I once interviewed a young architect who lamented that the bulk of her design commissions were for remodeling work.
Best Practices
Custom Builder's articles, surveys, ideas, trends, and tips on best practices for residential builders, remodelers, and architects serving the residential construction industry.
Features
Finding the right building site with no issues can be trick; that's where scrubbing the lot could help
A kitchen display at the Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath showroom in Ashland, Va. “It’s amazing how many details there are in kitchen design,” owner Jennifer Gilmer says. “When a builder is involved in our meetings, he’s much more knowledgeable about design and installation nuances.”
Features
Collaboration holds the key to a smoother selections process that satisfies both client and builder
Illustration: Sergev Nivens/Stock.Adobe.com
Features
We ask custom builders: If you could redo your first house or revisit the first years of running your business, what would you do differently?
Features
Valuable insights Architect Robert Hidey gleaned over decades of residential design experience
Photos courtesy of Green Gables Design & Restoration
Features
"You never want to get to the next phase and realize somebody's not happy."
Graphics: Puresolution/Stock.adobe.com
Features
Custom home builders talk about what they do on the front end of a project to achieve better margins
This hillside house in Phoenix built by Cullum Homes at The Estates at Paradise Reserve won Custom Home of the Year from the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona. Cullum also built the adjacent subdivision, The Village at Paradise Reserve, using a new model of unitized pricing to build out both. Photo: NCKX Photography
Features
Two custom builders seek to improve margins: one by unitizing pricing relationships with trades, the other by pursuing a coveted homebuyer group
Los Angeles-based Landry Design Group collaborates with structural and civil engineers on hillside homes to determine if the best seismic reinforcement is concrete caissons sunk into the ground, or a mat-slab foundation in which the home’s weight is evenly distributed across the foundation. Photo: Erhard Pfeiffer
Features
Resilient design creates homes that can survive natural disasters and stay functional in the aftermath
Features
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: Do custom builders need any of it? A web maven offers advice
Features
Guaranteed maximum price contracts require a true team effort and an open-book policy
