When my wife Val and I decided we wanted to build a new home
in another state, we knew it would be a daunting project. Since
there are so many pieces of the custom home puzzle, we had some
reservations about the how-to process and where to begin. After
seeing a TV show on package homes, we decided to look a little
deeper. Given the fact that we were considering building in another
state, we had a bunch of immediate questions, and needed some
reassuring answers.
We had already made a list of what we wanted in our dream home,
however we still needed some outside expertise on where to start.
While online, we connected with Manson Peppers of Blue Ridge
Cedar Homes in Dawsonville. Manson is one of 158 dealers for
Lindal Cedar Homes throughout the United States. When we learned
of Peppers's years of experience, coupled with the fact that
Blue Ridge Cedar Homes is one of the company's top distributors,
much of our apprehension was quickly eliminated. Peppers immediately
helped us develop a seven-point checklist for our dream home:
1. Why custom?
2. What 'look and feel' are you after?
3. Does the house fit the property?
4. Develop a budget.
5. Put it all on paper.
6. Find a builder you trust.
7. Order your dream home!
• Why custom? The first question he asked was why we wanted
a custom home. For us, it was simple: we wanted a house that
was personalized to fit us and how we live. We'd looked at many
existing houses, but never found one that felt like it could
be our home - they were all missing that special something we
were looking for. To help clarify our thinking, Peppers suggested
making a list of what, in particular, we wanted. Our list started
with a large kitchen for entertaining, an office, a reading room/library/music
room, a place to get away and relax, a master bedroom with large
walk-in closets and bath area, a living room with lots of windows
to capture the view and a deck or porch to enjoy the outdoors.
• What look and feel are you after? Peppers asked us to
do an imaginary walk-through of our daily routine during the
workweek, evenings, and weekends, as well as how we like to relax
and entertain, in order to establish the appearance and mood
of the home. We described the look and feel we were after, and
mentioned that a bright home that brings the outdoors in was
important to us. We were beginning to really "see" our
dream home; the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together.
• Does the house fit the property? Having established the
type of floor plan we wanted, we needed to tie it all in to the
property and the surrounding area. Where does the sun come up?
What will each room look out to? How do you approach the property?
Where will the garage entry be located? How will all of this
affect the floor plan? Peppers suggested visiting his company's
website (www.lindal.com) to view various styles and looks. We
found a plan that fit both our style and our property, and with
a few minor modifications, we could be well on our way to making
our dream a reality.
• Develop a budget. Peppers reminded us that if we were
looking for the least expensive home, a custom home was not the
way to go. That being understood, we were told we could build
a home in three different price ranges: economy, standard and
luxury. The difference between the standard and luxury cost was
mainly based on what we chose for doors, windows, cabinets, counters,
fixtures and all the hundreds of other items that go into a home.
The pricier, higher end items would increase our cost per square
foot.
Peppers told us that a custom home can run anywhere from $100
a square foot to more than $250 a square foot in certain markets.
Based on the look and feel we wanted for our dream home, he suggested
we start our budget at $120 to $150 per square foot. We were
cautioned against the "might as well" syndrome when
we selected our home products. Peppers said many consumers consistently
choose better products over standard ones, since you "might
as well" get the best product for your dream home - a pattern
that will surely run you over budget.
• Put it all on paper. Now it's time to put it all together
- dream, layout, look, specifications and budget. At this point,
most custom builders will refer you to a designer or architect.
This process was simplified for us when we were told Lindal Cedar
Homes could design the blueprints for us at their corporate offices
in Seattle.
• Find a builder you trust. Finding a builder we trusted
and were comfortable with could make the difference between a
fun project and a nightmare. We knew from past experience that,
with products and services, you get what you pay for. Getting
the lowest priced bidder can get you into serious problems. The
grade of material and the labor experience will be reflected
in the finished product. If the lowest priced bidder isn't making
money, they may not be in business long enough to service your
house if you need help. The real plus in working with Peppers
was that he could also act as our builder.
• Order your dream home. Having successfully navigated
the first six points on the checklist, our next step was to place
the order for our home and schedule a delivery. Our research
showed us that most packaged custom homes make up 30-40 percent
of the total cost of the home. Items like the foundation, heating,
plumbing, electrical, kitchen appliances, fixtures, and flooring
would be supplied locally, through vendors we found online. The
house design we are working on will be two tractor-trailer loads,
which will be delivered directly to our site. Our dream home
is on its way!
— Jerry Rouleau
(Jerry Rouleau is a marketing consultant and his wife Valerie
is an oncology nurse. They live in Terryville, Conn.)
