Houston Home Designs
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How to get started?(This is a quick read, but very important!)
This is a confusing moment when someone is considering a custom home. Well, I am very biased. I will tell you flat out that you should choose your builder first. This will force you to examine the builder and how he does business and separate that decision from the plans. If you don't, here is what typically happens:
You hire an architect. You are all excited. You have finally made the big decision and the fun begins. What could go wrong? You bring all your ideas in and start to work. The architect is great. He (or she) is putting all your ideas on paper and he is bringing his own creativity and style to the process. The dream is coming to life. You are putting in all the things you have to have in the home. It looks small on paper. You ask the architect to make it bigger. No problem. They get paid by the square foot.
You and your spouse work on the plans for months. You start going out and looking at flooring and cabinets. You move through the preliminary design and right through the final design. It looks great. It is a little bigger than you thought at first, but you think it should be OK. The architect says it is ready for final engineering. Yes, full steam ahead. Pretty soon, you have the entire design package. Now, let's go find that builder. How hard could it be.
You find a few builders and you go by and meet them for 15 minutes and drop off a set of plans with each. This is easy. One of the builders asks for specifications. He explains what the specifications are for and you just tell him to use his best judgement. Besides, it shows on the plans where to use hardwood floors, tile and carpet. It also shows cabinet layouts.
Two weeks later, you go by and pick up the estimates. First of all, you are surprised by the lack of detail. It just seems like they should have done more. Then you see the prices. All of the builders have estimates that are WAY OVER what your budget is. You had heard that $80 to $90 per square foot should be sufficient. Now you understand. It is the builders fault. They are trying to gouge you. They are getting rich off of your project. Now the search is on and you look and look until you find a builder who tells you what you want to hear. He even meets you at your home. What service! (He probably doesn't have an office!) You go ahead and sign a contract with him although there are red flags popping up at every step. You cross your fingers and dive in. You have to have that house! You poured your soul into the design. It just has to be possible even though those other builders all told you it would cost more.
We have all heard the horror stories! Whose fault is it? What went wrong? Well, ultimately it is your fault. You just made one of the biggest financial decisions of your life without good information and due diligence. Your builder should be there, working with you from the start. He should have you talking to a good construction lender and you should know what your budget is. Yes, it has to be beautiful and energy efficient and it has to have a state of the art kitchen and media room. It also has to fit your budget and it has to be affordable to operate and low maintenance as well.
If you still want to start with the architect, just get the preliminary design done, and then talk to builders. Ask alot of questions, not just what it will cost to build. Find out what specifications are for. How long in business? Financial condition? Warranties? Allowances? Builder Fee?
Some people choose a builder based on the Builder's Fee. The builder with the lowest fee wins! Really? How do you know what a builder makes? All of your money flows through the hands of the builder. Is it possible that he could make more than what he is telling you? The bigger picture is the cost of the home. What if the builder with the bigger fee can build the home at a lower cost?
Choosing a builder is a HUGE DECISION. Better find one that is reputable and one that you can trust!
OK, I am off of my soapbox. On to the reason you came to this site. If you are looking for a good architect or designer, here are three. They are all very talented and creative. There are certainly others, but these are some of the best that we work with. Will they agree with what I have written above? Maybe. Maybe not. Be sure to tell them how you found them!
This is a confusing moment when someone is considering a custom home. Well, I am very biased. I will tell you flat out that you should choose your builder first. This will force you to examine the builder and how he does business and separate that decision from the plans. If you don't, here is what typically happens:
You hire an architect. You are all excited. You have finally made the big decision and the fun begins. What could go wrong? You bring all your ideas in and start to work. The architect is great. He (or she) is putting all your ideas on paper and he is bringing his own creativity and style to the process. The dream is coming to life. You are putting in all the things you have to have in the home. It looks small on paper. You ask the architect to make it bigger. No problem. They get paid by the square foot.
You and your spouse work on the plans for months. You start going out and looking at flooring and cabinets. You move through the preliminary design and right through the final design. It looks great. It is a little bigger than you thought at first, but you think it should be OK. The architect says it is ready for final engineering. Yes, full steam ahead. Pretty soon, you have the entire design package. Now, let's go find that builder. How hard could it be.
You find a few builders and you go by and meet them for 15 minutes and drop off a set of plans with each. This is easy. One of the builders asks for specifications. He explains what the specifications are for and you just tell him to use his best judgement. Besides, it shows on the plans where to use hardwood floors, tile and carpet. It also shows cabinet layouts.
Two weeks later, you go by and pick up the estimates. First of all, you are surprised by the lack of detail. It just seems like they should have done more. Then you see the prices. All of the builders have estimates that are WAY OVER what your budget is. You had heard that $80 to $90 per square foot should be sufficient. Now you understand. It is the builders fault. They are trying to gouge you. They are getting rich off of your project. Now the search is on and you look and look until you find a builder who tells you what you want to hear. He even meets you at your home. What service! (He probably doesn't have an office!) You go ahead and sign a contract with him although there are red flags popping up at every step. You cross your fingers and dive in. You have to have that house! You poured your soul into the design. It just has to be possible even though those other builders all told you it would cost more.
We have all heard the horror stories! Whose fault is it? What went wrong? Well, ultimately it is your fault. You just made one of the biggest financial decisions of your life without good information and due diligence. Your builder should be there, working with you from the start. He should have you talking to a good construction lender and you should know what your budget is. Yes, it has to be beautiful and energy efficient and it has to have a state of the art kitchen and media room. It also has to fit your budget and it has to be affordable to operate and low maintenance as well.
If you still want to start with the architect, just get the preliminary design done, and then talk to builders. Ask alot of questions, not just what it will cost to build. Find out what specifications are for. How long in business? Financial condition? Warranties? Allowances? Builder Fee?
Some people choose a builder based on the Builder's Fee. The builder with the lowest fee wins! Really? How do you know what a builder makes? All of your money flows through the hands of the builder. Is it possible that he could make more than what he is telling you? The bigger picture is the cost of the home. What if the builder with the bigger fee can build the home at a lower cost?
Choosing a builder is a HUGE DECISION. Better find one that is reputable and one that you can trust!
OK, I am off of my soapbox. On to the reason you came to this site. If you are looking for a good architect or designer, here are three. They are all very talented and creative. There are certainly others, but these are some of the best that we work with. Will they agree with what I have written above? Maybe. Maybe not. Be sure to tell them how you found them!
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