0

Home Builders That Will Make Your Dream House Come True: How to Find

Blog Know What to Ask Your Chicago Home Builder

How to Find

Professionals who specialize in executing projects on the residential real estate market are called home builders. They usually have an in-house team of workers and a design center. And they provide a full spectrum of services for bringing the house from the ground up — from getting the required permits to preparing the site for construction; from purchasing the materials to using their own tools and hardware; from overseeing every step of the process to the finishing touches.

Each home builder is most likely to have a specialization — some have more experience in new homes construction, the others prefer to perform quality renovations and remodeling works. Hiring the right house builder is a tough job, and if you really want to get a dream home, choose very carefully.

Fortress Home is an expert home builder that has been on the Chicago, IL area market for more than 20 years. We know how to build the right home that will match your vision.


Take a virtual tour and have a look at the portfolio on our website. Like what you see? Give us a call at 773-770-8607. We are ready to answer all your questions and discuss your upcoming project in detail!

Services for the future homeowners

As we have already mentioned, house builders specialize in a whole range of different services. Here is a list of what to expect if you planning to build a new home or to remodel an existing one:

  • Residential real estate development
  • Residential real estate reconstruction/remodeling
  • Architectural design
  • Interior design
  • Construction/reconstruction process from A to Z
  • Materials purchase and delivery to the building site
  • Preparation of the site for construction
  • Permits inquiry
  • Land zoning and codes compliance
  • Utilities installation
  • Communications installation
  • Finishing works

What real estate projects do home builders offer?

Depending on the future homeowners goals and budget, builders can offer a few main options:

A modular, or a prefabricated home

The easiest and the most cost-effective option on the market. A prefab house is being produced off-site and then delivered and built on your land.

A custom built (or a custom-designed) home

A unique house that has been specially designed for your family. It will match your vision and can include unique technological and design solutions.

A luxury home

High-end of the market, these houses span large territories and include top quality everything — materials, appliances, utilities, technologies, interior solutions, etc. An official "starting price" of a luxury home in the US is $1 million

A home in a residential community

Developers will often offer you this popular suburban solution. Residential communities are convenient, comfortable, can have a few housing options available — and can belong to both the budget or the high-end part of the market.

Take a look at
our recent projects

More projects
/
/
  • Get started building today!
    Custom Home Builders
    We will design a new home that fits your life by finding out what is important to you, your family and your lifestyle.
modern kitchen cabinets in Chicago modern kitchen cabinets in Chicago modern kitchen cabinets in Chicago

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.

Our GC services

How to define a professional home builder: check-list

Professional house builders can be defined by a few definite characteristics. A trustworthy company must have:

  • Extensive experience on the market — from 5 years and more
  • Legal licenses, required by the state — for the business in general or a particular service
  • Registration certificate (and other certificates, required by a particular location)
  • Relevant insurance at a good insurance company that can cover the risks
  • A good office in a presentable location
  • A well-maintained professional website with transparent data on the company's work
  • An extensive portfolio of real, completed projects that anyone can have a look at
  • Real customer reviews and testimonials
  • A team of specialists that are open to meetings and project discussions
  • In-house professional workers
  • Good connections on the market for hiring the best contractors or getting the best deals from the suppliers
  • Overall good taste, intelligence, openness to the new ideas

6 steps to choosing the best home builder for your new home

1. Search online

First step for most of the endeavors in our modern world. Begin your search online. Look for the professional builders in your location. After you've cruised through a few sites, you are most likely to get a portion of inspiration by looking at finished projects.

2. Go local

Experienced companies know your community really well and will be able not just to get the best deals and hire the top subcontractors, but also — effectively avoid all the risks during the construction project.


They will be familiar with the weather peculiarities, with the quality of the soil and water, with the proneness of the particular location to flooding or the earthquakes.

3. Choose the right service

If you only need to reconstruct/customize your existing property, there is no need in hiring a company that specializes in new construction. The more specific the scale of works executed by your builder will be, the better. It means that the company has enough resources for performing this particular job — tools, hardware, knowledge, workers, etc.

Recommended reading

General Conditions in Construction - Your Questions Answered
Read more
How to Build a House Yourself - Five Innovative Ideas
Read more

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!

Information for investors
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.
Contact us

4. Ask for additional services

Experienced builders aren't only specializing in construction — they have solid relationships with the loan providers who will offer you the best interest rates; the insurance companies that will cover expenses in case of unexpected situations; partnerships with manufacturers that will help you significantly save on appliances. When you explore the range of services provided by a builder, always ask for the extra.

5. Compare the quotes

Before you even started the research, you probably already had the value of this particular work in mind. After you have chosen a few candidates, talk to their representatives and get quotes. The more detailed they are, the better. A professional builder wouldn't want to save time on a detailed explanation of the cost of its works. This step will help you define which company to work with.

6. Study the paperwork

Before signing the contract, study it carefully with your lawyer. It has to answer all the legal requirements and contain all the main information about the project. No matter is you are planning to build a new home or just a simple addition to your kitchen: all project milestones, payment schedules, terms and conditions have to be clear, transparent — and approved by your lawyer.

Building dreams since 2000

Fortress Home has been building dream houses in the Chicago, IL area, since 2000. We might not be the largest company in the US, but we are definitely one of the most devoted ones. Being a family-run business, we treat each of our clients as a part of our family — and we provide them a service that we would be proud to offer to any member of our community.

Throughout two decades of our work, we've helped dozens of families reach their dream of home ownership. We're proud to make sure their houses are in good shape and fit their living budget.


And we've got plenty of room for more! Join us today, give a call at 773-770-8607.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to find the right home builder?

  • Look for the companies with the extensive experience on the particular marker (new home construction / renovation)
  • Find local builders — they know the particularities of communities, the best suppliers and contractors
  • Carefully study the portfolio to understand whether you like the approach and the style of the company
  • Look for additional services — loan providers, partnerships with the manufacturers, etc
  • Compare the quotes — and choose the most adequate and transparent ones

How much do home builders charge?

The usual rate for home building companies is 10-15% of the total construction price for a single-family house up to 20-25% for a custom build or a luxury house. The average prices for residential construction in the Chicago, IL area can vary from $290 to $349 per sq. m, the average price of a freshly built house of 2500 ft will start from $725,000.

modern kitchen cabinets in Chicago

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.

How we build