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Looking for a builder is kind of like dating. Not everyone is the right fit, and early conversations and meetings will give you a good feel for what it would be like to work with them. Here’s the top five things I looked for when searching for our builder.
Communication
When working with contractors, the most common thing people complain about is lack of communication. When setting up initial meetings with builders, if they are slow to get back to you on your initial request, or slow to return calls or emails, it is probably indicative of how they will be throughout the entire time working together – and time is money! A good baseline to use is 24-48 business hours, even if they don’t have all the answers and the responses is, “Great question! Let me look into it and get back to you.” If they respond in less than that time frame, it’s possible you found a unicorn! No joke! From experience, a couple days is pretty standard.
Your Vision is a Priority
The best thing a builder said to me was, “We can do anything. It comes down to, what do YOU want?” That stuck with me. They weren’t there to push me in a direction they wanted. They were trying to figure out what our wants and needs were for the house, how we were planning to live in it, and meeting what we wanted. Again – sounds like dating. Some builders try to talk their clients out of doing things because it is more costly or complicated. You want a builder that meets your needs, and wants you to be happy with the end product. In the end, you are hiring them to do that, so that should be their goal.
Quality of Craftsmanship
Ask the builder if they have any projects currently under way or recently wrapped up that might be for sale that you could walk through. Looking at projects that are under construction can give you a feel for the quality of materials used and possible short cuts taken that you can’t see in finished construction. Seeing a house that was just framed gives you an idea of the structural integrity. Are the 2x4’s or 2x6’s straight? You may thing that is a silly thing, but it is not uncommon for corners to be cut on things hidden inside the walls. Another thing to look for in this stage is the trusses used. Did they use solid particle board or open tresses? Open tresses allow for your duct work, plumbing, and electrical to run through them. The solid kind only allow for a six inch diameter circle to be cut in them. This means that your duct work for heat and air conditioning will hang below them – which means lower ceilings where the ducts need to run.
For houses that are completed, a lot can depend on the finishes picked by the client or builder (for spec homes the builder is building). So, things like colors, flooring or tile, hardware, or lights can all very. However, you can get a good feel for the quality of their constructors or sub-contractors finishing work. This includes things like, Sheetrock tape and mud lines and how well nail holes are covered, or tile work and the straightness and grout lines. You can look at the cabinetry and millwork. Are the cabinets and doors solid or some form of MDF (a type of engineered wood)? You can ask the builder to show you what the standards are verses upgrades throughout the house. Overall, if things look poorly installed, you can pretty much count of them to be the same in your construction.
Integrity
A builder that is honest with strong morals and principles. Like I said, it again sounds like your searching for a future spouse, but it is true! This person is going to be pulling your permits, responsible for getting your materials, running your projects timeline, and overall, the quality of the biggest purchase of your life. You want them to give you honest bids on project costs, be up front on timelines, and not be afraid to tell you news you may not want to hear. Which leads into the next point.
Handles Curveballs Well
No matter how well things are planned and coordinated, something will come up. Whether there are issues getting permits or materials, coordination with sub-contractors, or even bad weather that causes a delay in progress. Having a builder that can handle things that come us is key. When an unexpected issue comes up, they need to be able to think quickly, come up with a plan, and communicate the plan and impact. They should not throw you the issue and expect you to deal with it.
Ultimately, finding someone you feel comfortable with is key. It is common for people to say building a house is a stressful process, so finding someone you trust and feel good about working with makes the process so much easier.
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