How to Choose a Luxury Home Builder
What to look for when choosing luxury home builders
Finally ready to build that dream home you’ve been waiting for? If you’ve got all your finances ready, and it’s time to take the plunge, you’ll need the best luxury home builders around. But what exactly does that mean? What makes some builders better than others?
Naturally, the quality of workmanship is a major consideration. The value for money is also important. Not to mention the quality of their home designs. But there are actually plenty of other factors that separate the wheat from the chaff.
Here are just some of the things you need to consider when choosing luxury home builders for your dream home.
Extensive consultation
What some builders fail to recognise is that your new dream home is yours. It’s all about you, what you want and what you need. To understand your requirements, builders need to consult extensively before jumping into designs.
When you first meet your builders, it should be genuine two way conversation. They should be asking plenty of questions of you, to find out exactly what you’re looking for in a new home. They should also listen carefully to your needs before jumping into solutions.
Most home builders have existing house designs, so they can show you some examples. But the consultation shouldn’t be about pushing you towards a specific design. They should be gathering the right information so they can deliver the perfect home for you.
Do they thoroughly assess your block of land?
This is an important matter to consider, especially when it comes to budgeting. Before starting any new home build, there are usually requirements for land assessment. This may involve surveyors to assess land contours, soil testing, access to services and to determine any foreseeable issues or obstacles.
While this is common for all new home builds, the variance is who organises this. Ask your luxury home builders to determine whether this is part of their service or not. It’s ideal to have this done before any designs are done, so you want to feel comfortable the builders have all the information they need.
Experienced interior design
We often talk about the importance of having great house designs, qualified architects and home designers to turn your dream home into a reality. What often gets forgotten though, is the inside of the home. Most new homes look great inside, because they’re fresh and neat and tidy. But there’s a difference between having a nice interior, and one that has been designed by experts.
When choosing luxury home builders, ask them about the interior design. Do they have qualified interior designers to work with you? Remember, this is your dream home, and you want it to look amazing. Ideally, you’ll be able to sit down with designers and talk through all your wants and needs before the plans are approved.
Do your luxury home builders custom design?
This one should be a given, especially if a building company calls itself a luxury home builder. However, it’s worth mentioning here, because it’s likely to be critical in choosing the right builder for you. Many builders have specific designs and collections they work from. This is great, because it gives buyers a chance to see what their home could be like. However, if the builder isn’t flexible on the designs, you’ve got a problem.
If you’re paying top dollar for the house of your dreams, it’s likely you’ll want to customise the home. It needs to suit your tastes and lifestyle perfectly. That’s not to say you can’t start with an existing design you like, but you should be able to make changes to that design.
There’s also the matter of cost. Before going too far into the process, ask your builders how much they charge for customising the designs. Some won’t charge an extra fee, and others will, so it’s good to know where you stand.
Do they understand the local area?
Naturally, when you want the best builders, you’ll cast the net far and wide. However, looking too far out of town for the best builders can sometimes be problematic. Firstly, local builders understand the area. They know the climate, they understand the right styles of homes for certain neighbourhoods. Also, local builders have local connections, such as tradespeople and material suppliers.
Ultimately, finding builders in your area can keep the costs down. There’s less travel for them, lower delivery fees for materials, and they know the local tradespeople they can trust. They’ll have a great network to rely on, whereas out of town builders might find it harder to get the help they need.
Look for display homes or testimonials
One of the best ways you can get a feel for the work your builders do is to see it for yourself! Most luxury home builders have display homes you can check out, and it’s a great way to see their workmanship up-close. While looking at pictures online is good to get a general feel for the designs, seeing everything up-close and personal is much better.
Many builders will also have video on their websites, like a virtual tour of a new home, so that’s also a great way to see their skills on display. And of course, we can’t forget the testimonials. All builders will have testimonials on their website from happy customers. But to get the full picture, it’s worth checking out their Google reviews and other online sources like social media. That way you can see the good and the bad, and hopefully there’s not too many bad experiences!
Always choose experienced luxury home builders
Finally, there’s very little that trumps experience. Provided your luxury home builders tick the other boxes for creativity, design flair, affordability and customer service, then you’re onto a winner if they’ve got longevity in the industry. Ask how many homes they’ve built, and how long their builders have worked in the industry. You can’t buy experience, however as a customer, you can certainly choose experience over other builders.