Custom Home Plan
Builder/Buyer Process
Our Customer Experience
In addition to the small communities that we build, most of our customers come to us in one of the following ways…
- They’ve purchased a piece of ground with an older home on it that needs torn down before we build…
- They have a piece of ground in the country that they want a custom home built on….
- Or, they are just ready to build their dream home and looking for a custom home builder to get the ball rolling for them….
Check out our builder/buyer process below, and let us show you how we do it.
Step 1
Initial Consultation
During our initial “getting to know you” session, we’ll gain an understanding of your home buying expectations and determine additional items such as;
- Whether or not you have a piece of land in mind…your land or ours?
- Budgeting expectations/ do you need help financing the project?
- Area of town you want to live in….do you need help from our realtor?
- Initial square footage requirements, and/or unique expectations
Step 2
Estimated Cost Projections – Secondary meeting with customer
Once we have a good understanding of the customers’ expectations we can provide fairly accurate budget numbers on the total cost of the project and accomplish the following tasks;
- Review with the customer our accomplishments and projects
- Begin to determine the style and layout of the house
- If a house needs torn down in order to build, we provide a detailed cost estimate for this.
- We provide the customer with a Project Design Letter that identifies the architectural costs associated with the project.
- If needed, we recommend a realtor to identify a piece of ground to build the home on
Step 3
Land Purchase and Preparation
(if applicable)
After we have agreed to move forward with the architectural plans, it’s usually a good time to purchase the land and begin prepping it for the new building. This is dependent on whether it is a new piece of ground, or a plot with an existing house on it. Depending on each, these steps will usually take place;
- Many people believe you need to own a piece of ground in order to build on it, which is not true. The land purchasing process does have a few twists and turns, but it is the first step in building a new custom home.
- If it is a new piece of ground, it may need to be cleared of brush and trees, and begin the process of installing utilities on the property such as electric, sewer, water, etc. In addition, the site may need to have engineering or survey work done it in which case Barker and Son will provide that expertise.
- If the new piece of ground has a building on it that needs torn down, Barker and Son will begin the process of acquiring the necessary permits, utility disconnects and hazardous material surveys to satisfy the city officials.
Step 4
House Plan Design Development
The architect will begin to expand on the initial designs communicated by the customer and the following items will be accomplished:
- Multiple design reviews will take place between the builder, architect and the customer, refining the home layout, floor layout, style and architecture.
- The architect will create front, back and side elevations for the custom home.
- Once these designs have been approved by the customer, construction docs will be created outlining the demolition, foundation, floor and wall detail plans of the new home.
Step 5
Interior Design
When the architectural design is complete, and we have identified the exact floor layouts, we will begin the detailed design of your new custom home which includes the following;
- Interior design – our interior designer will begin to walk you thru the process of identifying flooring, furniture, archways, outdoor spaces, windows and window treatments, colors and textures for each room in the house. A VERY exciting process where you get the help needed to really put a personal touch to the home specifically designed for you.
- Kitchen and bath design – cabinets, flooring, countertops, fixtures and more abound in this step that will further solidify the personal signature that you place on your home.
Step 6
Construction Process
Once the design process is complete, we get underway with the building of your new home which includes;
- Excavation
- Foundation
- Framing
- All the trades (plumbing/electrical/HVAC/security/sound
- High efficiency insulation installed
- Trim, millwork, kitchen and bath installation
- Details and appointments
Step 7
Homeowner Acceptance
Now that we have come to the most important piece of the project, it’s time to turn over the keys to the new homeowner and go through the following quality and customer acceptance processes:
- Quality walkthrough for detail issues
- Homeowner acceptance that work is completed and “meets and exceeds” customer expectations.
- Congratulations!!!