Finding an Excellent Custom Home Builder

Looking for a good home builder or contractor isn't an exact science, but there are attributes that you can be on the look-out for when narrowing down your list. 

Experience
As a general contractor, one of the most important things that I would be looking for in any new home builder would be experience. You can't sacrifice price for experience. If you're looking for the cheapest contractor, there's a good chance that this person will be lacking experience in home building knowledge.

Examples of work
Just because the home builder has only been in the building business for five years, doesn't mean that he is not capable of building your home. The same holds true for someone who has been in business for 30 years. Just make sure that these people have actually built homes in the past. Ask to see these past houses.

Attitude
What is their attitude like? This is vitally important and I tend to weigh this more than experience sometimes. As a rule, if you don't get along with the person, you're not going to have a pleasant home building experience. Even though they have the most experience and build more homes in your area than anyone else, I wouldn't think twice about finding someone else.

References
Last but not least, ask for references and actually contact some of the people that they have worked for in the past. Talking to past clients is going to play an important role in making your final decision. You need to find out if these home builders treated their clients fairly and were they generally happy with the overall outcome and performance.  Here are several key questions to ask the referral: 
- "Would you use him/her again?"  
- "If you could change anything regarding the experience, what would it be?"
- "Were you happy with the work of the subcontractors?  Why/Why not?"



Finding the right home builder takes time and effort.  Please remember to research past work, interview previous clients, and trust your instincts.  


If you would like more information on a building your new home in the Austin/San Antonio area, please feel free to email us at info@duarteconstruct.com or call us at 512.275.6500. 

Construction Phases of a New Home

Research
During this phase, you will determine your location, timing, and budget for your new home, as well as your specific checklist as to what you want your new home to be like. Your checklist should be as specific as possible. Here are some of the basic information that it should provide:

• Size of home
  
• Number of bedroom and baths
• Exterior style (examples: stucco, brick, wood, roofing material, etc.)

Pre-Construction
This can often be one of the longest phases as this is where most of your decision making will happen. At this time, you will be interviewing for your core team that could include:

• Architect/designer
• Lender
• Builder/general contractor

In addition to building your team, you also will need to make decisions about many of the smaller details of your new home. Examples of these details include:

• Roofing materials
  
• Kitchen amenities
  
• Bathroom amenities
  
• Cabinet layouts
  
• Window and door selection
• Appliance selection (this is important to ensure correct measurements)
• Flooring
  

It is important to be as specific as possible as that will help your core team develop realistic estimates and timelines, and eliminate surprises later in the construction process.


This phase is often very fun for homeowners as they start envisioning their new home, but it can also be overwhelming. But that is why you have your core team to help guide you through this process and offer suggestions to help narrow down your ideas.


At the end of this phase, contracts are in place and the actual house construction can begin.


Site Work
This involves the preparation of the lot for your new home. The site needs to be cleared of plants, stone, etc. so that the house can rest on a level location.


Foundation
There are many options when it comes to building the foundation: slab, pier and beam, basement, etc. Bottom line, this is not an area to try to save money. A house is only as good as the foundation it rests on.


Framing
This phase is where the basic structure of the house will begin to take shape. You can see where the walls will be, the dimensions of the rooms, even where the closets are. The framing process can take anywhere from a week to a few months depending on the size and design features of the house.

Rough-Ins
The rough-in phase can often seem like the most uneventful phase. But rest-assured, there is a lot going on. Individual trades, such as plumbing, heating, electrical, lighting, cable, etc, are completing their individual tasks. Your general contractor is working with each of them and coordinating schedules so that this phase runs as efficiently and quickly as possible.


Interior Finishes
Now is when the house comes to life and can start to feel like a home. Some of the tasks of this phase include:

• Finish walls
• Hang cabinets
• Install appliances and fixtures
• Paint
• Put down flooring

Again, your general contractor will coordinate with all of the trades to ensure that they do not get in each others way and that this phase runs like a well-oiled machine.


Exterior Finishes
While work is happening on the inside, there is also a lot happening on the outside such as driveways, walkways, gutters, tile, etc.


Landscaping
Patios, pools, trees, plants, etc all make up the landscaping phase of your new home. Be sure to set aside enough budget for this phase, as a beautiful house surrounded by a dirt lot may not be the vision that you had in mind.


Completion
The punch-out list. With every big project, there will be items that were missed or need to be fixed before you move in. You should not be alarmed by this. Consider this your house's dress rehearsal.

Every good builder/general contractor will want to do a walk-through with you to help identify these items to create a punch-out list so that he can coordinate with his team to address each issue. Often it takes your set of fresh eyes to identify these items. Examples of punch-out list items could include:

• Paint touch-up
• Fixing a squeaky floor
• Replacing a broken tile
• Re-caulking a baseboard
  

For more information on building your dream house in the Austin/San Antonio area, please feel free to email us at info@duarteconstruct.com or call us at 512.275.6500.

Remodeling: How much does it cost?

I am often asked "How much will it cost to remodel my....?" But the fact is that no two projects are ever alike. And without taking the time to determine the scope of the project, it is difficult to come up with a quick answer. So what is a homeowner to do? Here are a few of the factors that go into the pricing of a remodel: 

 

Square Footage

How big of an area do you want to remodel? Whether you are remodeling a garage or an entryway, this is an important factor. Generally speaking, square footage follows an economy of scale. The larger a project is, the less price per foot it costs. This is similar to real estate. For example, a small house in a neighborhood may list for $350 per square foot; whereas a larger home in the same neighborhood will list for $250 per square foot. It is all about economies of scale and material and labor costs are more evenly spread out in larger homes.

Type of remodel
A bathroom or kitchen remodel is more expensive than a bedroom remodel. Plumbing, cabinets, flooring, and countertops in kitchens and bathrooms lead to a higher cost per square foot when compared to other rooms of the house. Also, keep in mind that depending on the type of remodel you are wanting, city permits or inspections may be required.

How much of a remodel do you want?
The term remodel can mean something different to each person. So ask yourself, do you just want to upgrade the cabinets in your kitchen or change the whole layout? Changing the whole layout could mean more materials, need for a plumber, etc.

Are there extra amenities or accessories that you want?
In a bathroom, you may decide that a shower/tub combination will work perfectly. Or you may want to have a separate shower that includes dual shower heads and a sitting bench. Amenities can add up very quickly with additional behind-the-scenes costs. For example, a tankless water heater may list on the internet for $600. The cost to install it may be more than the tank itself, as a plumber may need to extend supply lines, reroute gas lines, remove existing tank, etc. An electrician may be needed if it is an electric-powered tank.

Bottom line, remodeling does not have a cookie cutter approach. But by better understanding exactly what you want and communicating those ideas clearly, a general contractor can work with you to fine-tune your vision and come up with a clear budget for your remodel.

If you would like more information on a remodel project in the Austin/San Antonio area, please feel free to email us at info@duarteconstruct.com or call us at 512.275.6500.