What Is a Custom Builder?
What Is a Custom Builder?
Direct answer: For West Michigan buyers building a new home, a custom builder is a one-on-one relationship: they take the blueprints you have done with your architect and bring them to completion, as your hands in the building process.
One-on-one, from blueprints to completion
You have heard about production and semi-custom builders. Now comes the custom builder. A custom builder is a one-on-one relationship.
They are going to take the blueprints that you have done with your architect and bring them to completion. That is the core of it: your design, built by one builder working directly with you.
Your hands in the building process
A custom builder will help you find land — or, if you have land already, you are interviewing a person to really be your hands in this building process.
That phrasing matters. You are not buying into a system or picking from a set of plans. You are hiring a person to carry your project through, and you need to be comfortable with that person.
Communication style matters as much as price
A custom builder's price per square foot is usually more expensive. Custom is a higher-end house, and it costs more money — but it is a benefit, because the house is truly yours.
Because the relationship is one-on-one, you really want to know what the process is, and you need to be comfortable with the communication style of that builder. The process is going to involve a little push and pull, consistently, and that only works if the communication works.
So interview for fit, not just for price. With a custom builder, the relationship is the process.
Key takeaways
A custom builder is a one-on-one relationship, distinct from production and semi-custom.
They take the blueprints you have done with your architect and bring them to completion.
They help you find land, or act as your hands in the building process if you already have land.
A custom builder's price per square foot is usually more expensive; custom is a higher-end house that costs more money, but it is a benefit.
You need to be comfortable with the builder's communication style and know their process, because it involves consistent push and pull.
FAQ
What does a custom builder actually do?
They take the blueprints you have done with your architect and bring them to completion, acting as your hands in the building process.
Does a custom builder help with land?
Yes. They are going to help you find land, or work with land you already have.
Why does a custom builder cost more?
Because custom is a higher-end house built one-on-one from your blueprints, so the price per square foot is usually more expensive — but that is the benefit: the house is truly yours.
West Michigan New Construction FAQ Series
Financing a New Construction Home
Can You Build Some Yourself?
What Is a Semi-Custom Builder?
What Kind of Builder Are You Looking For?
What Is a Production Builder?
Finding Land
How to Interview a Builder
How Long Does It Take to Build a House?
Price Per Square Foot
Custom Builder — you are here
Watch me explain it
Here is an older video of me explaining the process. It might be older, but the info still rings true.
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVZ0u78NmUw
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Author: Steve Volkers, Associate Broker, Steve Volkers Group at Five Star Real Estate, Grand Rapids, MI — phone 616-717-2179, stevevolkersgroup.com
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