So you’ve been to the display villages and you’ve gathered up brochures and you’re confident you can find a builder who can build you a home that you’ll love. You’re even confident that the price is affordable because you’ve added the cost of land to the cost of the house and it’s not bad… pretty reasonable actually.
All good and all correct so long as you remember the following:
- Choose one of their plans exactly as they are with zero changes. They may tell you that they are flexible but if you change the plan, get ready to pay for it. That’s right, customize nothing. The benefits of a project builder are that they do volume so any changes to their cookie cutter plans or finishes will add considerable time and cost to your project.
- Choose from their selections only. Do not upgrade the kitchens, tiles, the cabinetry, or any of the other finishes as you’ll be stunned at how much ‘extra’ these changes will cost you.
- Understand the ‘allowances’. Some builders will say they can build a house for $X so long as the soil test comes back perfect and the block of land is flat. If your soil test does not come back as expected or if there is anything peculiar about your land, your site prep costs can go through the roof.
- Consider all the extras that are not included in the contract. Perhaps you have to allow for driveways, footpaths, landscaping, fences, window covers. Some builders have ‘turn key’ packages but be aware of what is and isn’t included in your price.
Houses are just like any other project, if you want quality, customization or just a reasonable say in how you would like it finished, you’ll pay for it. You can still make these changes and end up with a terrific result but it’s important to understand these variations at the beginning of your project to ensure your budget will cover it.
At Manasons, we offer an alternative to the project builder approach by taking care of absolutely everything. After years of practice, we confidently offer ideas we hope you will fall in love with and will suit your needs while eliminating the time commitment and financial risk of doing it yourself.