New Home or Remodel

Building a new house or a updating your existing home is an exciting journey. The process is a multifaceted one with many levels of introspection and consideration. Your choices will have a deep impact in your family, the natural environment you inhabit, and the culture you create in the house you build. We would like to help you make that impact a graceful, healthy and beautiful one. Who you want to work with as your builder is one of the first big choices that will need to be made.

Consider:

1) Do they have a good reputation?
2) Do you connect with them on some level, a professional or philosophical level perhaps?
3) Are they up front and clear about the cost?
4) Are all the contracts readable, understandable? Are all the legal requirements met on insurance and licensing?
5) Are you feeling you would want to work for 6-8 months with that person or group? Are you clear on how disagreements or misunderstandings will be handled?
6) Are you comfortable with the estimates of starting work and finishing the project?
7) Are warranties and final punch list procedures clear?
8) Do they see your vision clearly?

We have built many homes and in each had a wealth of experiences with individuals and the nuances of each process. We have consciously decided to take on projects that allow a creative expression and thoughtfulness in building, whether it is design, building materials, or the detail of the craftsmanship that the project presents. Hopefully all three.

Often a client’s immediate concern is cost. Often it is presented as,“ How much per square foot does it cost to build these days?” It is certainly a valid question. Equally important is our ability to understand your vision and take the time to work out its manifesting. Good design work with careful consideration of the client’s spatial needs can possibly generate a size that saves money. Of course, granite cost more than laminate, wood windows are twice the cost of vinyl windows. There are endless ways to raise or lower the square foot cost of building, the size of the house and the lot cost are the two most dominating factors in an overall budget for the project.

Design

There are several ways to approach the design of your house. We can build with the plans you come up with, no matter which way you choose to do so.

One way to tackle the design issue is for you to come to us with a set of plans already done. Clients can find the design in a home plan magazine, or see a house they like being built and secure those available plans. Often these set plans can be tweaked a bit to personalize them, and to adapt them to the site.

Maybe you had a designer or architect draw up a set of plans. We can sit down with you and your designer/architect, go over the details, get the feel of the house, and bid the design as drawn.

Perhaps you want to go the design/build pathway. We work closely with an excellent designer, Will Dixon. If you are of the persuasion to be intimately involved in the design process, and continue your involvement through the building stage, then the design/build model is for you. The designer, you and the builder meet regularly during the entire process, from initial site considerations, initial cost considerations, through complete design and permitting stages. Of course, the attention to detail can be handled easier with this continuity that is set up between you, the builder and the designer.

As you can see, we are ready and available to help you with your New Home Dream. Please do consider us and don’t hesitate to call and discuss the options available.