How to Choose the Best Custom Home Builder Near You

What Type of Home Builder Is Hedgefield Homes?

At Hedgefield Homes, we would be classified within the semi-custom builder group. Now you may say, "So you're not a custom builder?" 

My answer: We are absolutely custom builders. 

We offer a portfolio of plans with pre-designed popular structural options, and many will opt to build one of these combinations. However, we also have a custom design option for folks who don't see a plan in our portfolio that fits their needs. 

Furthermore, we tell everyone: We embrace customization. We will customize literally hundreds of features of your home up-to and including the pre-construction meeting. In the pre-construction process, we typically don't limit our customers; their only limits are money and time. 

When you are building your dream home on your land, you have a vision for how that home should sit on the lot, what the views should be and how you'll live in it. So we call ourselves custom builders, because to our customers that is exactly what we are. 

Location: Where Do You Want to Build Your Home?

Choose a builder who is actually located near your build site. We suggest that the builders’ location—either sales or field office—is located a maximum of 50 miles from the site. This means they can be adequately present on the job site every day and address issues in a timely way. You don’t want to call your builder with a problem on site and have him tell you: “I’ll check it out when I’m at the job in a few days.”

Additionally, home builders located nearby will be more familiar with local codes, restrictions, utility providers and possibly site or soil issues. Their trade and vendor partners will also be familiar and accessible.

See some locations in North Texas where we build.

Budget: What Is Your All-In Budget for Your New Home?

Understand your budget and what builders in your area can offer you, then start to compare your options. 

Remember to only compare builders who are similar.  If you want to build a 2,000 square-foot, single-story ranch home with a 2-car garage, then find a plan from two different builders in your area and ask for the pricing and included features. You should be able to easily acquire this information. You’ll also want to verify which site improvement expenses are and aren’t included. 

Create a simple matrix with budget line items in rows, and Builder 1 and Builder 2 in columns. This is basically the process of building up the initial budget

From time to time, I will get a call asking me what our standard price is for building a standard house. My answer used to be: "What are the standard features you would want in your house?"  

“Oh, you know, granite counters and wood cabinets.” But now, I simply quote them our starting price and refer them to our website, which has all of our updated pricing for every plan, along with our standard included features.  

You need to understand what standard means to your builder prospects. 

A builder should be able and willing to help you compose a budget for your entire project, even the parts they aren’t handling directly, such as: well, septic, roads, culverts, utilities, etc.

Ask builders if they will commit to their price, once quoted.  Is it fixed? All of our pricing is fixed—once contracted, it will not change.

Communication: What Are Your Expectations for Attention, Communication and Reporting?

Small custom builders can be very effective building a few homes at the same time. These smaller operators tend to be experienced in the field, so that's where they really shine. They understand how things get built. 

However, if you need design support, pricing or documentation, small operators may drag a little getting you what you need. They may also (but not necessarily) lag behind in warranty service, simply because they are busy with other jobs. It's best to simply ask: What is your average time to complete warranty calls? If they don't know, pay attention. If they say 14 days or less, that's a good sign. 

Smaller firms may also lag in communication: Keeping customers up-to-date on what's happening, what comes next, obstacles and ongoing completion updates. Larger teams have dedicated sales and support staff to help the customer along the way, and their processes for doing so tend to be more defined.

However, it can also be true that very large organizations can lose touch with their customers if they are not intentional. Ask builder candidates: Who manages our relationship as we go along? How do we get updates, get questions answered and stay in touch with your company. If you get a vague answer like, "Oh, we'll call you when things come up," you'd better get your running shoes on, because you're going to be chasing your builder. 

Compatibility: What Is Your Personality and What Is Theirs?

Ask a potential builder: Who on their staff will you be working with during your pre-construction and construction process? Will there be an opportunity to meet them before you commit? See if you can get a feel for their personalities and style; after all, you'll be working with them for months, and the best way to get to know a builder is to know their people. 

Vision: Which Type of Home Builder Can Best Execute the Vision You Have for Your Home?

There are a lot of details and expenses to manage in the homebuilding process.

• Look for a builder who is professional—even if they are small—who listens well and takes the time to understand what you are looking for, with clear processes to help you through budgeting, design, pre-construction, construction and warranty.
• Figure out if you can trust them—check references, online reviews and get to know the key people with whom you would be interacting.
• Understand your own needs, and find a builder well-suited to meet those needs. 
• Understand what is included; it shouldn’t be that hard. If it seems hard, then let that be a yellow flag. 
• Most of all, find a builder who will walk you step-by-step through the whole process, helping you to determine what’s best for your family at each step, and who does high-quality work at an affordable price.

Related Articles: 

• Choose a House Site: Where Should I Build My Home (North Texas)?

• How Much Does It Cost to Build a Custom Home on Your Lot in North Texas?

• Which Options & Features Should I Consider for My Custom Home?

• How Do I Choose the Right Home Design and Floor Plan?