Welcome to Custom Home Building
Building a custom home is a very exciting and rewarding experience. A great deal more of your time, thought, and personality will go into your home simply because you and your family will make many of the decisions usually made by the builder. Your own mental scrapbook of housing ideas can be arranged to create a new home that is uniquely you.
During our first meetings, we will listen as you describe your new home. We will begin with budgetary considerations, general outlines, then gradually becoming more specific and detailed. As these preliminary plans develop, we get closer and closer to seeing your home on paper, just as you want it. While it is important to proceed quickly with all aspects of your new home, we want to be absolutely certain that we can fully incorporate the features you desire.
As you continue to analyze and determine your priorities, we continue to fine tune the design. One of the most enjoyable and satisfying aspects of having a custom built home is being able to make so many choices. One of the maddening and frustrating aspects of having a custom home built is not knowing exactly what it will cost. Each change, adjustment, addition, or deletion in the design effect the cost of the home; until all decisions have been finalized, none of us can know the exact cost of the home. We will work with a cost estimate or price range.
When you are satisfied that you have made all the adjustments and changes you want, we are ready to have working blueprints drawn.
If there are any areas where you have not made your final choice; for instance, appliances, tile, floor coverings, an “allowance: will be included in the pricing. This provides you with more time to consider your selections or perhaps work with a decorator, while at the same time a definite price for the new home can be set. If the allowance for a particular category is $1500 when you sign the order and the total is $1400, the difference will be a credit to you at completion.
If you prefer, we can make a recommendation for you, subject to your approval. Based on our knowledge and experience we can provide a choice of product or material appropriate for the style and price range of your home.
Please note that some of the details of the home will be determined outside of your or our control. Building codes, engineering, and homeowner association requirements will influence the plans for your new home. We will point these out and discuss them with you.
Changes can be made at any time. However, once blueprints have been drawn, engineering completed, and a building permit obtained, even a “minor” change can necessitate redrawing, re-engineering, and reapproval by the building department and/or homeowner association. These extra steps are costly and cause delays in starting or progressing with construction. To avoid this, we encourage you to take full advantage of your design meetings to think out loud about your home and arrive at a plan that serves all aspects of your housing dream.
Many custom buyers begin this process with a great deal of construction knowledge; others know what they like or dislike in a home but have not been exposed to the technical side of home building. Wherever you are on this continuum, when your new home is complete, you will have acquired considerably more construction knowledge and technical vocabulary. Do not hesitate to ask for an explanation at any point; we expect and welcome your questions. We invite your frequent inspection of your new home and are always willing to explain the construction process to you.
We would welcome the opportunity to speak with you. Please call 410-641-3602 to speak with someone today about what White Creek Homes can do for you or to schedule an appointment!