How To Choose a Custom Home Builder That's Perfect for Your Edmonton Project
Have you been thinking about building a garden suite? It’s a growing trend in Edmonton...with good reason.
Homeowners, particularly in the city’s downtown core, realize the many benefits – financial, environmental and social – of infill building on small and mid-sized city lots.
Laneway homes are popping up in old neighbourhoods, enriching the community, attracting small businesses, reducing urban sprawl…and providing income for homeowners and affordable housing for family members or new residents. If you’re ready to explore your options, you want a custom home builder that understands the community – and all the possibilities for your garden suite.
How do I Choose the Right Custom Home Builder?
Every major renovation or home building experience is hugely personal…or at least, we think it is. When you’re looking for the right builder, there are three things to seek out.
1. Expertise
There’s nothing wrong with hiring a jack-of-all-trades to drywall your basement or build a deck out your back door. But when it comes to building a high-quality custom home from the ground up or transforming your old home into something new and fresh, you want a team with the training and experience to get the job done on time, on budget and on point.
Be sure to ask about your builder’s professional associations. Find out how long they’ve been in business, and ask if they use the same team for every project or shop around for tradespeople from job to job.
You want a custom home builder with a reliable supply chain and a steady crew of onsite tradespeople who know the company’s standards and follow them to the letter.
2. Understanding
There are two aspects to understanding: you and your community. If a builder comes to you with preset plans in hand, doesn’t ask questions, and isn’t interested in finding out about your lifestyle, that’s a red flag.
You want a builder that asks questions – about your short and long-term goals and your expectations for the home you’re about to build or renovate.
You want a design-build team that will be responsive to you and make an effort to get to know you, your family, and your neighbourhood.
And that’s the other quality you want in a good custom home builder: you want them to understand your community.
Most garden suites in Edmonton are built on streets that have seen generations of families… there are a spirit and personality to each neighbourhood. Does your builder know how to fit your new home into the mix? An excellent design-build team will take time to understand your community’s characteristics and match them with your expectations for a livable, unique and inviting addition to your property.
3. Commitment
Will your builder finish the project on time and within budget…? If they can’t, will they take time to explain any interruptions to the schedule and minimize budget changes?
When they’re done, will they move on to another development, never to be heard from again?
Or will they follow up with you to ensure the home they’ve built meets your expectations?
They’ve built a home for your family or tenants who will share your space for years. They should see themselves as part of your extended family… lifelong friends. That’s how we see our role. A good builder should commit to open lines of communication…even long after the project is complete.
Your custom home builder should care.
You’ve chosen to build a custom home so that your new living space – or your new rental space – reflects your lifestyle, personality, and needs.
An excellent design-build team will have the expertise and access to the most innovative designs and the most flexible and responsive construction team, and they’ll take your guidance. They’ll bring their industry knowledge and skills to the project but not their preconceived ideas about what your home should look like. They’ll balance their experience with your expectations and deliver a home that suits you, not theirs.
Whether you’re looking for energy efficiency, rental appeal, or resale value, your design-build team should be able to offer the best options for your unique project. And, if you’re feeling overwhelmed with those options, they should be able to guide you through them– with care – to ensure you’re satisfied with the result.
Timber Haus’s team can deliver a smooth, effortless building experience – whether it’s a garden suite, infill or home renovation. Contact us if you’re ready to imagine the possibilities, and we’ll start a conversation.