Jan 14, 2022

Things to Consider When Hiring Custom Home Builders

You’re ready to build your dream home, have a ton of ideas about what your custom home will look like, and can’t wait to get started. Now comes the difficult part – choosing the right team of Nanaimo home builders that can guide you on your journey to making your dream home a reality. Your Nanaimo custom home builder should be experienced and knowledgeable in all aspects of home building and be able to provide insight and guidance to help you make the right choices for your home that meet your needs, budget and lifestyle. To help you make your decision and protect your investment, here are several important factors to consider when selecting your custom home builder.

What are a custom home builder’s responsibilities?
A good custom home builder serves as an advocate on the homeowner’s behalf. From conception to completion, your custom home builder plays a vital role in all aspects of the home building process, from collaborating with the interior design team to organizing and overseeing subcontractors and tracking and monitoring the project schedule and budget. Here’s a brief breakdown of some of the duties your custom home builder performs:
  • Serves as an integral and collaborative member of the design team that works with the architect and the interior designer to establish a realistic budget, confirm structural details, and ensure all necessary building permits are obtained.
  • Project planning, including preparing the master schedule that details the project scope, schedule and budget.
  • Coordinate and manage subcontractors and suppliers to ensure all necessary duties, materials and milestones are completed on time and within budget.
  • Perform final inspections on the home and property to make sure every component of your custom home has been constructed or installed properly, as well as identify and solve any problems that arise.
  • Serves as a liaison between local inspectors and jurisdictions to obtain all approvals, inspections, and the certificate of occupancy.
Things to look for in your custom home builder
Like any relationship, you want your custom home builder to be honest, reliable and transparent. A good, reputable home builder is always attentive to your desires and vision, maintains excellent and timely communication and never compromises their values and integrity. Overall, you want to find a Nanaimo home builders team that can show they have a thorough understanding of all aspects of home building with the reputation to back it up. When searching for a custom home builder, here are a few things you should explore:
  • Quality – Check their portfolio of projects that are similar to the custom home you desire to ensure they can deliver on your wishlist.
  • Reputation – Does your custom home builder have a good track record with local, reputable companies, banks and suppliers? Review their client and business references or testimonials for more insight.
  • Experience – How many years have they been in business? Are they experienced in building custom homes?
  • Achievements – Has their company or projects been recognized for any awards or achievements?
  • Location – Does the builder have experience in the neighbourhood or community where you plan to build? Are they up-to-date on local laws and environmental factors?
Custom home builder warning signs
Sadly, partnering with the wrong Nanaimo home builders team can make your investment and home building process costly, stressful and difficult. So, how do you prevent this from happening? Below, we’ve provided a few red flags to look out for when interviewing custom home builders:
  • They provide no written contract for you or them to sign.
  • The contract provided to you is not clear, concise and is poorly written.
  • Their proposal price is significantly lower than all the others you have received or is very general in estimating cost details.
  • They do not have a verifiable work history, references or testimonials.
  • They have poor communication skills or fail to follow up with you.
  • Their construction time frame seems unrealistic for your particular project.
  • They ask for the full amount upfront to start your project. Always ask for a breakdown from your custom home builder so that you have a very clear understanding of what your initial payment is covering.
Your trusted Nanaimo home builders team
Westmark is an award-winning custom home builder that has been helping people across Vancouver island make their dream homes a reality for more than 35 years. At Westmark, our mission is to make your home-building experience enjoyable and offer a refined approach that focuses on open, honest communication, transparency and customer service. If you are thinking about building a custom home, contact us today, and we’d be happy to tell you about our process and how we can help you build the custom home of your dreams! For a look at some of the custom homes we’ve built across Vancouver Island, visit our custom home portfolio.
Categories:
#Custom Homes
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