The creation of a dream home is arguably one of the largest monetary, artistic, and emotional investments people make in their lives. It is typically the culmination of many years of hard work, extensive planning, enduring patience, and at some point, a huge leap of faith. Making that dream a reality is an intricate business endeavor as well as a true artistic expression: both emotionally intense and passionate. It is your time to craft an expression of beauty, form, function, and practicality that is unique to you and your loved ones. How you take this journey and whom you take it with will ultimately determine the fulfillment and joy you receive from your new home. This journey of building your home and its ultimate outcome is about the people, the planning, and the process.
People
Every business is truly characterized by the people in it. Building your home is in many ways a very special kind of business venture. And like any kind of business there are some simple rules that guide a complex process. Most good business people have a knack for surrounding themselves with good people. This is never truer than when building your home.
You are the CEO of this new business, but honestly, how many homes have you built? Select your team carefully and as early in the process as you can - use your head, your heart and your gut. Be diligent in your research. I have watched people spend more time and energy choosing their washing machines than they have in choosing their contractor or architect. Ask for detailed references. Check for financial stability and longevity. Investigate the area you are building in - ask around town about your prospective choices. Look at the projects your contractors and architects have done - ensure they are competent and perform their craft at or above the level you are seeking. Most importantly be curious and honest. Don’t listen to what you want to hear - ask the hard questions and listen to what you feel is the truth. You are going to spend the next year or two involved with this team of people. Find and embrace their professionalism, but also find and engage the person. In the building process there are a few personal and professional attributes that quickly come to mind: Character, Trust, Accountability, Responsibility, Communication, & Accessibility. Find your own way to assess these traits, compare them to the feedback you have received, and then trust your own judgment. There are lots of good people out there, but they might not all be good for you.
Planning
What is the value of planning? What is the value of blueprints and specifications? Imagine traveling across a vast ocean to a distant and unexplored land. Imagine this trip without a plan or map. Likely the trip would be anxiously long, packed with unexpected expenses, confusing, dangerous, and filled with worry. Building a custom home without an adequate plan would be a similar journey for all involved.
A finished home is the "brick and mortar" expression of who you are and how you live. That expression is a vision that lives within you and must be meaningfully communicated to all those involved in its creation: extracting, enhancing, engineering, documenting, and specifying that vision is the role of a qualified architect/designer. Any great home has three fundamental elements: exceptional design, appropriate materials, and excellent craftsmanship. Two of those three essential elements lie within the realm of design and planning. Without these two essential elements, all of the craftsmanship in the world cannot create what is defined as a great home.
Planning and communication are synonymous in the construction world and I believe we can all agree that good communication is the key to any successful relationship. There are many layers of relationships in the process of building a home. There is that all-important and dynamic relationship between you the homeowner, the architect/designer, and the contractor. There is also that separate working relationship between the contractor, the architect, and the designer. And finally there is that "where the rubber meets he road" relationship between the contractor, subcontractors, employees, suppliers, and vendors. The common thread of communication that binds all of these parties and runs through all of these layers is the set of documents produced by the architect/designer. It is the map for your project and it is the basis for determining the cost, the schedule, the quality and the value of your home. The more detailed the plan, the more detailed and accurate this critical information becomes.
There is great value in the cost of preparing a high-quality set of plans and documents for the construction of your custom home. Experience has taught me that every dollar spent in planning is undoubtedly recouped in the construction process. Just think about it; five carpenters, three electricians, two plumbers, and one contractor scratching their heads in confusion - ($490.00 per hour). One architect redrawing a line - ($90.00 per hour). Believe me; it all adds up and eventually you end up paying for it!
Process
Like everything else in the world, the process of building a home has evolved over time. It is largely in response to the fact the very homes we are building have drastically changed. The best comparison I can conjure up is the American automobile. I vividly remember the first new vehicle I purchased. It was a 1982 Ford Pick Up. It cost $4800.00. It had vinyl seats, an AM/FM radio, a simple engine that I could actually service, hand operated crank-up windows, and locks that locked when I wanted them to. The most recent truck I bought actually cost more than the first home I purchased. This vehicle has leather heated seats, heated mirrors, anti-lock brakes, CD/DVD/XM radio player, sun roof, electronic locks/seats/mirrors/ignition/fuel injection and more.
The modern custom home has evolved in much the same way. With this evolution and development of the home, as home builders and homeowners, our experiences and expectations for that home have grown and changed as well. What was fanciful a few years ago is commonplace today. We are building complex, convenient, functional, efficient, beautiful, and sophisticated homes. With all of this innovation comes change - change in the materials, change in the people, and change in the process.
A significant yet subtle change has been occurring in the design-development process. The old process was quite linear and at times almost adversarial. A homeowner would seek out a design professional. These parties would collaborate on developing a set of plans and specifications. These plans and specifications would then be circulated among a group of selected contractors. These contractors would then solicit bids and information to price out or produce a cost estimate from these plans. This whole process can take months and months of time and expend a great deal of time, energy, and cost. All too often, however, the numbers were difficult to compare, the estimates did not match the budget expectations, or in some cases the cost information was discovered to be inaccurate. In the best case scenario, it meant back to the drawing board for a whole new set of drawings and repeat of the process. In the worst case scenario, the home is started and eventually the homeowner is confronted with an ugly surprise and left with limited and unfavorable options.
There is an emerging design-development /construction process that can be described as more collaborative and cooperative. A homeowner, after doing his or her research, selects their design and construction team up front. While this takes a bit more effort in the beginning, I believe there are many rewards to be reaped along the way. With all of the team members working together from the onset, the entire process is streamlined, more timely, and cost effective. There is a much stronger likelihood that budget expectations will match the design program. Since the contractor is involved in the design process, they are more in tune with details and the nuances of the project. If the contractor and the architect have worked together before, you will likely spend less money on your plans. Our most successful projects have been achieved through this process.
Even though this may be viewed as a new process, the fundamentals of design and construction have not and should not change. We all must continue to rely on the basics. The keystones to any good design and construction operations have remained the same. Visit their offices and job sites and imagine it as your own. Look at their communication and reporting process and documentation. Is it neat, detailed and easily understood? Ask for an example of their budgeting and scheduling formats and learn how they work and how they are used. Ask to meet the people directly involved in your project and get to know them the best you can.
The more you know and understand about the people and the process of creating your dream, the happier you will be and the more likely you will end up with the home you have dreamed of. The most important person in this entire endeavor is you. Even under the best of circumstances, building a home involves hard work on everyone’s part and can be challenging at times. Create a team of people that are competent, respectful, resourceful, and that you like. Respect the planning process and open your mind to the possibilities. Engage yourself in the process and become a part of it. The reward is the pride, fulfillment, and sense of accomplishment you will feel upon walking into your new home. But more importantly it will be the lifetime of pleasant experiences and memories from living in a home that is truly an expression of you.