One of the questions I get asked a lot is how we picked our builder.  This is such a personal decision, but I am going to share our experience and give some tips that will hopefully help you when you are picking your own custom home builder.

We spent a lot of time making sure we had the right builder for us and I can honestly say I couldn’t be happier with our decision.  We went with Joe Vastano with Joseph Paul Homes and he has been incredible.  I will go into more details on this below.

OUR BUILDING EXPERIENCE: 

Let me start by sharing our home building experiences.  Geoff and I have lived in and built 3 different homes (the one we are currently building is our 3rd).  We have experienced this process at 3 different levels and have learned a lot along the way. 

1st HOME: We build our first home while we were engaged and moved in 2 weeks before we got married.  We were so excited to have our first house. In Texas there is a ton of land and they are always building new homes.  At the time it was the same price for us to build as it was to buy a pre-owned home.  I know it is not like this in other parts of the world, but here that can be the case.  We found a neighborhood we loved and there were 3 builders in there so we walked the models, talked to the sales people and based on style, design and price we went with K Hovnanian Homes.   We absolutely adored our sales agent and worked with her a lot.  She gave us a selection of lots and floor plans to choose from.  After we selected these 2 things we were able to make small tweaks like, change the bedroom door to french doors to make it an office, change the shape of the kitchen island, etc.  There were small tweaks, but that was all you were allowed to do.  You couldn’t deviate from the original plan.  When it came to design there were packages.  You could choose from 3 elevations for your particular floor plan selection.  Once you picked your elevation you picked from about 5 exterior design packages.  These included brick/stone/paint/trim.  You couldn’t swap items from each package, you had to pick one of the ones the offered as a whole.  Then for the interior you went to a design center and there were levels of things.  In your house price you had things designated like a Level 2 granite in the kitchen and bathrooms, wood floors in entry, dining, etc.  Then you could upgrade if you wanted.  Everything was very simple in the design center in sections.  Picking out our interior took about a day.

2nd HOME:  This home (our last home) was a step up from our first home.  It was a semi-custom home.  Again, we picked a neighborhood that had 2 builders and we loved Huntington Homes.  We walked the model, met with the sales agent (loved her too) and picked our lot from a map.  This time we had many more options though.  So many more upgrades were standard in this home.  We also met with an architect and 100% custom designed our floor plan.  You had the option to pick from floor plans they had or you could do 100% custom and we went custom.  We had architect design meetings and tweaked until it was exactly what we wanted.  It was 100% from scratch.  After we had our floor plan designed, it was time to pick out decor selections.  The neighborhood had rules for exterior.  We had a selection of brick/stone and colors we could use and you had to make sure it wasn’t what your neighbors picked so there was variety in the neighborhood.  All homes and a certain about of brick/stone, etc.  Then for the interior you went to a design center and met with a designer.  There were so many more options available.  It was still one of those things where certain “levels” were included in your home price, but the options were much higher.  You didn’t pick out everything from scratch though.  There were certain hardware to choose from, certain sinks, etc.  It was a much larger and higher end selection than before, but there was still a system in place to help.

NEW HOME: Our new home that we are building is 100% custom.  We found and purchase our lot first, then started looking for a builder.  We could pick any builder we wanted.  Every single thing in this home is our selection.  The floor plan is 100% from scratch, we can design any exterior we want (there is no neighborhood guideline….well, there is a committee that makes sure you don’t build a royal blue house or anything, but for the most part you can do what you want).  This was super important for us because the style home I want is not allowed in most neighborhoods.  Most neighborhoods in this area require a certain % of brick and stone and many homes start looking the same.  I wanted something completely unique with siding, shingles, etc and to do that you have to completely custom build on your own lot.  We will also be picking out every single detail in this house.  It is super exciting and very overwhelming.  There is not a specific design center to go to, you can go anywhere.  There is no set price with levels you are working in, you can pick anything you want and then it is priced for you.  VERY VERY different process!  Many people who custom build like this hire designers to help because there are so many decision to be made.

 

Ok, now that I have given you some background lets start on how to pick the best custom builder for you!

TIPS FOR PICKING A CUSTOM HOME BUILDER

1. RESEARCH

• • First thing is doing tons of research.  I think that goes without saying.  We have a handful of builders in our area that are very well known and build a lot of homes.  I started out looking at their websites, their social media, walking some of the homes in the area that are being built, asking on local community boards about builder experiences, etc.  This helped me narrow our selection down to a few builders that I thought might be a good fit for us.

2. DECIDING WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU:

This is something only you can answer, but it is an important step.  

• • I  break builders down into 3 categories.  Of course we would want our builder to be amazing at all 3, but typically there are areas that each builder excels in and you have to prioritize.  
    • DESIGN
    • PRICE
    • EFFICIENCY

1.  DESIGN: The design part was incredibly important to me.   I wanted a builder who loved the design portion.  One who got passionate about it and loved coming up with ideas and looking at Pinterest pictures, books, etc.  We are building our dream home with a specific vision and having a builder who loves that journey with you makes the process so much more fun.  Instead of just listening to me talk about my vision, Joe throws out ideas he has seen, etc to help us achieve our dream home.  Joe is both the builder and the architect.  That is something very unique about him.  All the other builders we met with had an architect who worked with them, and the builder was more of the executer.  You met with their architect, got your plans and then your builder built the home.  With Joe it was so much fun because you can sit in a meeting with him, explain what you want and he can draw it right there.  He got your vision, could tweak your vision and everything in real time to get the desired look you want.  This was SO HELPFUL!!!!  You didn’t have to explain and then wait for the revised design to come back and do this over and over again.  Joe, draws it, designs it and then when you have what you want he sends it off to cad to get the official plans.  I cannot express enough how much better I like this process.  Joe loves the design portion and is so good at it.  It is like having a designer built into your builder.  Believe me, this is not always the case! 
2. PRICE: I learned a lot about the custom home building process.  Not all “custom home” builders are created equal.  What I mean by that is some are more like our 2nd build where you can pick out your own floor plan, but there is a formula. For example one builder might be known for being around $180 a sq foot but is more of a package builder.  That means his custom home comes with bedrooms, living room, game room, etc and you can choose the layout, but if you want anything really unique the price goes up significantly.  Like his standard game room comes with 1 door to the patio.  If you want to add 3 french doors going out to the patio you pay big time!  Like $3k per door!!  I call it an “add to cart” model.  This is scary because you can quickly go over budget.  If you want a more “standard” custom home this type of builder will probably work fine for you.  If you want custom breezeways, unique doors, etc the price can change quickly.  Other custom home builders like Joe offer anything you want.  There is no package.  You are picking out everything.  Your price is based on what you pick.  If adding a french door to the game room costs $1500 that is what you pay.  It is not market up to $3000 because it is “different”.  Make sure you are very specific with your wants before you pick your builder.  There are also different pricing structures.  Set price and cost plus.  As your builder which one they offer and find out specifics on that.  Cost plus means you literally pay the cost of the build plus your builders commission %.  Set prices means you meet with your builder, pick out selections, etc and they give you a price up front.  That will be your price unless you change things you originally picked.  
3. EFFICIENCY/PROCESS:  Some builders can build a home very quickly and some take longer.  By asking around you will hear what a builders typical build time is and if they go over.  Of course I want my home built as quickly as possible, but this was not as high on the list for me.  Price and Design were way higher.  If I am not in my home in 10 months, I am ok with that.  Just something to think about when you are picking.  Timing may be very important to you because you are moving, have to be in by a specific date, etc.  Some builders are better about the process than others.

3. MEET WITH THE BUILDERS

• Once you have your builders narrowed down, set up a meeting with the builders and go over what you are looking for, what your budget is, etc.  Ask their process. Really spend time getting information from them so you can evaluate where they stand on the 3 things I mentioned above (design, price, process).  You will be working very closely with your builder.  You want to have a good relationship with them.  It will make everything so much more enjoyable!

4. WORD OF MOUTH

• Ask the builders for references and use them.   You want to know first hand experiences with these builders so you know how they are during the process, not just in the sales meeting to try to get your business.  

After you have done the things above I have a good feeling there will be a builder that stands out to you among the rest.  I will tell you we started the process with a different builder.  He is a great guy and does beautiful work.  I have several friends that built with him and are incredibly happy.  He is a great fit for some clients and I have recommended him.  For us personally, he was not the right fit.  When we got a little further in the process we realized that our visions weren’t exactly lining up and he was not as passionate about the style of our home and the design process as what I was looking for.  That is ok, and not everyone needs that, but on the list of importance for me it was toward the very top.  We amicably parted ways and it was a good learning for us.  We needed to do more research.  At that time I met with Joe and I just new it was the perfect fit.

OUR BUILDER

Like I mentioned above our builder is Joe Vastano with Joseph Paul Homes.  Joe is funny, honest, super trustworthy, knowledgeable and so talented.  Being friends with my builder wasn’t a requirement, but it sure makes it more fun.  Joe is a great guy.  I feel so blessed to be going through this journey with him and his amazing wife Michelle.  I know we are in great hands.  On our first meeting we walked a home he had built in the area that was so gorgeous.  I could see his attention to detail and his excitement over every little thing.  That totally spoke to me.  When we started discussing our design ideas he just got it!  He knew the same architects I loved, had fun little unique ideas that gave my vision even more character, and he was so patient.   I have put poor Joe through the ringer with my tweaks, but he gets it.  I want it to be perfect and sometimes at 2am you wake up with an idea.  He is there to make your vision a reality.  He also hand draws your plan.  His work is beautiful and I love this approach.  It is so much more personal and helps bring everything to life!

Not only does Joe have passion for design and is he the actual architect, but he offers the look for less.  Other builders that offer this level of design are 3 times the cost.  Don’t get me wrong, custom building is never inexpensive, but he has ideas to help you achieve a look for a much better price.  For example, I will show him a picture I like on Pinterest of a wall of doors.   He will say to get that custom door unit is $20k (these numbers are not accurate, just an idea) and then he will say, we can get a very similar look for 1/2 the price.  We can use doors & windows with trim to get a custom door unit look.  HALLELUJAH!!!  Personally, I don’t need the custom door unit, I just want the look.  He can do it both ways, but I love the option.  Same thing on this rolling ladder I wanted.  He figured out a way to get the look I want for so much cheaper.  His wife Michelle is also incredible.  She has an amazing design eye and is very helpful in the process.  I know we are in the best hands and feel so lucky.  I couldn’t be happier with our decision.  

Local friends, if you are looking for a builder I could not recommend Joseph Paul Homes more.  Feel free to contact me and I will share our experience.  Joe also offers architecture services if you live in another state.  Feel free to contact him about your project.  Hopefully these tips have been helpful in helping you pick the right custom home builder for your family.

I know how overwhelming the process can be.  Belive me.  We are already 2 years in and just broke ground!  However, I know it will all be so worth it in the end.  Best of luck to you in your journey!

If you are building a custom home you might find this post helpful:

MUST HAVES IN A CUSTOM HOME 

Joseph Paul Homes website is under construction.  You can see his beautiful work on this Instagram and Facebook, but I wanted to share some of my favorites below (all via JPH Facebook page).  He can do any style you want, but of course I am drawn to the ones similar to my style.