Five Homeowner Tips for a Smooth Build Process
You likely have already heard that building a home can be a long process. It can be a truly exciting process, too! There are a variety of moving parts from obtaining permits, construction drawings, utility hookups, organizing and scheduling trades to ordering product – all of which your builder will take care of.
Additionally, there are several responsibilities of the homeowner that take place during the process. Signing legal documents, lining up financing, and decisions to make when it comes to the floorplans. Then, there is the selections process which includes choosing those large ticket items like appliances and cabinetry – to the small details, like robe hooks in the bathrooms. Every detail works together to enable you to have the unique design touches you’ve always dreamed of in your new home.
Like many industries, the world events of the last few years have added some levels of uncertainty in the financial markets and supply chain. For us at Lexis, the last few years have filled us with even more passion to build beautiful homes. Most of us have experienced unprecedented amounts of uncertainty – life itself is uncertain. We are always going to have peaks and valleys to overcome. Seeing our homeowner’s step inside their dream home on possession day is what inspires us – especially when the home is ‘built right – from the ground up’, despite any challenges and adversities that may arise.
There will be bumps along the way to building a home. As they say, nothing worth having comes easy, right? At Lexis, we are committed to doing everything within our power to ensure the process is as seamless as possible, no matter what kind of environment we are living in.
As a homeowner, here are a few tips that can help ensure your process is as smooth as possible:
- Choosing the right builder. We’ve mentioned this before. We can not overstate how important this is. Ask for references and read reviews. Meet with your desired home builder and have a real conversation. How do they communicate? Are they transparent? Are they honest? While the end goal is to build a home that you are completely in love with – the relationship with your builder is fundamental to ensuring your build goes smoothly.
- Communication. This is a two-way street between the homeowner and the home builder. Your home builder should communicate with you on items that require your attention and provide you with project updates. Building a home is one of the biggest decisions of your life – ensuring you have set aside dedicated time to make decisions ensures your project stays on track and on budget. It is important to familiarize yourself with your builder’s communication software – whether it is Buildertrend, or another platform. Make it a priority to set aside time to engage in any commentary.
- Making Selections. Lexis offers design processes that allow you to be as involved as you want to be. You can provide your inspirations and ‘must haves’. Our designers will use their expertise to create your perfect space based on your desires – or, you can take an active role in participating in the design process. If you choose to be heavily involved, it is important to adhere to timelines when it comes to making selections and reviewing designs and quotes. Not approving selections in a timely manner can lead to price changes from suppliers. In today’s market, product prices can change rapidly. Most suppliers will provide a time limit on how long they can hold a certain price on product quoted for your home.
- Last Minute Changes. There are always things that will come up last minute. We get that. It is your home and it needs to be built right – just for you. It is important to carefully read over all options and review drawings presented by your designers and make a confident decision. Last minute changes are understandable, but too many of them can lead to cost overruns and impact the timelines of your project.
- Staying Positive and Patient. Sounds cliché, but this is key! You want to get into your new home as soon as possible, and your builder wants you to, too! The last few years of world events have shown us how easy it is to hit speed bumps. It is important to recognize that set backs can happen that are outside of a builder’s control. While it doesn’t happen often, a product can be delayed, discontinued unexpectedly, or arrive damaged and lead to a ripple effect on the installation of everything from millwork, to baseboards to finish carpentry. At Lexis, we aim for all things to go smoothly while upholding our quality control measures.
We hope that these tips will help you with your home building process! If you’ve chosen Lexis as your builder of choice, you can be assured that we are working in your best interest. It is our goal to ensure you love coming home. The process can feel long while you are going through it – but in the grand scheme of things, it is a short window of time compared to the years you will have to create beautiful memories in your new home.