Questions to Ask When Building a New Home in Wise County
Building a new home is often times a first experience for many of the customers that we meet. With that being the case there are many questions that come with new territory. Here are some of the most important questions to ask the builders you are considering for building your new home.
1. How involved will you (the builder) be in the construction of our home? Home building is mostly done by sub-contractors now days. You are hiring that builder to be the overseer and facilitator of all those workers and the job to be completed correctly. Make sure the builder you hire will be checking on things often and that he or she plans to be there at certain critical stages of your home construction.
2. How do you (the builder) build your homes to make sure the structure, the things I can’t really see after construction, are done correctly? This is the most important part of building your home, yet it is the part that most home-buyers know the least about. It is also the part that you cannot see after the fact. Many homes are purchased based on the way they look on the outside (i.e. paint, counter-tops, flooring, brick, etc.) but the most important parts are those behind the finishes. Those structural components will make that house last for as many years as you plan to live there and many more.
3. How will you (the builder) communicate and keep us informed throughout the process of our home construction? Communication is key in any area of life, but it is magnified when you are making probably the biggest financial investment of your life. Some builders have very structured ways of communication and others have more relaxed forms of communication. Both can work, but the main thing for you to make sure of is that you will be informed throughout the process and that you can feel comfortable to ask questions or bring up concerns whenever you need to. There is nothing wrong with having questions and concerns. This is not what you do every day.
4. How involved will I (the homeowner) need to be throughout the process? Just like the question above, different builders handle this differently. If you are building a semi-custom home you will be involved but there will only be certain items that you can choose from in many parts of your home. If you are building a fully custom home you will most likely be very involved. You may even be walking your home with certain sub- contractors, like electricians and plumbers, before the framing is even complete to make sure every electrical plug and light switch is right where you like it. In many ways this also comes down to preference. If you want to have freedom in what you choose, make sure the builder allows that freedom. Some builders are very set on certain finishes, suppliers, and ways they want things to look, so just make sure the process with the builder you choose fits the process you would want to work with.
5. What is your (the builder) process for warranty items after we are moved into our home? There will most likely be small things that have to be fixed, adjusted, and touched up after you move into your home. Some of these items will show up the first week, but others may be months later. If the home is built correctly these items will be very minor and minimal, but pretty much any home will have warranty type items that need to be addressed. Make sure the builder you choose has a good reputation of taking care of customers after the home is completed and that they do have an easy form of communication for you to get in touch with them.
6. What insurances do you (the builder) provide/have while building our home? This is an important question so that you can make sure you, as the homeowner, will not be liable if something bad happens during your home construction. There are certain insurances that should be included on every home during construction to protect against any disasters or even theft that can occur, but there are also general business insurances that builders should have to protect against other liabilities during and after construction.
7. How long will construction take? This is different for every home-builder but a very important question. The same house may take one builder five months to build, whereas another builder might take eleven months to build the same house. This is mostly going to be driven by the amount of work they have going on and access to sub-contractors that they have. If a builder has a bunch of houses going on at one time but not enough sub-contractors, then there will be delays between different phases of construction. If a builder only builds a couple houses each year, he or she may have difficulty getting the sub-contractors there when they are needed because they are more loyal to the builder who gives them consistent work. Neither one of these scenarios is necessarily bad, but definitely something you should know about before you start your home. Ideally, your builder should have just the right amount of homes going to keep sub-contractors busy but also available when needed, and not too many homes going where your home gets delayed or where they are not able to give each house the attention it deserves.
There are many more questions that you can and should ask your potential home-builder, but these are some of the more important ones. Building a new home can be daunting, but if you find the right builder for you they should be able to take much of the stress and worry away and make the home building process simple and straightforward.
Written by Chase Rolland, © Neighbors Construction Co. 2020