Government rules take time, money, and skill to navigate. That’s why you need a pro. Did the budget for your new home come in higher than you expected? Part of the reason may be that the fixed costs of building anything have gone up. By fixed costs, we don’t mean building materials. While this year’s
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Custom home pricing is a complex subject. Here are some ways to think about it. Have you ever called a car dealership to ask how much cars cost per pound? You say that’s a ridiculous question? We agree. In fact, we expect the dealership’s sales staff would wonder what you had been smoking. The serious
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How to keep your new home on track amid COVID-related price spikes and shortages If you’re ready to start a new custom home, you may need to deal with the ongoing fallout from the coronavirus-related economic shutdown. That means working with your builder to mitigate its impact. The problem, as we all know, started in
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Transparency about what you can afford is the only way to get the most house for your money. Your new custom home is likely one of your biggest-ever investments, so you obviously need a builder you can trust. Ways to confirm trustworthiness include reading online reviews, calling references and noting the builder’s professional certifications. As
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Clients deserve a straight answer, but getting it requires an honest conversation Tract builders and realtors often market homes in terms of square-foot costs, but that approach can be misleading for a custom home. Sam Rashkin, founder of the Energy Star for Homes program, expressed this idea forcefully at a recent industry conference. “If you
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Post-contract changes need not be a problem, but they absolutely need a well-thought-through process. Professionals who build fantastic homes for satisfied customers share some important traits. Two of these are an obsession with details and with clearly communicating those details to the homeowners. Great builders are great communicators, and part of being a great communicator
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For best results, narrow down the options up front Allowances–that is, budgeting general costs for items before the specific items are chosen–are a fact of life on many projects. Some homeowners have trouble making decisions before work begins, most commonly for appliances, cabinets, floor coverings, and plumbing and electrical fixtures. In those cases, the builder
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Identifying the best pro to build your new home starts by clarifying your wants and needs.
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It’s natural to have questions and changes when building a custom home. Prevent surprises and delays by getting answers from the top. There are lots of things homeowners can do to keep their building project running smoothly. Number one is making timely product choices, but another key action is to direct all change requests and
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A great finish doesn’t come cheap, but it can make or break the look of a custom home. Many homeowners expect plumbers and electricians to be expensive but are surprised at the prices charged by other subcontractors. The most obvious example of this is the professional painting company.
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Government red tape takes time, money and skill to navigate. That’s why you need a pro. Some people don’t realize how highly regulated the construction business has become. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the costs of complying with government regulations now account for nearly a quarter (24.3%) of new home prices—30% more than just five years ago.
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The work of building a price and schedule for your custom home is a project in itself. There’s a reason that quality project estimates don’t happen overnight. Every home is a collection of thousands of individual components that range from large-scale assemblies like walls and roofs to small items like doorknobs and faucets. The builder
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Should you tell us your real budget? If you want a successful project, the answer is yes. Here’s why: We occasionally meet homeowners who don’t want to reveal their true budget numbers. This lack of disclosure is not in their best interests and almost always sets the stage for disappointment.
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Home pricing is a complex subject. Here’s how we answer the most common question. A question we get from a lot of potential clients is “What’s the per-square-foot cost of your homes?” Some clients arrive armed with numbers gleaned from Internet articles. Others quote realtors who appraise and advertise houses by the square foot.
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A successfully managed budget is a partnership between the builder and the homeowners. Custom builders work hard to make sure their clients get the home they want at a price they can afford. Cost-control strategies include value-engineering the structure, writing clear product specifications, and managing the construction in the most efficient manner possible.
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by Jenna Bratcher, StyleBlueprint The Custom-Built Nashville Home You Need to See Alan and Heather Looney certainly aren’t strangers to luxury homes. As the power couple behind Nashville’s distinguished building firm, Castle Homes, their beautiful custom builds and home renovations are peppered throughout Music City, from West Meade to Green Hills and beyond. But there’s
Avoid the most common mistakes when searching for ideas on the web We all love the internet. It’s a bottomless source of ideas and inspiration for any project, and most people wouldn’t think of starting a new custom home before spending some serious time online. The internet is also a valuable resource for builders: it’s
Government rules take time, money, and skill to navigate. That’s why you need a pro. Did the budget for your new home come in higher than you expected? Part of the reason may be that the fixed costs of building anything have gone up. By fixed costs, we don’t mean building materials. While this year’s
COVID is causing changes in home designs and product choices Did you know that the half-bath became popular in the years following the 1918-1920 Spanish Flu pandemic? That’s because homeowners wanted to keep visitors’ germs out of the main bath. Did you also realize that Modern interior design first took hold in America during the
Custom home pricing is a complex subject. Here are some ways to think about it. Have you ever called a car dealership to ask how much cars cost per pound? You say that’s a ridiculous question? We agree. In fact, we expect the dealership’s sales staff would wonder what you had been smoking. The serious