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SWFL Custom Homes Blog

How to Choose the Right Builder for Your Custom Home

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With an abundance of great properties offered at terrific rates, it’s no wonder that so many are choosing to build their custom homes in southwestern Florida. But the process can get complicated if you don’t partner up with the right contractor. Working with an unqualified builder can result in project delays, poor construction quality, extra expense, and even legal disputes.

Luckily, making a few inquiries can help you sort out which contractors are reliable and which ones would make risky partners. With the list of questions to ask custom home builders below, you’ll easily be able to identify who’s the most capable of taking on your project and delivering wonderful results.

choosing a builder for custom home

Will They Assist with Lot Hunting, Financing, and Temporary Accommodations?

A good custom home builder understands that your experience begins before the first bricks are even laid. The best contractors offer full-scale services that take care of your needs from the very moment you decide to pursue a custom build.

This includes helping you identify the right neighborhood for your family, and finding the right lot within it. A truly comprehensive service also covers connecting you with suitable lenders, and even arranging a rental to live in while you wait on your new home to be built.

Can You Visit Any of Their Model Homes?

model home in Port Charlotte, FL

Seeing a builder’s workmanship in person is critical to deciding whether or not they’re the right one for your project. A professional custom home company should be able to offer tours of at least one model home, if not more.

This will give you the opportunity to explore different layout choices, get a realistic impression of square footage, and see what your final results could resemble. It’s also important to visit a model home so that you can get inspired and discover ideas that might not have occurred to you on your own. Doing a model home viewing before building is an essential step to ensuring that your design truly satisfies all of your preferences and meets your expectations.

Do They Include Critical Engineering, Site & Permitting Services?

Lesser builders may try to cut corners by leaving certain tasks up to you to arrange and execute. But buying land and building a custom home on it is a complex process that can get confusing, fast. A dependable builder will never saddle you with that burden.

Look for custom home contractors that include all engineering, site, and permitting duties as a part of their services. This ranges from setting up land surveys, site grading, utility connections, energy calculations, and engineering certifications, to applications and fee-payment for permitting and other official paperwork.

How Much Variety is Available in Floor Plans and Customizations?

It’s not really a custom home if you hardly get to do any customizing, is it? Many builders only offer a small number of floor plans, and the options for materials, features and add-ons are limited.

At Capitol Homes, our clients enjoy a wide selection among 26 unique floor plans, as well as a myriad of options for surface finishes and building materials. This far exceeds the selection you’ll find with other custom home builders in Port Charlotte and nearby areas.

How Much Work is Performed by Subcontractors?

The more crews that are working on a building project, the more opportunities there are for miscommunication and mistakes. A custom home builder should have a robust project management system in place to keep all subcontractor work well-organized.

Ideally, the builder should also seek to minimize subcontractor involvement where possible by handling certain tasks on their own (with the right qualifications, of course). For example, Capitol Homes performs the installation of all cabinetry, windows and exterior doors ourselves. We do this to maintain quality, keep building simple, and reduce the chance of delays.

Do They Commit to Warranties and Follow-ups?

An unreputable home builder will avoid all possible responsibilities after construction is complete. Make sure that the builder not only provides a warranty for their work, but that past customers can attest to the fact that the warranty will be honored. Read the fine print on any warranty documentation to ensure that there aren’t loopholes that could leave you helpless.

Companies that care about customer satisfaction won’t wait around to hear if something went wrong. They’ll actively reach out to check that you’re pleased with your new home and everything is working as it should. The best builders commit to a long-term follow-up process to guarantee that even many months down the road, your home is still in perfect shape.

Finding the Right Builder on Florida’s Gulf Coast

Whether you live in the area of North Port, Port Charlotte, or Englewood, Capitol Homes is able to help you realize your custom home dreams. Our crew of expert builders is ready to walk you through the design process and deliver the quality of living you’ve been hoping for.

Whether you’re aiming to build your first home or upgrade to a luxurious abode, you can find the right floor plan and customizations through our trusted family business. We’ll help you establish the perfect place to build your future down here on the beautiful southwest coast. Contact us today to schedule an appointment at our design center or visit one of our model homes.