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ZigBuilders' Advice on How to Pick a Builder
ZigBuilders may or may not be the builder for you. In our opinion, the following are important points for you to consider:
- Custom Home Builder vs. Spec Home Builder
There are many more “spec home” builders than there are custom homebuilders. If your needs can be met by a base “model” of a home a builder has built many times before, then a spec builder may be right for you. If you do not want to deviate much from a set plan, this can work well.
If you want a unique, “one-of-a-kind” home, a custom homebuilder is better suited for you. They are used to this type of building. If you want flexibility in the process, making additions or changes throughout the process, a custom homebuilder will be more likely to accommodate your requests at a more reasonable price.
- Get references
Get references, and not only one or two. A reputable builder should be able to gladly give you many names of current clients, people who have been in their homes for six months, one year, two years, and five years. Likewise, you should be able to get in some existing homes to see your prospective builder’s work.
From point number 1 above, this would be another opportunity to talk to references about if the home was a contract home or a spec home.
- Personality/Compatibility
Identify important personality traits that your builder should have that can work well with your own personality throughout the building process. From design to the finished home, you are looking at a 6 month endeavor, or longer, so you want to find a compatible builder who you can work closely with, being a partner throughout the process.
There is no perfect personality, however, the partnership should compliment your own strengths or weaknesses. For example, if you are not as fiscally responsible as you should be, then you should seek a builder who will keep tight reign on the project to avoid cost over runs. If you are a very controlling person, a less detail-oriented general contractor may suit you better. “Too many cooks spoil the broth” - too many controlling personalities most likely will not equal a harmonious process!
Ultimately, the level of trust that you can comfortably give to your builder may dictate the success of the project.
- Communication
Communication is vital to the success of a homebuilding project. With everyone’s busy schedule, if daily face-to-face interactions are unrealistic, can email be heavily utilized? How about fax? How often are statuses given? Who do you talk with, the builder or an expediter? Are you meeting on site during the process? If you meet with subcontractors to pick items out (plumbing fixtures, flooring, etc.), does the information get to the general contractor on a timely basis? If you ask for changes, are formal change orders processed? If overruns may occur, when is this being communicated?
Even if everything else goes right but there is lack of communication, a successful and satisfying project is unlikely.
- Cost
“You get what you pay for.” This statement is sometimes true; however, other times, it is our belief that you may be overpaying for an inferior finished product in the homebuilding business.
How much “overhead” does your prospective builder have? How many trucks do they have in their fleet? Trailers? How much equipment? Are their business assets absolutely necessary or are you subsidizing “toys” for your builder? What kind of a staff is on their payroll? How many spec homes do they keep in inventory, thus having monthly carrying costs to pay the construction loans?
When making an “apples to apples” comparison with other builders, compare the obvious: manufacturers of windows, exterior doors, etc.
Interestingly, unless a very strict home specification is given to follow, “apples to apples” comparisons may not be received from different builders. Some builders may undercut other builders by “shortchanging” allowances or making substitutions that only a very experienced person would recognize.
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