation, property development, and more.

Investing in a custom home can feel a bit scary at first. After all, you want everything to go just right, and there are a lot of steps to the process. It’s no wonder buyers are drawn to those builders that help them through the process, including home design and floor-plan customization, financing, site evaluation, and property development—and without countless upcharges

Things To Think About When Building A New Home

Know Your Budget And Stick To It

Before you start building your new home, get pre-approved for a budget and stick to it. Most house plans offer a cost to build tool (usually for a nominal fee) to give you an accurate estimate of construction costs based on where you’re building. The numbers include the costs of construction, tax benefits, funds for the down payment and slush account, and other related calculations

Fully Vet Your Builder

There are many builders are out there, but not all are created equal. Do a little research to find out which builders have the best reputation. Whether you search for information online or get recommendations from your family and friends, find out whether a builder is respected for doing quality work as well as being punctual.

Build With Resale In Mind

No matter how much you love the house that you are building, it’s unlikely that it will be the last home you will ever own. Knowing that, you should be mindful of its potential resale value. While you should personalize your home to your liking, don’t add so many upgrades that you overprice your home for the neighborhood. Stick with timeless designs that will age gracefully with your home. Remember that you can add personal touches with your decorations and paint colors.

Think Green

Building green is the future and you should make sure to maximize then when building your new home. Make sure you do your research to maximize energy-efficiency in the design of your new home. Your architect and builder can help ensure that your windows are South-facing so you get as much sunshine as possible heating your home and brightening it up. You’ll want to makes sure that bathrooms, laundries and garages are on the south side of your home and have small windows to minimize heat loss.

Don’t forget the punch

Part of the final phase of building a new home is to do a pre-walk through with your builder. Make a list at the end of construction that shows what needs to still be done or what needs to be repaired on the new construction. You and your contractor will create this list the week before closing when you go through your final walk through. You should be taking notes every time you visit your construction site or do a walk through.

Questions To Ask Your Home Builder

Building a new home can be an overwhelming experience if you don’t choose the right home builder for your needs. You should thoroughly vet your potential builder before signing any paperwork and avoiding any potential headaches. Here are some important questions to ask before you jump in.

How many homes have you built and how long have you been building for?

Be sure to look up the houses that have been built and read as many reviews as you can…remember, quality is just as important as experience. If the builder has any current homes for sale, it would be worth your time to take a tour.  Some builders have model homes that you can tour also.

Are they licensed and insured? What type of warranty do they offer?

Being properly insured is a huge must. Accidents happen, which is why insurance is so important. If an accidents occurs on the job site, or any damage is caused to your home while it’s being built, be sure the cost of the damage is covered by the builder. Also be sure to ask about a warranty: Find out how long the warranty is good for and what it covers. You don’t want to move into your brand new home only to discover an issue and have to pay out of pocket for it.

What types of homes do they build?

Some builders only build the plans they have designed. Others will build custom homes based on your unique wants and needs. Be sure to ask about standard features included and find out about any upgrade options. If you have your heart set on something that they cannot provide, do not be afraid to search for other options.

Who will be the foreman on the job site?

The foreman is the person in charge of overseeing the project on a day-to-day basis. They will be there for every step of the construction to ensure it is done right. Whoever your point of contact is, it will be important that there is an open line of communication. Building your home is a huge commitment and you should feel as comfortable as possible.

Are New Construction Homes A Good Investment?

You may ask if new construction homes are a good investment. Building a new home can be overwhelming. Let us make your journey simple by being your new home source. We know all about new construction

In this new home construction blog post we will pose questions you may not think to ask as you begin searching for a new home builder. We will answer questions quickly and simply to get you ready for this exciting time.

New Home Construction Questions

Are new construction prices negotiable?

How long does it take to build a new home?

What is the new home building process?

What makes a home energy efficient?

Can a new home help my allergies?

What is a smart home?

What is better: a new construction home or an existing home?

How do I compare builders?

Should I buy or rent a home

What upgrades are worth it?

Are there new construction homes near me?

New Home Construction Pricing

Are new construction prices negotiable? To help you understand how new home construction is priced, we have created a Pricing Guide document that outlines five pricing variables that are taken into consideration including:

Material Costs

Labor Costs

Administrative Costs

Homesite Costs

Reasonable Builder Profit

New Home Building Process

How long does it take to build a new home and what is the process? Building a new home is exciting, you can choose exactly the layout and features that will meet your family’s needs. When you build a new construction home from scratch, there is some time involved. Typically the entire building process takes 8-9 months after contract. The overall time of a build usually depends on the weather conditions. Construction can easily be delayed by shifts in temperature or too much precipitation. Concrete cure time and framing both need to be completed in ideal conditions.

Categories for New Home Building Education

How to Save Money on a New Construction Home

Building your new home is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – investments you’ll ever make, and when you have the ability to build a home with every option customized for you, things can add up. There are a lot of pros of building new construction. Two major benefits of building your home are control over costs and never having to worry about a pre-owned home

You’ve decided that you want to build your dream home. You need to know how to budget but you don’t know what costs go into building a new home. Within this post and our Pricing Guide, we will answer the following; what costs go into the price of a new construction home, how to save money on a new construction home, and how to build a new home on a budget.

What costs go into the price of a new construction home?

To help you understand how new home construction is priced, we have created a Pricing Guide to deep dive into the five pricing variables that are taken into consideration when a builder sets the sales price of new construction homes. We can’t approach new home construction pricing based on how resale homes are priced

For instance, Resale Home list prices are established based on comparable home sales, and new construction home sales prices are based on the following five pricing variables.

Material Cost

Labor Costs

Administrative Costs

Homesite Costs

Reasonable Builder Profit

How to Save money on a new construction home

If you are learning about how new homes are priced you may run across the term “Price Per Square Foot.” This is a calculation of the value of each square foot of area of a house. Similar new construction homes are based on this calculation.  Base price of new construction homes divided by the square footage is how you calculate price per square foot.  This calculation should not include the homesite.

Things that Best Home Builders Understand. And So Should You!

Here are a few factors best home builders keep in mind when planning and building a home– and things you should consider as you plan your dream home, and seek out a builder that can make it happen.

Rain

Rain is one of the most significant challenges facing Vancouver homeowners — and home builders. The problem isn’t just building a home in wet weather. Moving water safely and effectively away from a completed home is also challenging task

Sunshine

A good builder knows how to harness the sun’s rays, effectively and efficiently. With sun-friendly exposure, a home and yard benefit from solar rays during most of the day

For gardeners and those who like to spend time in their backyards, southern exposure is especially significant. Those who wish to create a landscape display in front of their home will need to trade backyard sun and have their front door facing south instead.

Interiors

Let’s face it, has days, weeks, even months, when sunshine is in short supply. Well-placed windows and skylights will stream in precious sunlight. But here’s another area where a talented home builder can shine.

WHATEVER GOOD THINGS WE BUILD, END UP BUILDING US

A HOME IS THE CENTER OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILY’S UNIVERSE.

How and where you live, impacts nearly every facet of your life.  We always start the new home selection journey with a simple question – what is truly important?

As both residents of and business owners in Metropolist, we know how fortunate we are to be surrounded by great people and culture, with mature, yet growing businesses and economy, as well as events, activities and arts to occupy anyone’s social calendar!  While there are a million reasons to build a home in our area, there’s really one clear choice in who to build with

INNOVATION

Our team is constantly innovating and bringing new concepts to our region, and there are many things we’re proud of and feel that bring our advantage to life.

Not only are we a passionate and committed team of trend scouts, innovators, design enthusiasts and sustainable construction experts, but we personally invite you to bring your own ideas as well. You won’t find a team more committed to you and tailoring the entire experience around your goals.

than creating strong communities. We aren’t a builder for the sake of doing so; we don’t measure our success solely on homes sold, square footage or revenue. Everyday our people come together to improve the way our communities live, to positively impact our small corner of the world and ultimately, to ensure that anyone who comes through our doors is treated like family.

often overlooked considerations when building a new home

There is so much to consider and act on when building a new home. Budgeting is crucial, as is overall design and functionality. Amidst the chaos of outlining and building a new home, homeowners have the tendency to overlook some seemingly minor details. However, these seemingly minor details can really haunt a homeowner down the road if not considered. We hope you don’t fall victim to this trap.

Which direction will your home face?

Again, this may seem like a rather ho-hum detail, but wait until you are awakened much earlier in the morning than you intended because sunlight is beaming into your room. Or maybe the sun shines on your back porch at the times that you like to chill out there.

The annoyances caused by untimely sunlight can drive a homeowner insane! The good news is the sun rises and sets in the same direction every single day; therefore, the issue can be so easily avoided. Just be sure your new home is being built in your ideal direction.

Are you floors functionally capable?

Often times, flooring is considered only for its looks and not for its functionality. If you do not consider your floors’ capabilities then you will be living dangerously. “Dangerously” may not be the right word; however, you certainly don’t want one of your biggest investments to be ruined in the first few years after building a new home.

A few flooring tips:

Avoid hardwood in bathrooms and laundry rooms (and kitchens if you are an aggressive cooker).

There is nothing wrong with installing laminate hardwood or vinyl plank flooring in your living area, especially if you are on a budget. They take on wear and tear as well as any floor type.

If your budget is rather loose, natural stone floors (granite, marble, travertine) are luxurious options. Just be sure you seal a natural stone floor as most types are porous (susceptible to moisture).

Don’t exclude less common floor types. For example, cork flooring can be great for a kitchen, as can concrete in some circumstances. One is soft and one is hard; however, they both stand up well over time.

If you have pets, laminate, vinyl and engineered hardwood are wise choices. True hardwood will scratch, but you can have it refinished if the scratching gets out of hand.

Things to Keep in Mind When Selecting a Home Builder

Building a home is an experience like no other. Ensuring you get it right is essential to the home building process. The design is based on your own unique lifestyle needs and is meant to showcase your style and personality. With that in mind, selecting a home builder is a crucial step. Every project is different after all! When building your dream home, you need to make sure your builder has the skillset to bring your vision to life. Trusting the wrong builder can lead to disaster, so knowing how to select one that’s qualified is important. To help you get started, we’ve gathered a list of helpful tips and questions to ask while meeting with potential builders.

Building a Home is a Service, Not a Product

Yes, you’ll end up with a beautiful home when it’s all said and done. However, your builder is providing a service to you. This includes acting as a consultant or guide throughout the design and construction process.

Get an Up-Close Look at Their Work

Every builder has a different set of skills and some may be more qualified than others. One way to ensure a potential builder’s skills match your project is to see their work in person. Visit any available spec homes or models before selecting a home builder. Doing so will give you a better idea of their design and craftsmanship style.

The Initial Design Matters

Your finished home is only as good as the design that inspired it. Most builders offer a library of floor plans and designs to help you get started. However, your best bet is to work with a builder that offers “Design/Build” services.

Do Your Homework

Don’t be afraid to check a potential builder’s references. Getting a first-hand account from other homeowners lets you know what it’s like to work with that builder and their trade partners. For a thorough account, visit the Better Business Bureau website to see if any complaints have been filed against the builder. Before selecting a home builder, check their references.

Should You Buy or Build a Home?

Most homebuyers end up spending lots of time and energy either searching for or designing “the perfect home” before signing any contracts or laying down funds.

Location, price, market trends, property taxes, homeowners association fees, and the condition of the property are usually factored into a house hunt. Also, each buyer typically has a wish list that includes specific needs (the things the buyer has to have) and wants (the features the buyer would like but could do without if necessary).

Buying an Existing Home

There are two primary advantages to buying an existing home: convenience and cost. Once you are pre-approved by your lender, you can shop around, pick out a home, and make an offer.

A qualified real estate agent can streamline the process by helping you find appropriate properties, guiding you through negotiations, and assisting with the paperwork. Once your offer is accepted, you may be able to close on the deal, and then move in within a month or two, depending on the circumstances.

Schedules and Cost

The need to buy a move-in ready home may be especially true for buyers on a tight schedule, such as those relocating for a new job or whose children will be starting at a new school.