Every future homeowner has planned their dream home long before they begin to buy. The missing link to your dream home is your choice of a home builder. There are many ways to seek the most professional home builder who will work with you to make your dream home a reality.
1. Design Experience and Top Quality Construction
Two of the most important features of a dream home is design and construction. A home builder should be skilled in both of these features. Designing a home takes talent, skill and a lot of patience to arrive at the potential home buyer’s well-defined design specifications. Top quality construction is always essential to the design and structural durability of a home. Choosing the home builder that’s right for you needn’t be difficult. It may take a bit of time to gather the information needed to make the right final decision on the best home builder for your needs The experienced home builder will have years of experience in the home building industry. Usually, a home builder is easily recognized by the number and designs of homes previously built.
2. Does Your Home Builder Have a License?
source: contractorsischool.com
Once a designated location for your home has been chosen, the next step is to locate your home builder. Check his references, his licensing with your state and his industry certifications and other credentials. In most cases, the home building industry associations are glad to provide this background information. Another important consideration is the home builder’s liability insurance. Few home builders will tackle the job of home design and construction without some form of liability insurance. This protects the home buyer and the builder. In some cases, home designs may be proprietary and therefore require additional insurance that covers errors and omissions to design parameters. Don’t assume property damage insurance will cover work done during the building phase will be sufficient protection.
3. Characteristics of Great Consultants
Though you may have very specific ideas for your home, your home builder is your best consultant throughout the building process. You are assured of the latest ideas, plans, and innovations as well as top quality construction materials. Managing the building of a home is a task for more than one individual. Your professional building consultant has the expertise to manage various phases of work to be completed.
4. Communication
It’s important to choose a builder with whom you can have constructive dialogue.
When considering which builder to select from your shortlist, make sure that it is somebody who you feel confident in talking to so that you can communicate effectively. It is essential that you can express clearly to your builder what your objectives and ideas are to bring your vision life. If your contractor has a clear idea of your objective, then it makes it easier for him to reach that goal, if it’s vague and unclear then it’s a recipe for disaster. It’s also important to have an on-going dialogue should you need to overcome unforeseen problems that need to be resolved without the relationship dissolving into a bitter dispute.
5. Guarantees
Before the project gets underway to make sure that you understand what guarantees are included in the contract. They may be part of the chosen builders association with a particular trade body, or something taken out with a separate company, however, you will want the peace of mind that should any problems surface in the years following the completion that there is suitable insurance covered by a guarantee.
6. Track Record
It’s always a good idea to inspect a contractor’s previous work. Where possible visit homeowners who have used the contractor to view the work and discuss with them how the project went. Questions you should be asking are: How was the working relationship?
How professional were they in their approach? How satisfied are they with the outcome?
Was it completed on time and on a budget? How did they deal with any snagging issues?
7. The Contract
It’s essential to understand clearly at the outset what is and what is not included in the contract. There are many various aspects to a project, from the first fix to second fix, right through to final fixtures and fittings. You need to consider who is responsible for each part when are payments due – after completion of each stage, upfront or on completion, what happens if something goes wrong or runs over time and what quality fittings, if included, are quoted for.
This article comes from Rokco Builds, a trusted home building company based in Morningside QLD.
