Seattle Homes and Lifestyles 2007 Source Book

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THE BUILDER FOR YOU
Building professionals offer advice on how to choose the contractor or construction company that is right for you

Many homeowners dream of a custom home that reflects their lifestyle choices in materials, luxury additions and environmental stewardship. To find a builder with the credentials to make your dream home a reality, read what local professionals have to say.

Photo by GREGG KROGSTAD/courtesy Prestige Custom Builders

Create A Wish List
Natural stone and wood, a spacious master bath, a great room and open kitchen, a luxury wine cellar, reclaimed materials, energy-efficient home systems—whatever is on your wish list of custom home features, writing it down will facilitate early discussions with a builder and may determine whether he or she is right for your project.

Dan Klusman of the Master Builders Association (MBA) of King and Snohomish Counties says he sees “an ever-increasingly educated customer” who approaches a custom-build project with “specific ideas about what they want.” Builders today “really value the ability to make something that is of a high quality, that’s going to last a long time, and becomes an important part of people’s lives,” Klusman says. Seek a builder who can say “yes” to every item on your checklist of desired features.

Research The Builder
In addition to finding a builder who can fulfill your wish list, “make sure to go with somebody who’s got a good reputation,” says Elizabeth “Libby” Sturman, of eas design and eas builders nw. She recommends a visit to the Washington State Department of Licensing Web site (dol.wa.gov/listoflicenses.html), where you can search for contractors by license and view any filed infractions.

Another reliable source is the MBA Web site (mbaks.com), where you can search 1,400 builders and remodelers by type and city. Narrow the list by visiting member Web sites and cross referencing the Seattle Homes & Lifestyles Source Book, then make a few phone calls to ask about recent projects and to present your wish list. “It’s very important to pick your builder rather than to have someone else pick your builder for you,” advises Grey Lundberg of CMI Homes.

Don't Wait
Waiting until an architect’s design is complete before choosing a builder can lead to disappointment and blame when the design professional returns with unforeseen construction costs, cautions Jeff Santerre of Prestige Custom Homes. He encourages owners to include the builder early on in the design process. “What really works for Prestige and our customers is what I call ‘team-build,’ ” he says. The homeowner, the architect or design professionals and the contractor build the project on paper together, Santerre says. While the project is still on paper, each member of the team is on the same time line.

CMI Homes’ Lundberg also likes this approach, which he calls an “independent team concept.” He says this allows for a greater degree of accountability. “[It] seems to work very well for the client,” Lundberg says. “They feel like everybody has an independent opinion that’s all working together for the same purpose.”

With many customers’ growing wish lists of products and features, builders are increasingly turning to a team-build approach. Even if you have an architect, interior designer or landscape designer in mind, ask the builder whom they have worked with in the past. The builder’s recommended team may work better than simply selecting qualified individuals yourself.

Photos by GREGG KROGSTAD/courtesy Prestige Custom Builders

Communication Counts
Another advantage of a team-build approach is that it allows price checking along the way, Prestige’s Santerre says. “You have to have your finger on the pulse of [construction costs] every day, or it can get away from you,” he says. With a builder and team assembled, the homeowners can bounce ideas around the whole team before construction begins and make sure that the home they want is something they can afford to build.

The best way to keep the costs of the wish list under one roof is communication. “I think the most important way you can approach a building project is frequent and detailed communication about expectations and specifics,” MBA’s Klusman says. Whether the homeowner is working with a design-build firm or a confederation of partners, communication is the key to a great custom home.