Finding the Right Builder

Building a new home can be a fun, wonderful experience if you are willing to do some "homework" and learn what to expect. For many, finding the right builder (a professional that you can trust) is the biggest hurdle to enjoying a wonderful building experience.

The standard advice on this point is to "call around and get at least three estimates, then choose the middle one". The problem with this advice is that it essentially boils your decision down to price and completely disregards the most important factors in choosing the right builder - trust, communication, and craftsmanship. I guess the standard advice is OK if you happen to know at least three reputable builders that you're comfortable working with and all three are qualified to do the type of work you have in mind. But most people don't personally know three builders that meet those requirements.

So, what should you do? How do you find the builder that will make your construction project an exciting, rewarding experience? To start, you will need to take the following steps:

First, remind yourself of a few of things:

o Building a home is not like buying a car or a television. Though you can buy identical cars or televisions, homes are not built in a factory in perfect conditions. You are not buying a product off a shelf. Having a home built or remodeled is more like commissioning an artist to paint a portrait. Even given the exact same set of blueprints, 5 different builders will build 5 similar but not identical homes! Just like 5 different artists could be commissioned to paint the exact same portrait and you would get 5 similar but not identical portraits. There is a lot of leeway in even a detailed set of plans and every builder will look at those "gray areas" with a different eye. There is a bit of art in every custom home. So choose the "artist" whose past work you admire, because other "artists" cannot be expected to produce exact replicas.

o The purchase of a car or a television may occur in a matter of hours, after which your interaction with the clerk or salesperson is greatly diminished. A construction project may last anywhere from a few months to a year or more. You will be dealing with your contractor over a long period of time and handing him/her a large chunk of your hard earned money. The extent to which you can comfortably communicate with a builder becomes one of, if not the most important factors in deciding which builder to choose.

o Most of your work as owner will be on the front side. Prepare your budget; decide exactly what it is that you want out of your project; shop for and interview builders and check their references. All of these will pay dividends later on.

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