Building a custom luxury home, is for many people, a once-in-a-lifetime experience and, one that should be memorable and rewarding. It offers you the opportunity to create a home that is well-suited to your lifestyle and can serve as the gathering place for family and friends. However, there are some important decisions that will be made along the way that greatly impact your experience and desired outcomes. In this article, Mueller Homes discusses two of the most important decisions you’ll need to make to help you select the right builder or architect for your custom home build.
3 Considerations for Selecting a Luxury Custom Home Builder
The most important decision you’ll make, when building a custom home, is the selection of your builder. After all, you’re going to spend the next 1-2 years with this person and their team and you’ll want to make sure that you are aligned. Here are some highlights you’ll want to consider. You can explore each of these in more detail in the free ebook entitled, “Designing & Building Your Custom Dream Home.”
1. Experience & Longevity – In 2008 alone, it is estimated that nearly half of the home builders in business went out of business. Unfortunately, many of these builders went out of business with their clients or the bank’s money. The number of years your builder has been in business and the experience garnered over this time are a true testament to their experience and longevity. You’ll want to evaluate their experience running a business along with their experience in the industry.
2. The B-Myth or Business Acumen – Well known author Michael Gerber wrote a book entitled the e-Myth describing the essential components every business owner must consider before starting a business. In the construction industry, it’s very common for a person to start their business after working on a jobsite but with common misconceptions about what it takes to run the business. We refer to builders of this type as the B-myth.
There are many clues as to a builder that is operating under the B-myth. They likely have little or no administrative support. They may co-mingle funds from different projects. They may not understand how to manage cash flow and may be behind in their Accounts Payable with vendors, suppliers, and sub-contractors. The B-myth builder is very risky for the prospective homeowner so it’s extremely important to evaluate the business acumen of your builder to ensure that your investment is secure.
3. Value Factors – We believe that a good “value” is often subjective and every customer views value differently. So too, your builder likely views value and quality differently. For example, you may be focused on getting a lower price and willing to sacrifice service or speed. Or, perhaps you want the highest quality and are willing to wait for it. These important discussions will ensure alignment of your priorities with your builder’s approach and help set the expectations for your entire project. We believe the following factors are essential to determining value and discuss these in greater detail in the aforementioned book.
- Detail & Quality
- Service
- Speed
- Price
Selecting an Architect
Your builder and architect should work together collaboratively, so it’s important to select an architect while you select your builder. The most important reason for this, is to ensure that the designs you are investing in, can be built for the budget you have in mind. Far too often, a client will come to us with designs in hand, only to learn that the project will need to be value-engineered or redesigned to meet their budget requirements. We typically provide our clients with up to three recommendations of architects for their project, based on:
- Budget for Architectural Design
- Architectural Expertise or Specialty
- Desired Architectural Involvement for the Build
An architect is responsible for the overall design while your builder is responsible for the cost of the project. It is far better to have your builder of choice work directly with your architect, during the design process, to ensure that your time and money are well spent. Download the free list of questions to ask a potential architect to help make your selection.
Collaboration
Over the past 30 years, we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. We believe that the best client experiences involve a team approach where the builder and architect are committed to collaboration. If you’re thinking about building your once-in-a-lifetime custom luxury home in Maryland, download the free book or contact us to get started.
About The Author
Since 1992, Mueller Homes has been handcrafting distinctive custom homes and luxury estates throughout Maryland. As a family-owned business, now in the second generation, they have the unique experience of working with many of the same supplier and sub-contractor partners over the years. These long-standing trusted relationships are built on the strong core values, work ethic, and client-centered vision that have allowed Mueller Homes to be recognized as an award-winning builder for decades.
