You’ve heard of friends or family who have built a home, and told their stories about the unknowns, extra bills, and additional costs. The last thing you want when building your dream home is to be worried about a surprise expense creeping its way in.
At Ramton Homes, “Custom Home” means that every aspect of the build is thoroughly thought out and planned precisely for your specific home, and therefore we put this fear at bay.
Here are 7 ways we mitigate this concern to provide you with the stress-free experience building your dream home should be
1. Start Big & Scale Back
We start out with high end products, exceptional trades, and superior services for your new home. If desired, then we may scale back on some items throughout the build. Some of these items include finishings, windows, custom built-ins, and other cosmetic changes that offer more economical choices. There are however, some items we will not compromise on that are above industry standard. Some of these items include 4-1/2” concrete floors with reinforced rebar, fiber cement siding, spray foam insulation for increased R-Value, and many other things that add to the structural integrity and longevity of your home. We are committed to providing you with a durable, well-built home that will last.
In contrast, many builders start with the bare minimum requirements and add on from there; starting with builder-grade products and finishes, which finds homeowners paying “extra” for any change order they make. This proves to additional costs adding up and client frustration as they don’t feel they have the money to spend on their dream home.
2. Precise Take-Offs & Current Quotes
Before you sign a New Home Purchase Agreement, every detail of your specific home has been accounted for. We use the plans for your specific home to ensure we aren’t missing items in your contract. We make certain we are getting current quotes specific to your plans.
In contrast, many builders go off a “price per square foot”. Although this method gives you a quick price to a potential client, this figure typically only covers the bare minimum when it comes to building a home. Any additional requests are going to cost you, including built-in lockers, hardwood flooring, custom walk-in closets, appliances, cabinetry modifications, and many other items. Often the price per square foot doesn’t truly reflect what your home is. We make sure that we are quoting exactly what you are looking for.
3. Slow Down & Take the Time
Custom builds take time, there’s no way around it. We plan for realistic timelines to design and build your custom home and account for this in the cost of your house. We schedule accurate timelines for trades, so they have the time to ensure their jobs are done correctly and to the highest quality. We plan months in advance with our trades so they know when they are scheduled to work on our homes and ensure they have all the products required.
In contrast, many other builders work on an accelerated timeline, which causes tight deadlines and more room for error. Typically, in these instances, multiple trades are overlapping schedules and can’t perform their work to the best of their ability, as other trades are working in the same vicinity. As well, when trades are given unrealistic timelines to complete their work, that’s when they start “cutting corners” or overlooking important items in order to remain on schedule.
4. Planned Contingencies & Allowances
We build contingencies into the budget for items that have a history of price changes. From the time it takes to quote a job until a contract is signed could be a few weeks or a few months. We plan for worst-case scenario, so if prices on certain items do increase, we won’t be bugging you for additional payments. As well, we build allowances into the budget of your new home for additional items including fixture and finishing changes. The great thing about this is many prices remain the same from the initial quote, then the extra principal is returned to you at the end, resulting in your home costing LESS than originally expected.
In contrast, many builders don’t plan for price increases or client changes in fixtures and finishes. This quickly results in clients feeling like any little thing they change is going to cost them “extra”, leading to client frustration and disappointment.
5. Transparency & Communication
We are open about all aspects of the build – we keep our clients “in the know” on a continual basis. We frequently communicate with them regarding progress, change orders, budget, and all aspects related to their build. As a client, you ALWAYS have live access to the updates and changes along the way. You also have the resources to communicate with us about any questions/concerns at any point during the build.
In contrast, many other builders have pre-set walk-throughs, where clients have the opportunity to talk to the builder about progress and changes etc. These walk-throughs sometimes span weeks/months apart. Often clients forget to mention items they had questions about, as they are excited to be onsite seeing their new home coming to life.
6. Purchase Orders
As soon as a contract is signed, we make it our priority to send out purchase orders to our trades and suppliers, so we can guarantee prices to our clients. Once a purchase order is received, the respective trade/supplier is responsible to order that product. This is one way that we ensure you aren’t having to pay for price changes.
In contrast, some builders wait far too long to send our purchase orders, which leaves price changes to chance.
7. Keeping Informed
We are constantly watching the market for highs/lows of certain products, subsequently, we can purchase at the right time. We are frequently communicating with our trades and suppliers regarding upcoming price changes. We make it a priority to know what projected trends are both locally and nationally, in order to give our clients, the best opportunity.
In contrast, many builders are focused on “the sale” and aren’t necessarily looking out for the client’s best interest.
Knowing that we, at Ramton Homes, do these 7 things to keep your mind at ease!