How to Find a Home Builder: Where to look and questions to ask
Building your dream home is a once-in-a-lifetime project for most people so most people wonder how to find a builder. There are many places you can look for potential builders, from newspapers and real estate agents, to online and through personal recommendations.
When you have a shortlist it's important to know what to ask them and how to check their reputation and reliability. Fortress Home, Chicago guides you through the process of finding the right builder for you.
What sort of home builders do you need?
Depending on the type of project and level of involvement you want, will depend on what type of home builders you want to hire.
Do it for me
Most people will fall into this category - they have little to no experience in construction and have a busy life with no time to manage a complex project like the house building process.
If this sounds like you you'll want to hire a trustworthy general contractor who can help manage the entire process for you.
For people interested in custom homes you probably want your custom home builder to offer general contracting services too. Bespoke custom houses will probably require even more project management skills with custom materials like doors and windows needing to be ordered from specialist suppliers.
What does a general contractor do?
Depending on the particular services offered by the general contractor you choose they may have an in-house architect or design team who can help to design your dream home and buy land before construction even starts.
During the construction process, your general contractor will be responsible for managing the budget and schedule, ensuring all the materials are purchased and delivered on time, hiring all the required subcontractors and other workers, and ensuring the quality of the work.
A reputable general contractor will also be licensed and insured (check this) so your project will be covered by their insurance. Looking for a “Construction company near me”? Fortress Home is a builder with more than 20 years of experience.
Do it yourself
If you have some previous experience in construction and have a lot of time and energy to put into the building process you might want to project manage the build yourself. In this case, you may want to work directly with home builders, acting as the project manager yourself.
In this case, you will be responsible for all the tasks a general contractor would normally fulfill. These include:
- managing the job site
- hiring subcontractors where needed
- purchasing materials
- ensuring everything is insured
- looking after on-site health and safety
This can be a major task and not one we recommend you take lightly, so think carefully about taking a DIY approach to the building process.
What about custom home builders
If you want a truly custom home, and know exactly what you're looking for, you'll need to make sure you're working with experienced custom home builders who understand and have experience in building the type of house you are looking for. So when you start asking 'how to find a home builder?' this will narrow your list of potential builders down considerably.
However, if you simply want to customize a standard house your choice will be much wider. Many production house builders and semi-custom home builders offer customization services on their standard houses and floor plans, allowing you to change different elements including:
- floor plan layouts
- fixtures
- fittings
- finishes
