Spec homes just aren’t for you. After going around the neighborhoods that you could see yourself living in, you came to this fact. None of the available properties that you were shown by your real estate agent checked off all of your boxes. This can be frustrating. You want to have a house that meets your personal needs now, as well as in the future. So, this is where building a custom home in Austin comes in.
When you build a custom home, you get to choose everything. This goes for kitchen cabinets, bathroom lighting, and bedroom floor plans. It even extends out to your yard, where one of your requirements may be to have a deck. Now, with all of this power comes great responsibility. But we explain why the design-build process in Austin isn’t something to feel pressured about.
Build trust with your contractor and their team.
Design-builds are collaborative in nature. They differ from traditional project deliveries in that there is a single contract to encapsulate the work of everyone involved. On account of this, the good thing about performing a design-build in Austin is that you only have one point of contact—your general contractor. This means that you won’t have to go back and forth between a contractor and a designer, or their sub-contractors and sub-consultants. Instead, you have a unified project with a reduced level of risk, including design flaws and disputes.
As the client, you want to work with someone who already has a great reputation, based on what previous clients are saying. That’s why you take the time to read through reviews or listen to the people closest to you about their experiences. But trust has to be earned. For custom home builders, this growing sense of trust doesn’t just come from a client’s first interaction. It comes from every step of the way following as a relationship is established. Know, though, that you are going to have to relinquish control. Once your custom home plan is out there, believe that you have a team by your side who is going to be actively listening and working toward your dream property.
Write down your goals to make sure they are met.
There is a reason that you decided to go with a custom home. It might be that you recognize how new houses are built to different standards than old houses. You want to be able to conserve money where you can in the long run, after all. Go into your custom home consultation having done your thorough research. This includes in what area it will be built, what rooms you want, and your material preferences. Your contractor may still guide you in a different direction on some points, for the sake of your budget, but it gives them a strong understanding of what your personal style and needs are.
You need to have some kind of criteria in place with your contractor for measuring the success of your design-build project in Austin. SMART goals are an excellent way to get started with this. These are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Each of these must be written into your contract, along with defining the roles and responsibilities of the people who are involved. By setting these parameters, it will be clear when you have hit milestone moments in the project.
Prioritize communication and collaboration tools.
Building a home is a complex process. And just because you went into it with a plan doesn’t mean you are one-hundred percent going to stick to it through the end. Once construction is underway, you may start to realize that you would prefer some other features. But note that you have to make decisions promptly. Otherwise, the project could be too far along that it wouldn’t really make sense to execute the latest changes you came up with. You should also be aware that 86% of employees and executives find communication to be one of the main causes of workplace failures. Don’t become part of that statistic because you aren’t having the necessary conversations with your contractor.
Nobody wants to be left in the dark when they are having their home remodeled or built by a design-build team in Austin. Not only do you need full transparency as the homeowner, but so do the people creating your custom home. Without real-time communication, it could be an unsafe work environment. Your contractor has to be able to make quick, sound decisions. Therefore, you have to be responsive and knowledgeable.
Don’t freak out if things don’t go according to plan.
Since the pandemic began, we have faced many shortages. One of these shortages includes skilled labor in the construction industry. As of February this year, it was reported that the industry will need 590,000 new workers in order to meet demand. Another shortage is the lack of building materials, including steel, bricks, timber, and so much more. And so, with expensive materials comes expensive homes. Essentially, problems that had predated the pandemic have only become even larger societal issues as more and more people are trying to purchase property. The costs of homebuilding and spec homes continue to be on the rise, meaning the budget you had in mind prior to sitting down with your contractor may not be what you get.
Simply put, sometimes life gets in the way and there is nothing you can truly do to stop it. Budgets are exceeded and timelines may not be met. That being said, design-builders in Austin will do their best to stick to the comprehensive schedule. Your contractor will have considered time delays, labor requirements, and other unknowns during your collaborative planning process. This is where that sense of trust has to come into play. The team is going to do everything they can to keep your custom home build on track.
Since Bat City Builders was founded, we have completed many wonderful design-build projects in Austin. Large-scale projects can be stressful, but we are committed to exceeding your expectations. If you would like to take on building a custom home, our team would love to hear from you! We can even do remodeling work on your current house, from the bathroom to the kitchen to the backyard.
Photos, in order of appearance, by:
- Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash
- Scott Graham on Unsplash