Hiring a builder for your custom home can be a little nerve-wracking, especially if you know how important it is. You’ve got to find the right one, and it may be difficult to decide. Need tips on how to choose a home builder? We’re happy to help with some practical information. Here are a few things you should know.
Common Mistakes When Choosing a Home Builder
When you start looking for builders in your area, you can get lost in the details. Do you want a home that’s more homely or with hip aesthetic vibes? Which materials do you prefer? While these are important questions to ask yourself, you should get a lot more information before you decide. Here are our top five mistakes to avoid.
1. Hiring the First Company You Consult
It’s easy to get bowled over by the first company, especially if they have a great-looking office and portfolio for your consultation. Consulting with one company and then hiring them on the spot takes away a few important parts of the decision-making process. When you meet with multiple companies, you automatically get the opportunity to compare them. It’s not just about getting several bids. You also get to talk with different professionals, look through portfolios of completed homes, and determine which one is the best fit for you. Even if you end up choosing the first company, you’ll be glad that you took the time to make sure they were the best option.
2. Failing to Vet the Company
If you’re wondering how to hire a builder to build a house, you should know that vetting the company ought to be the first thing on your list. Building a house is a complicated process that takes at least several months. You need to be sure that the business you hire has the right experience for the project and will provide you with the result that you expect. There are a few aspects that you should confirm during your first consultation, including:
- Licenses
- Insurance
- Experience
- A documented design and building process
The right company will be happy to provide evidence of this information, especially when you request it. Download our Utah County custom home building process guide for more information.
3. Picking the Wrong Type of Home Builder
You might think that custom homes builders are more or less the same, but they can be unique in the ways that they build a home. Some builders start with an existing floor plan that they can customize to meet your needs. Others are happy to create a home design entirely from scratch. There are also a bunch of builders in-between.
The design processes for these two approaches can be quite different (as well as the estimates), so it’s important to choose a builder that suits your expectations. If you need a home completed in less time, and you aren’t too specific about the design, the former could be a reasonable choice. On the other hand, if you’re determined to push the envelope with something no one’s ever seen, you’ll need a company with experience building totally custom homes.
Looking for energy-efficient materials to use in your custom home? Learn more here.
4. Not Watching for Red Flags
During your consultation, your instincts will draw attention to certain issues. It’s tempting to ignore them, but you should pay heed, especially if they raise flags about potential problems. You shouldn’t choose a home builder based on instinct, but you can definitely decide not to hire one for that reason. There are plenty of red flags that might come up, such as:
- Poor response time to your communications, or incomplete replies
- Failing to provide proof of license or insurance
- Lack of preparation for your consultation
- Refusing to put details in writing
- Pressuring you to make a decision before you leave the meeting
If you observe any of these during your consultation, you should take them into account when you make a choice.
5. Choosing Based on the Lowest Bid
Since custom home building is one of the biggest expenses you’ll ever make, it is too easy to choose the company with the lowest bid. You may regret this for a couple of reasons. First, the initial estimate might not be the total amount you pay, due to fluctuations in pricing. Learning more about the estimate process is one of our questions to ask Utah County custom home builders. Second, going for the lowest bid may mean a significant drop in quality. Do you know anyone who has ever hired too cheaply? They can tell you that the most expensive part of building a house is fixing all the mistakes that an inexperienced or incompetent builder made. Instead, explore your financing options and choose the builder that seems like the best fit.
Should You Hire Someone to Build Your Dream House?
Hiring a professional to build your dream house is one of the best decisions you can make. It’s not just about making sure that you get the most aesthetically pleasing result. You get the benefit of an expert who can handle all the details.
Is It Messy to Build a House From Nothing?
The entire business of building a home, from the initial consultation to the final construction phase, can be complicated and surprising. The good news is that you don’t have to go through it alone. You will have an easier and lower-stress experience when you hire a company with an established pre-construction process.
Is It Worth It to Take a Long-Term View on Construction?
Building a custom house isn’t just about the aesthetic designs. You are making a home that you will hopefully enjoy for many years. As such, it’s best to look at the decision to hire a builder as an investment in your long-term happiness. To learn how 10X Builders can give you the best result, contact us today.
