Many peoples mis-conception of the building process makes them fear the unknown of what to expect in the building process. I often tell my clients that building a new home with a good builder is like buying an existing home that just doesn't exist yet. While the process of making selections can be overwhelming to some, others find this process completely enjoyable. You are able to make the home as personalized as you'd like. I personally make myself available as well to guide you through that part of the process.
Another fear I'm sure potential building clients have is the fear of cost overruns. When I start the process of working with clients, I try my best to pre-qualify them to know what they are looking for in their dream home. I have built many homes and have a firm grasp on what the amenities you are looking at will cost. This gets us very close to a final price. Before I even have my clients sign agreements to build, I take them on this guided tour I mentioned above. This alone pin points the costs on the home and allows us all to write an agreement that is detailed and extremely accurate. I average less than 2% in overages on all the homes I build and that is from the time we sign contracts to the time the home is completed. Most clients building homes worry about the horror stories that say they can expect 10 percent along the way in over runs. This simply doesn't occur with my company. Once the selection process is complete, my clients can enjoy the building process and watch all the hard work we all did come together. This too allows us to run a much tighter schedule.
I hope this helps explain the ways in which I can minimize your fears in the building process. My clients testimonials are the best way to ensure what I've said is the way I truly run my business.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Are ICF foundations better that others???
First of all, I'd like to say thanks to all who came out to the Rochester Area Builders Home Show this past weekend. It was a huge success and we had excellent traffic. In last years show, I built 2 custom homes for clients I met at the event. I hope to duplicate that this year and it is really looking positive with the feedback from the potential clients we met there.
One of the many topics this year that I had come from the people visiting my booth was regarding ICF foundations. Although many opinion may differ, they are not my choice for a couple reasons. The first being the added cost to the homeowner. In todays environment with appraisals being so difficult, this can be a factor right out of the gates for people. If the cost of the home is higher than the appraisal, other parts of the home need to be sacrificed in order to get the ICF's into the budget. The other problem I have with them is the mis-information on the efficiency. I think they are a great way to make a home efficient if they are taken all the way to the roof trusses(this is an extremely expensive way to use them), but if they stop at the foundation they are not. The State of MN has conducted studies proving that having more than R-5 insulation below grade is not necessarily a good thing. In MN, the average ground temperature is near 55 degrees all the time as long as it is below the frost line. 55 degrees can be good in the summer or the winter. I think of it this way. If in the summer it is 100 degrees outside and that temperature is trying to get into the home, having the 55 degree ground temp is good to allow the ground around the home to absorb the homes ever gaining heat. The opposite happens in the winter. If it is -10 degrees outside, the home is constantly taking in the 55 degree heat from the ground around the foundation. If the insulation level is higher than R-5, this cannot occur as easily. I look at this type of system as a built in Geo heating system. This is the reason I build my homes with an R-5 exterior insulation. By placing the foam insulation on the exterior, we move the condensation point to the exterior making the basement feel warmer yet. One last thing I recommend to my clients, but few do is to foam 4 feet away from the home to just below grade. This will prevent the frost from actually diving down on the homes foundation and keep the entire foundation wall at the magic 55 degree ground temp. This along with placing retaining walls in all areas that the foundation has taken a jump will keep your new home and its foundation working the most efficient way possible. I'm sure this is an area where many can and will disagree with me, but with my homes scoring on average less that 59 on the HERS Energy Star Scale it is hard to discredit.
One of the many topics this year that I had come from the people visiting my booth was regarding ICF foundations. Although many opinion may differ, they are not my choice for a couple reasons. The first being the added cost to the homeowner. In todays environment with appraisals being so difficult, this can be a factor right out of the gates for people. If the cost of the home is higher than the appraisal, other parts of the home need to be sacrificed in order to get the ICF's into the budget. The other problem I have with them is the mis-information on the efficiency. I think they are a great way to make a home efficient if they are taken all the way to the roof trusses(this is an extremely expensive way to use them), but if they stop at the foundation they are not. The State of MN has conducted studies proving that having more than R-5 insulation below grade is not necessarily a good thing. In MN, the average ground temperature is near 55 degrees all the time as long as it is below the frost line. 55 degrees can be good in the summer or the winter. I think of it this way. If in the summer it is 100 degrees outside and that temperature is trying to get into the home, having the 55 degree ground temp is good to allow the ground around the home to absorb the homes ever gaining heat. The opposite happens in the winter. If it is -10 degrees outside, the home is constantly taking in the 55 degree heat from the ground around the foundation. If the insulation level is higher than R-5, this cannot occur as easily. I look at this type of system as a built in Geo heating system. This is the reason I build my homes with an R-5 exterior insulation. By placing the foam insulation on the exterior, we move the condensation point to the exterior making the basement feel warmer yet. One last thing I recommend to my clients, but few do is to foam 4 feet away from the home to just below grade. This will prevent the frost from actually diving down on the homes foundation and keep the entire foundation wall at the magic 55 degree ground temp. This along with placing retaining walls in all areas that the foundation has taken a jump will keep your new home and its foundation working the most efficient way possible. I'm sure this is an area where many can and will disagree with me, but with my homes scoring on average less that 59 on the HERS Energy Star Scale it is hard to discredit.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Win a $100 gift card from Med City Builders this weekend!
Just a quick note to remind all of you about the Rochester Area Builders Home Show this upcoming weekend. I will be busy getting ready for this as well as heading off to tour the latest products at the Anderson Window plant this Wednesday. Therefore, I will keep the Blog this week short and sweet. This weekends event is a great opportunity for you to stop in to discuss your potential building plans or just talk about previous Blogs you have read. I plan on having plenty of previous homes interior and exterior pictures. I also carry a large book of previous home plans for you to get some great ideas. One of the activities I will be offering this year is a coloring contest for your children. I will be accepting the colored Med City Builders homes after the Home Show and will put the 3 finalists on my companies Facebook page. We will be announcing the winner through my website as well as Facebook. Your child can win getting the most "Likes" on his or her picture. You must only "Like" Med City Builders yourself in order to enter your child. More information will be given at the Home Show so stop by for details!
Last year, the traffic was really positive for us and we hope to see the same this year. I truly feel like there is a tremendous backlog of clients wanting to build a new home. The road block tends to fall in line with their existing home. Having success in the past and present with selling existing homes, I'd be happy to discuss this process with you at the Show as well. You may be surprised, but in talking with other Real Estate agents in the area as well as my own involvement we have really seen an upsurge in the existing market. So feel free to stop by to see all of the latest trends in the building industry, meet knowledgeable people in the trades, and discuss your current situation to see if now is a good time for you to make the move on a new home. To me, it seems like it was a less stressful way for you the client to interview the builders while meeting us at an event like this.
Last year, the traffic was really positive for us and we hope to see the same this year. I truly feel like there is a tremendous backlog of clients wanting to build a new home. The road block tends to fall in line with their existing home. Having success in the past and present with selling existing homes, I'd be happy to discuss this process with you at the Show as well. You may be surprised, but in talking with other Real Estate agents in the area as well as my own involvement we have really seen an upsurge in the existing market. So feel free to stop by to see all of the latest trends in the building industry, meet knowledgeable people in the trades, and discuss your current situation to see if now is a good time for you to make the move on a new home. To me, it seems like it was a less stressful way for you the client to interview the builders while meeting us at an event like this.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Start to finish. The process to get you there.
Today I'd like to discuss the basic principles behind my process in building a new home for my clients. One of the first steps in any project is to determine what it is that we are all trying to accomplish. My initial meeting with my clients typically revolves around trying to lay the foundation for what it is they really want to do. Many times they already have ideas of what they'd like to build and I then take these ideas and lay my foundations for what I'd like to present to the draftsman or architects. Most of the time, we start an idea from nothing more than a penciled drawing on a notebook. This is what a truly custom project is stemmed from and the most enjoyable way for me to create the vision. A typical timeline for getting the prelim plans back in hand can be less than a week depending on how complex the design is. Establishing prelims will now allow me to more accurately bid the home the way the client described to me in the first meeting. Once we have started to create the template for the specifications and the floor plans, we really start to dial in the pricing. We do this by beginning the selection process prior to signing any contracts. I like to take my clients on a one or two day tour to the vendors I have had the greatest success with. At this time, we really pin point the details of what is to be built into the new home. As we go through the process, I enter all the information into the book of information we create to organize the details. This book ends up being what is ultimately faxed to all of our subcontractors as well as placed on the job site for their review. Once this part of the process is completed, we incorporate the selections into the existing spec sheet and blueprint. This is when we get the project nailed down as far as the overall price. The best advantage I have found in doing the process this way, is it allows my clients to walk into the actual purchase agreement with near to exact pricing. Thus eliminating the need for change orders along the way. Once the purchase agreement has been signed, I am able to begin the finalization of the plans and ready them for permit.
Building begins once the lot is officially closed and the permit package is ready for pickup. Through this part of the process, I meet the clients at the site to determine the best placement for the home on the lot. As we begin the actual construction, I then develop the written schedule for the entire project. This allows the client, myself, and the subcontractors to be able to follow a timeline that insures completion dates are met. It allows the subcontractors to order in pertinent items that could have possibly held up the construction process. It also and most importantly helps you, the homeowner, to better understand the process and allows the homeowner to know what is being done on a particular day so they have the option of going to the job site to see progress being made. My major focus on any job I supervise is to always have activity regardless of what it is. On days where work is not being completed, it typically means that it is filled with inspections.
Once the new home is completed, we prepare the home for closing. As we have gone through the process, we have met with the clients along the way. As we get to the end, I set up pre-closing walk throughs to uncover any minor defects that can be taken care of prior to closing. This is typically done a week or so before closing. This allows us to have ample time to complete the work. As the closing date approaches, we also conduct a final inspection to insure all of the work is done to the home owners satisfaction. At closing, I furnish the homeowner with a packet of information discussing warranties, spec sheets, State warranties, the timelines for my 30 day post closing inspection, and the 1 year post closing inspection. These 2 last inspections are great ways for me to come back to the home and discuss any questions you as the home owner might have after you have settled in. Many times, it revolves heavily on the complex heating systems we install as well as the Energy Star ratings which I typically have in hand.
In a nutshell, our relationship with you begins at the first meeting but lasts many years after. I often tell my clients that we have just became married once we have signed the final agreements. As a builder, I'm responsible for portions of their new home in upwards of 10 years. I hope this helps better understand a typical building process in the life of one of my clients eyes.
Building begins once the lot is officially closed and the permit package is ready for pickup. Through this part of the process, I meet the clients at the site to determine the best placement for the home on the lot. As we begin the actual construction, I then develop the written schedule for the entire project. This allows the client, myself, and the subcontractors to be able to follow a timeline that insures completion dates are met. It allows the subcontractors to order in pertinent items that could have possibly held up the construction process. It also and most importantly helps you, the homeowner, to better understand the process and allows the homeowner to know what is being done on a particular day so they have the option of going to the job site to see progress being made. My major focus on any job I supervise is to always have activity regardless of what it is. On days where work is not being completed, it typically means that it is filled with inspections.
Once the new home is completed, we prepare the home for closing. As we have gone through the process, we have met with the clients along the way. As we get to the end, I set up pre-closing walk throughs to uncover any minor defects that can be taken care of prior to closing. This is typically done a week or so before closing. This allows us to have ample time to complete the work. As the closing date approaches, we also conduct a final inspection to insure all of the work is done to the home owners satisfaction. At closing, I furnish the homeowner with a packet of information discussing warranties, spec sheets, State warranties, the timelines for my 30 day post closing inspection, and the 1 year post closing inspection. These 2 last inspections are great ways for me to come back to the home and discuss any questions you as the home owner might have after you have settled in. Many times, it revolves heavily on the complex heating systems we install as well as the Energy Star ratings which I typically have in hand.
In a nutshell, our relationship with you begins at the first meeting but lasts many years after. I often tell my clients that we have just became married once we have signed the final agreements. As a builder, I'm responsible for portions of their new home in upwards of 10 years. I hope this helps better understand a typical building process in the life of one of my clients eyes.
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