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Custom Home Builders Near Me: What Services to Expect?

Blog Know What to Ask Your Chicago Home Builder

Custom home builders provide the full spectrum of services in the execution of unique — custom homes. This category of residential real estate is characterized by a non-standard architectural design, floor plans, interiors, technological solutions. An experienced custom home builder will manage the whole process — from getting the required permits to "polishing" the finished result to a point when you can just get your keys and start enjoying life in your new beautiful home.

Fortress Home has been in the custom home building business for more than 20 years. We have extensive experience in both new construction and remodel of existing houses. Our professionals are always ready to offer unique solutions — when it comes to the design, the floor plan, or unusual customization options. Give us a call today at 773-770-8607 and ask us a few questions: we are sure we can provide you with a unique vision and solid expertise.

Custom homes: what are they?

The main word that characterizes the term "custom home" is uniqueness.

These new homes are designed specifically for the needs of a particular customer — with the help of the in-house or invited team of architects and designers.


Usually, the builder would construct this new home on your plot of land, but there are firms that will offer you interesting locations too.

Because the whole process of bringing this kind of house from the ground up is more complex than building a modular (a "typical") home, it usually is more expensive and time-consuming. The price to finish a new home of this type can be twice higher than that of ready homes in housing communities and it can demand up to twice and more time to finish it.

Custom home builders: list of services

  • Getting all the permits, required in your area
  • Complying with the building codes and zoning requirements
  • Preparation of the building site for construction (leveling, demolition of the old constructions, etc)
  • Architectural design — unique floor plans created by an architect
  • Purchasing the materials and delivering them to the building site
  • Hiring subcontractors, if needed
  • New homes construction
  • Remodeling and customization of the existing houses
  • Installation of all the utilities and communications
  • "Green" solutions — energy efficient modern homes
  • "Smart" solutions — technologically advanced dream homes

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How did Fortress Home become one of Chicago's leading luxury home builders? Everything is simple. — We combine modern technologies and functional building concepts with classical architectural techniques to create unique forms of historic houses. This approach to interior and exterior design, combined with the use of quality materials, has ensured the creation of homes with a unique character that will adorn the city even centuries from now.

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6 steps to hiring your dream home builder

  1. Look for companies with relevant experience around your location: type "Custom home builders near me" in Google and start your journey from there.
  2. Carefully explore the website of the potential builder. Your virtual tour will answer a lot of your questions. Browse the "About us" page, look through the photos of completed projects in the portfolio, and read customer reviews.
  3. After you've chosen 2-3 candidates, give them a call or meet their representatives in person. Professional builders will answer all your questions patiently — and offer you valuable solutions straight away. Get quotes and compare them. After this step you might have a winner. Choose the one whose experience is relevant to your project.
  4. Go on an offline tour and explore the finished projects that this custom builder has completed. Does the overall speaking quality and serious approach? Do you like the style and the design of the building? Do you feel that it is positioned correctly? If all of these answers are "Yes", proceed to the next step.
  5. Inquire all the legal paperwork that this candidate possesses — licenses, certificates, awards, insurances — and study them with your lawyer. The builder must withhold all the documents, legally required by your state, for each of the services that he provides.
  6. Carefully study the contract draft before signing it, also with a lawyer. The contract must contain very detailed information about the project: terms and conditions, list of works, milestones, total budget and payment schedule, fines implementation in case of terms' violation, etc.

Building a custom home: what to pay attention to

Location

Are you planning to build your perfect home on your own land — or need to purchase a new plot? In case of the latter you need to find a good local real estate agent — or the developer that owns land in your desirable location.

Before you even discuss the architectural project with your contractor, you need to decide in what area your family is going to live in.


Exterior

Every homeowner is different. Some people want to awe the neighborhood with exquisite interior, the others prefer simple Scandinavian lines (but packed full of technology inside of the house). The choice of the way the exterior of your property will look can be offered by the builder. But make sure that when you are at this step, you've already found your dream one.

Floor plans

Professional custom home builders will offer you individually designed floor plans. This is a very important step — because this is exactly when your dreams become having a shape. Don't skip it and totally trust your contractor: participate in the process fully.

Recommended reading

House Floor Plans For Your Dream Home: Everything You Need to Know
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What Makes the Most Trusted Home Builders in Chicago
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How to avoid stress when building a house? Everything is simple. — In each project, reflect the vision, feelings, sensations, and desires of families who will not only live in such a building but call it home. We at Fortress Home take this approach when constructing every custom building!

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Custom homes on your lot!
If you currently own a lot, or need help finding one, Fortress Home is excited to offer comprehensive on-your-lot home building services. We have many ideal floor plans for building on your lot, don't worry - we can modify our standard plans or develop a fully custom plan just for you.
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Interior

The part, most loved by female homeowners as a chance to set their creativity free. But professional designers are invited in this process for a reason: they know how to create a harmonious interior design, no matter how eccentric their client's wishes are. This step will also include the choice of materials for decoration, sidings, cupboards, etc. The aim of the designer — style and function and their compliance with the overall feel of the house.

Technology

What level of technology implementation are you looking for? Do you go for a totally green and smart house, or are quality appliances just enough? Your custom home builder will offer you a range of technological solutions — explore them carefully and understand if they are enough, or you are ready to invite another contractor.

Looking for "Custom home builders near me"? Search no more!

Fortress Home is a custom home builder that has been on the Chicago IL area market for more than 20 years. During this time we have built dozens of custom homes. Our in-house design specialists create stunning unique or refine our signature floor plans in order while creating dream houses for our clients.

We oversee and manage the process from A to Z - from turning the ideas into blueprints to purchasing the best materials and installing high-end technological solutions to your new house.


From rural country living to city lot fill, we are proud to bring our experience, our large variety of plans, and our commitment to value into your new home building. We are proud of helping our customers in getting home that relates to their lifestyle and budget. Have you just dialed "Custom home builders near me"? Look no more, give us a call at 773-770-8607 and discuss your perfect home with one of our team members.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a custom builder charge?

The average rate of the custom home builders in the US is 15% of the total cost of house construction. For exclusive luxury residences the rate can rise up to 20%-25%.

Does it cost more to custom build a house?

Yes. If the average building price for a single family home in the Chicago, IL area is around $290-$349, you can easily double this price if you are planning to build a custom home.

Why custom homes are better?

First of all, you are totally in control of the whole building process. It is you who chooses the architectural design and the interior particularities. You can build a 100% green and smart house and use all the high end technology that you like. A custom designed home is absolutely unique and it can reflect your vision of the perfect lifestyle.

Sounds appealing? Give us a call at Fortress Home at 773-770-8607. We have been building custom homes for more than 20 years and are ready to share our vision of your dreams come true. Free estimate today.

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FORTRESS HOME

What is the main asset of a construction company? Everything is simple. This is not an investment, not funds in the company's account. These are those unique houses, apartments, and buildings that have already been built and put into operation by the company. In different architectural styles, other concepts, and various tasks assigned to the general contractor. That is the asset in Fortress Home, with over 300 homes from more than 20 years of operation that delight their families.

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