The Approach
Here’s what I know: building a custom home shouldn’t have to be painful or overly expensive. The cost per square foot can actually be the same as a pick-your-floor plan model, but the big benefit is that you get exactly what you want for the price you want to pay. You get to build the house that’s perfectly suited for the way your life works.
I’m in constant communications with my clients, from identifying – in detail – every nuance of their home to helping them prioritize what they really want. Then, I bid the heck out of every detail of the home – and do whatever I can to help them get the most value, the highest quality materials and the most outstanding workmanship for the best price.
Just as important, I know how to draw up a budget and stick to a budget. For you, that means no surprises -- well, no bad ones anyway. What you get is your ideal home, delivered on time, within budget and with structural integrity – without drama.
Talk to my clients and they’ll tell you the same thing.
The Process
So, you ask, how does building a custom home with Fleming Builders work?
Everything starts with a conversation – face to face. I’ll walk you through one of my in-progress houses, and explain what we’ve done, so you have a real picture of my work. Then, we’ll talk about you – how you live, what you see, what “home” means to you. I think this meeting is extremely important because you have to have chemistry with your builder for the whole thing to work. We’re going to be spending the next year or so together. Finding a personality that works with your personality is extremely important.
If you have a lot already, we’ll go take a look. If you don’t, I’ll work with you to help you find the right spot.
If you have an architect you like, that’s great. If you don’t, I’ll help you find the person best suited to design the house you’ve described to me. Plan to spend three to six months on the house design.
The next step is working up a bid, based on every detail we’ve discussed. Typically, these bids have about 100 items. I do a lot of research, bid meticulously and oftentimes go directly to the source for materials or installation. Three months after starting this process, I have a budget to present. A good, solid budget – and a timeframe for execution.
After the budget is approved (or adjusted and approved), we start clearing the lot. We pour the foundation, frame the house, put on the roof, insulate, sheetrock, wire and plumb.
Next comes the installation – the countertops, the floor, the moulding – all the details that make the home come alive.
As a custom builder, one of my jobs is figuring out the best way to do things at every stage. Multi-tasking is a big deal, as long as it doesn’t impact quality.
It also means making the functional aspects of the home work in concert with the decorative aspects of the home. That means coordinating air conditioning vents so they still cool the home, but don’t take away from the aesthetics of the recessed lighting. And, sometimes it means walking through the property with the homeowner to identify exactly how he or she wants the light to fall on the baby grand piano. That’s how I work.
It’s like art. Every detail has to work together.