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 1. The Dimensions of your new
home
- Rooms required;
- Bedrooms
- Baths
- Sizes of rooms;
- Special features or furniture to be accommodated
- Number of cars to be garaged
2. Individual
likes and dislikes
- Think about your present home and make a list
of the ten things you love.>
- Make a list of ten things you would love
to have in your new home.
- Finally, list the ten things that you hate about your present
residence that you would change immediately if it could be done.
(If you're a couple make your lists separately.)
3. Layout
Bring any floor plans that you like, even if you only like a portion of them.
If you have an idea for a layout, bring a sketch. It doesn't have to be
to scale.
4. Pictures
- Bring any pictures from magazines, etc. that you like, even if you don’t know why you like them.
- When you see a room picture or a picture of some room detail that strikes your fancy, clip and save it. Those items may give the designer an insight into the styles that you like.
5. The location
- We’ll need a plat of your property,
- We’ll need to know if water and soil
tests have been done.
- If your community has covenant requirements, bring that document.
- If you haven’t purchased land yet, let us know the kind of setting you’re thinking of. We will look up what’s
available in your chosen area.
6. The money
- Have a realistic idea of what your budget will be for your house. How much of a monthly payment do you want to make?
- We have good relations with several banks in the area which meet our standards for a construction loan draw schedule. We would be pleased to put you in touch with them.
- Many items in the budget we will develop
are “allowances,” estimates of amounts to be spent on plumbing fixtures, floors and carpeting, appliances, etc. This would be a good time to tell us if you want something special: Solid cherry cabinets? A pot filler over the stove? Restaurant quality appliances? An icemaker on the porch? We don’t
have to decide on everything at this point, but anything that makes
our allowances more realistic, will prevent surprises down the
line.
7. The process
Once blueprints (they’re mostly white these
days) have been discussed and modifications made, a budget is drawn
up and presented to you. You will find us at our most obsessive at
this point, trying to nail down details of the project. Keep in mind
that changes cost money.
8. The contract
This will be a tedious, multi-page document specifying all that we have agreed upon. Read it carefully. Take it home and think about it. This contract will spell out our relationship over the next months.
9. The schedule
As Forest Gump once said, “Things happen” (or something like that). We will give you an honest estimate of the time it will take to build your home. We will update you weekly on the progress that’s
being made or tell you if we have run into delays. Be assured we
will finish your project as fast as we can, consistent with safety
and quality.
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