Building A Custom Home

What makes it a custom home? A true custom home is a one-of-a-kind product, designed specifically for you, with the style and amenities you desire, laid out to fit precisely on your lot. The home is handcrafted on site by construction crews, from a set of two-dimensional drawings and elevations. A real custom home is a creative collaboration of experienced professionals who combine their talents and expertise to craft a beautiful, high-quality house that conforms as closely as possible to the client’s conceptualized vision of their dream home.

Behind every custom home there is a team of talented professionals who take on the challenge of transforming ideas into reality. Most often consisting of the builder, an architect, an interior designer, and a construction superintendent, these professionals use their experience to develop the blueprints and specifications, render technical information and advice on the myriad of decisions that will need to be made, supervise the process, and create the vision of how the finished product will look and function.

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What Does The Builder Do?

The Builder, or general contractor, is the main figure responsible for overseeing the entire project. The builder assembles the home building team according to his unique strengths and focus. There are as many different ways to organize this team as there are home building companies, and every company seems to offer its’ own personnel mix. Some builders are architects specializing in signature home designs, leaving the bricks and boards to the superintendent. Many large builders are primarily developers who focus on planning new communities, offering architect and interior design services on an in-house or contract basis, with superintendents following the day-to-day project specifics. Other builders are hands-on craftsmen who enjoy supervising the construction aspect of their projects themselves, using independent, free-lance architects and interior designers with whom they have established a working relationship. There are builders who leave it up to the client to choose their own architect and interior designer to bring to the project. But, typically builders who don’t offer the design service professionals necessary for a project are able to make referrals for these resources.

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Do I Need An Architect?

The Architect draws the detailed blueprints that will determine what your home will look like and how it will be built. Everyone involved in the project will be working off these plans. These are very detailed and must be accurate as they will lock-in many aspects of the house that are very expensive and problematic to change later. Everyone involved in the project will be working off these plans. An architect needs to be a good listener as he will draw your home according to your wish list of needs and wants. His input as far as maximizing space and traffic flow, as well as attractive design, are invaluable and what he gets paid for, but you determine what goes into the house according to your lifestyle and preferences. The interior designer is often at these design sessions with the architect, and I highly recommend it. Countless details for the interior finish-out have to be considered at this time and will affect how the house is designed and the plans are drawn.

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Doesn’t The Architect Design The Interior?

The Interior Designer takes over where the architect leaves off, at the inside walls. The finishes, details, and materials are not usually included in the blue prints. Every component of the custom home’s interior must be selected by the homeowner in accordance with the production schedule to prevent costly construction delays. This can seem like an overwhelming task, so a big part of what the designer does is break this process down for clients, making it a step by step progression with each decision leading to the next. Designers pull it all together, making sure that the all the choices the client has made will work to create a cohesive interior scheme. They , also, create the special features that give clients’ homes a true custom look, such as intricate tile patterns, furniture-style cabinetry, and faux treatments. They have the skills to assemble samples, sketches, and mock-ups to help clients visualize how their choices are going to look, and the resources to research and locate any unique products a client wishes to use that might not be available from the usual suppliers. Working with a designer allows clients get to make their selections at Trade Only showrooms that offer more cutting-edge design ideas, better technical information, and wider selections than the resources generally available to the public.

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What Does The Superintendent Do?

The Superintendent is the manager on-site, overseeing every aspect of the construction process. He manages time, communication, and money. It is his job to make sure that the sequence and timing of the work adheres to the production schedule, the timetable established to build your home by the completion date. He coordinates men and materials so that they are on site at the appropriate time and are staying within the budget. Quality control and building codes are also his responsibility, regularly walking the project with building inspectors or the client. An experienced superintendent has creative solutions to the inevitable problems that arise when a two-dimensional drawing is translated into three-dimensional form, or when the client says, “Oh, I didn’t realize it would look like that!” His technical knowledge and attention to detail are reflected in the quality of your home.

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