There is little doubt that when it comes time for you to build a custom house that you will insist on the best Houston custom builder homes.
Custom home building is a very emotionally charged experience with the owners relying heavily on their custom house contractor to guide them through the many steps of building a custom home.
The custom home building process is also a very long and complex procedure with many demands of the owners.
To learn more about the custom-building process, visit our video.
Making the decision to build your own one-of-a-kind home comes with some important and complicated questions for the owner to answer.
A good working relationship is essential when developing options for house building firm.
One of the most essential questions you will need to answer is which Houston custom builder homes is best for you?
To answer such a question, you will need to recognize what characteristics and traits are important to you in your selection process.
Developing a personal and professional priority list for selecting a Houston builder is much like choosing a physician or attorney.
Choosing which Houston custom builder homes to select begins with creating a list of candidates through a number of ways such as a Google search or asking someone you know who is building a custom house.
This only provides you with a list of names. Even then you will need to prepare yourself for developing a short list of Houston builders.
Selecting a one-of-a-kind home builder is as personal as designing your dream house. It takes the ability to clearly understand what is important to you in the house building services you hire as a trusted adviser.
Preparing a comprehensive list of questions to vet your custom builder is important so you can compare responses.
The intent of this article to assist you with a list of highly desirable traits that the best Houston custom builder homes should possess.
Answering your question as to which house building company to select depends on which of these professional and personal qualities speak to you during the interview process.
This process applies to all types of house building contractors but gets distorted when you are interviewing larger production builders that have predesigned building plans.
They will normally have a staff of professionals that are responsible for different task like selling or building or management.
These characteristics are most effective to evaluate when you are communicating directly with the builder that you will be dealing with throughout the construction process.
Learn about the qualities for hiring Houston custom builder homes and working with an architect for unique house construction
Selecting the Custom Home Designer
The house building journey begins with the selection of the custom builder and the custom home designer.
Your selection of an architectural designer has an impact on the chooses of builders you will consider. This is due to a number of factors.
There can be some history between the architectural designer and the contractor or there could be an issue with the construction documents in the eyes of one of your house contractors.
Your selection of an architectural designer will be a influencing factor on any house contractors you are vetting.
An alternative option for architectural plan design is for the owner to hire a design build contractor.
Design build contractors provide both architectural design and the custom house construction. Some of the advantage to selecting a design build contactor are;
- The custom builder is responsible for both design errors and omissions,
- The design build process reduced overall delivery time,
- There is a more positive collaborative effort between designer and builder,
If you wish to work with a design build contractor for building your house you will need to do this early in the process of selecting the architectural designers. For additional insights please visit out video.
3 Different Types of Houston Custom Builder Homes
Custom home building is a professional service business similar to other professions such as legal or medical practices.
They require many years of experience and practice in specialized fields. The custom home building industry is no different, consisting of 3 basic types of custom builders.
Houston custom builders can be classified as luxury home builders, design to build builders and bid to build builders.
Luxury builders work directly for owners as part of the design team that is driven by the architectural designer.
They are hired by the owner early in the design process to be the owner’s builder.
Their role in the design team is to optimize constructability and provide guidance on value engineering when necessary.
Design build builders are also hired directly by the owner but differ with the luxury home builders in that they are completely responsible for the construction design documents.
These house building contractors facilitate both house design and construction. The builder directly hires the designer and are the sole point of contact throughout the design and construction phases.
The third type of custom builder is the bid to build general contractor. These house building contractors competitively prepare bid proposals based upon architectural plans developed by a designer for the owners.
The owner will traditionally select from one of the low bidders to build their house. Their bids are entirely dependent upon the bid construction documents to price and specifications.
Outside the Houston custom home building market, each geographic region has its own distinctive building code requirements.
The home plans are required to comply with the local and national codes. For instance, regions that are located close to oceans are required to be in compliance with specific wind codes as with homes in California are required to comply with seismic compliance codes.
The common building codes compliances issues in Houston are to prepare for hurricane winds and high levels of flood water.
These types of regional issues require an understanding of compliance codes and practices associated with compliance.
In addition, common building products used in one area of the country would be problematic in another region. An example of this would be basements.
Although they can be designed to be functional in areas of high-water tables and plastic soil conditions like Houston, but the design & construction of them can be very problematic in avoiding consequences of new home construction.
7 Best Qualities of Houston Custom Builder Homes
There are many unique qualities that define a reputable house building contractor. The most distinctive qualities separate the best from the average builders.
The personal nature of these qualities also define why one client can be somewhat satisfied with their builder while another client raves about them.
- Passion for Building and for Their Clients– Great builders have a genuine passion for house building. They are eager to guide their clients through the design and construction process. They share their insights and set realistic expectations about the cost & performance with their clients.
- Effective Communicator– The design & construction of a unique house is a complicated and very interactive process with the client. Countless hours are necessary working together to fulfill the contract requirements.
A builder’s listening skills are an essential part of the communication process. Part of the value of the customer guidance comes through the effective questioning to get to the answers of understand the client’s needs.
- Good Reputation– A reputation is a custom home builder’s greatest asset. They are earned not given. A client’s duty is to be diligent about researching their builder’s reputation. Professional integrity and openness are what a client should expect from their contractor.
- Master Builder– A Master Builder is a NAHB accreditation that is awarded to a seasoned luxury builder that has established the willingness to professionally advance through continued education and has met the experience requirements of a senior master builder.
This accreditation translates into an elevated level of confidence that the client can have known they one of the best house construction contractors available.
- Facilitates Collaborative Design Team Effort– A significant part of the luxury builder’s responsibility is to interact with the architect and the design team. They are effective at evaluating means and methods of construction while assessing design feasibility.
The luxury builder plays a key role during cost development and value engineering during the design phase.
- Develops Realistic Selection Allowances– In many cases the owner does not have the interior design finish schedule finalized before they go to construction contract. This requires the luxury home builder to prepare an allowance schedule for such items.
If these amounts are intentionally underestimated to win a bid, the results will lead to the owner paying a greater amount at the end of the project.
- Treats Employees and Construction Personal with Respect– The heart of any quality general contractor can be measured by how they treat the people around them. It is the team of professionals that work for the house contractor that actual builds the house.
The back-office staff, the site supervisor and the subcontractors are the hands-on heroes of the house building experience. A quality luxury builder provides the systems, the training and the leadership for a company culture that represents the best house construction company.
Understanding these 7 effective quality traits can expedite selecting the right builder that fits your needs.
Conclusion
Sorting through a list of Houston custom builder homes is only the start to building a custom home.
It requires the owner having a clear understanding of the qualities, professional demeaner and business acumen of what the owner wants in their Houston custom home builders.
Custom home building will demand that the owner collaborate and greatly depend upon the advice and leadership of the custom builder.
Making the right decision about your custom home builder is essential for the best results. To learn more about custom home building visit our link.
