Questions we get every week
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers we would give you across a kitchen table, written down so you can read them before we meet.
Section one
Getting started & budget
Money questions first, because everything else depends on them.
What does a custom home actually cost?
We will not quote a per-square-foot number on a website, because the honest answer is that the same floor plan can vary by a third depending on the site. Rock and slope change the excavation. Roof complexity changes the framing. Stain-grade trim and shop-built cabinetry cost multiples of paint-grade and stock. What we will do, on the first call, is tell you whether the house you are describing and the budget you are describing belong in the same conversation — before anyone pays for a drawing.
How long does a build take?
Nine to fourteen months from permit issue to handover for a custom home. Add three to five months before that for design and permitting if you are starting from a blank sheet. Whole-house renovations run six to nine months, kitchens eight to twelve weeks. We take on a small number of projects a year on purpose, which is what lets us put a superintendent on your job rather than spread one across four.
Do I need to own land before I call you?
No, and there is an argument for calling first. A lot that looks flat and cheap can carry a six-figure excavation bill once you know what is under it. We will walk a parcel with you before you close and give you an opinion on access, drainage, servicing and how the setbacks will constrain the footprint. It is a short visit and it has talked people out of the wrong lot more than once.
Fixed price or cost-plus?
Fixed price, with published allowances. You get one number in the contract, and the only things that change it are documented change orders and allowance reconciliations that you can see line by line. We do not run open-book cost-plus contracts for residential clients because they push all the risk onto the person least able to manage it.
What is an allowance and why does it matter?
An allowance is a budgeted amount for something you have not chosen yet — plumbing fixtures, tile, lighting, appliances. If you spend under it you get the difference back; if you spend over it you pay the difference. Our allowances are set from real recent invoices, not from the cheapest catalogue item, so they are usually close. Ask any builder to show you the basis for their allowance numbers. If they cannot, the number is bait.
What deposit do you take and how do payments work?
A deposit at contract signing, then progress draws tied to completed milestones — foundation, framing, dry-in, rough-ins, drywall, finishes and substantial completion. Every draw is invoiced against work already in place and inspected, never against a calendar date. Final payment is due at handover after the punch list is closed.
Should I budget a contingency?
Yes. Ten percent for new construction, fifteen to twenty percent for renovation of anything built before 1970. That money is not for us — it is for you, to cover the decisions you will change your mind about and the conditions nobody can see through a plaster wall. Clients who set a contingency aside enjoy their build. Clients who spend every dollar at contract do not.
Where the budget goes
Most of it is labor
Materials are the visible half of a quote. The other half is the hours a competent crew spends getting the parts you will never see right.
Section two
Design & selections
Drawings, choices and the deadlines that keep both from derailing a schedule.
Do you work with my architect or do you provide design?
Both. We build from an outside architect’s drawings regularly and have long relationships with several. We also run design-build, where our estimator prices the plan while it is still being drawn so you never get the experience of finishing a set of drawings and discovering the bids are forty percent over.
What is the advantage of design-build?
One contract, one accountable party, and a budget model that updates at every design milestone. Value engineering happens while lines are still cheap to move — on paper — instead of after permit when every change costs drawings, time and re-approval.
When do I have to make my selections?
Structural and envelope selections before permit. Plumbing and electrical rough-in selections before framing is closed. Tile, cabinetry and finish hardware before drywall. We give you a dated selection schedule at contract, and we will chase you on it. Late selections are the single most common cause of a late house, and they are the one delay a builder cannot fix for you.
Can I supply my own materials or fixtures?
Some things, yes — light fixtures, appliances, specialty tile, a piece of stone you found. We will install owner-supplied items, but we cannot warranty the product itself, and if it arrives late or damaged the schedule impact is yours. We will not install owner-supplied structural components, plumbing rough goods or anything that carries a code inspection.
How much can I change my mind once drawings are done?
Before permit, almost anything. After permit, changes are possible but they cost money and time, and structural changes may require re-stamping and re-approval. After the relevant trade has been roughed in, a change means demolition of new work. We will always tell you what a change costs before you approve it — you will never be surprised by a bill.
On site
The part you get to watch
Once the permit is issued the house stops being drawings and becomes deliveries, inspections and trades arriving in a particular order.
Section three
During construction
How the site runs, who you talk to, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Who is my point of contact?
Your superintendent, every day, on their direct line. A project coordinator handles paperwork, selections deadlines and scheduling. You do not route questions through a call centre and you do not have to guess who owns an issue — the answer is always the superintendent.
How often will I hear from you?
A written update with photographs every Friday for the life of the project, plus a site meeting every two weeks that you are welcome to attend. Between those, your superintendent answers the phone. Emergencies get a same-day response.
Can I live in the house during a renovation?
Often, yes, and many of our clients do. We build sealed dust barriers, run negative-air machines, protect circulation paths and clean down at the end of every day. For a whole-house gut, or any project where we take the kitchen and the only bathroom at once, moving out for part of the schedule is usually cheaper and much easier on a household than staying.
What hours do crews work?
Monday to Friday, generally 7:30am to 5:00pm, matching our office hours. Occasional Saturday work happens when a concrete pour or a weather window demands it, and we tell you in advance. We do not start early on residential streets without letting the neighbours know.
How do change orders work?
In writing, priced, and signed before any work happens. The change order states the scope, the cost and the schedule impact in days. No work proceeds on a verbal approval, which protects you as much as it protects us. If we discover a hidden condition — rot, undersized framing, unmarked plumbing — we stop, document it, price the fix and bring it to you before continuing.
Do you use subcontractors, and are they insured?
Framing and finish carpentry are done by our own employees. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, roofing and drywall are done by trade partners we have used for years, on our sites, under our supervision. We keep a certificate of insurance on file for every trade on the job and we will hand you the file on request. Nobody works on one of our sites on a handshake.
What happens if the schedule slips?
You hear about it from us, in the Friday update, with the reason and the recovery plan — not at the end. Weather, inspection backlogs and long-lead materials are real and we build float into the schedule for them. What we do not do is quietly re-baseline the finish date and hope you have forgotten the original one.
Section four
Warranty & after handover
What is covered, for how long, and how to reach us in year four.
What warranty do you provide?
Your written contract and warranty documents specify workmanship and structural coverage, durations, exclusions, and the service process. Manufacturer warranties vary by product; their documentation is provided at handover. Review the applicable terms before signing.
What is the scheduled warranty review?
At eleven months we come back and walk the whole house with you, before the first year is out. New houses move as they dry: nail pops, seasonal drywall cracks, doors that need adjusting after a full cycle of seasons. We list everything, then fix it in one coordinated visit rather than making you call us six separate times.
How fast do you respond to a warranty call?
Submit a request through the client portal or choose Warranty service on the contact form. Include the issue, location in the home, and when it began. Scheduling follows your written warranty and the urgency of the issue. The website form is not monitored as an emergency service.
What is not covered?
Normal wear, owner damage, failure to maintain (gutters, caulking, grading, filters), damage from work done by others after handover, and cosmetic seasonal movement outside the tolerances written in the warranty document. We list the exclusions plainly in the contract before you sign, not in a footnote you find in year two.
Do you still take calls years later?
Yes. A large share of our work comes from repeat clients and referrals, which is only possible if the phone still gets answered after the final invoice is paid.
Next step
Still have a question
A twenty-minute call is usually enough for us both to know whether it is a fit.
Request a Consultation