LandSmith Construction

120 Seale Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: (650) 328-4663
Fax: (650) 328-1833

info@landsmith.net

Selecting an Experienced Builder

by LandSmith Construction

There are many things you should consider when choosing a builder for your home. You’ve spent time, energy and effort to move closer to making your dream a reality so the last thing you want to do is get into a stressful unfulfilling experience when entering the construction phase.

Remember, you will be entering a long-term partnership with your builder and you need to be sure that your builder operates with honesty, integrity, top-notch service and provides a quality product. This way, when problems are encountered along the way, you will be confident your builder who can easily solve them for you.

You could be spending up to a year or more working closely with your builder so choosing the right builder is critical to your success and satisfaction.

The following checklist is a good guideline to get you started:

Good Rapport - Top on this list is feeling good about your builder. In addition to interviewing builders actively working in the area where you plan to build, make sure you are comfortable with your builder, that you can honesty say you trust your builder and that you have a good rapport with your builder. When you first meet your builder pay close attention to how you feel about the company. The best builder in the world won’t work for you if you don’t feel good about them.
Attentive To You - OK. So you feel pretty good about your builder. Now ask yourself if they listen to you. One sure sign of a potentially problematic relationship is if your builder never stops talking, doesn’t ask questions, and doesn’t pause long enough to listen to you. A good builder always listens to you.
Licensed - Check to see that your builder is licensed by the California Contractor’s State License Board with a General Building designation. This may seem so obvious as to be unnecessary but it’s a good idea to check it out. You can check your prospective builder at the California Web Site. http://www.cslb.ca.gov/consumers/default.asp. The license helps assure you that your builder has the experience you need to get your home built but only assures a minimal level of competence, workman’s comp insurance and liability insurance. Ask for these again before the job starts.
Your Builder is the License Holder - Another often over looked point is making sure your builder is the actual license holder. Some builders have what is called a Responsible Managing Employee who holds the license for the company. Though not unusual or necessarily a deal breaker, if a problem occurs, your only recourse is with the license holder. Make sure you are aware of who holds the license, with your preference being the owner of the company. If the owner is the license holder there is a better chance of smooth sailing.
Management Skills - Right behind licensed would be management skills. This is probably kind of difficult to measure at first, but will become clear once you see if your builder has a staffed office with employees and how that office appears. Still, there are many small construction companies, not necessarily a bad thing, just make sure to thoroughly check out your builder’s history if you elect to investigate a small operation.
Community Standing – You may ask your builder about their involvement in the local community and ask around about their reputation. If no one has heard of your builder, or you get negative feedback, you may consider a different builder.
Financial Stability – Check to see if your builder is a financially stable company. Working with anything less can be risky.
Lender Relationships – Ask your builder about their lender relationships and if they can assist you with financing your project.
Full Time Custom Home Builder - Check to see your builder is a full time custom home builder specializing in projects similar to yours, has built your home style before and has ample experience in the field. Verifying these points will assure you that your builder is up on all current codes and has the experience and know-how needed to assist you with successful completion of your project.
Green Building Capability – More and more, ecologically sound building practices are valued by consumers, and required by municipalities and counties. Make sure your builder is a certified green builder to assure you are getting all the latest in energy efficient designs and building methods.
Quality Assurance and Warranty – Always find out about your builder’s quality assurance follow-up program and warranty. Your relationship doesn’t end when your new home is complete, so you’ll definitely want a builder who provides a good warranty and follows-up at regular intervals after completion.
Overall Presentation - One thing to note in addition to making sure your builder is a full time builder is their overall organization and the quality of the materials they present to you. Do they appear to be well organized? Do their plans, specifications and other materials appear professional? Do they have an office with experienced staff? Ask for some promotional materials and to see a set of their plans.
Past Projects - Check out your potential builder’s portfolio to verify that they have successfully completed projects similar to what you value and are looking for in your own project. See if you can arrange a tour of a recently completed home or a drive by viewing.
Testimonials - Get a list of recent customers that you may call to ask for their feedback on the builder. Try to meet with them personally and go over their overall experience with the builder, how they handled problems, how the relationship was and their overall satisfaction and recommendations. Some questions you should ask:
- Did the project run smoothly? If not, what went wrong?
- Did the job finish on schedule? If not, what held it up?
- Were the cost estimates accurate? If they went over, where and why?
- Was the builder helpful in solving problems?
- Did the builder make helpful suggestions and bring up ideas you had overlooked?
- Were their explanations clear and logical?
- Were they frequently present on the job?
- Have you had any major problems with the house since you moved in? If so, did the builder efficiently answer your calls and follow up with you?
Design Build Capability - Make sure your builder has full design build capability and can either provide you with the plans you need in house or can get you the plans you need, if you don’t have them already. A one-stop shop is really far better and makes for a much smoother process.
Quality Subcontractors - Ask about the subcontractors your builder uses. If these contractors typically work on the type of home you desire, in the area you desire, you are better off than you will be if your builder uses out of the area subs or subs without expertise in your type of project. This is important because those who actually do the work determine the quality of your new home.
Clear Documentation - Make sure that everything will be put in writing when dealing with your builder. Disputes can be largely avoided if there is perfect clarity through well-written precise documentation. Ask about their typical design build process and documentation practices. Ask for a sample contract and other legal documents.
Lawsuits – Ask your builder if they have ever been sued, or have been sued in the last three years. Seems obvious, but asking this simple question may save you a lot of grief if you learn your builder has been sued repeatedly in the recent past. Your builder having been sued doesn’t necessarily rule them out, but learning about your builder’s legal history can only help you in your decision making process.
Better Business Bureau - You might want to check with the Better Business Bureau to check out the company, check for complaints and to obtain references.
Compare Apples to Apples - If you have drawings and are obtaining estimates make sure that you compare accurately. Some builders will appear to be a better value because they cost less, but in actuality cut corners and use inferior quality materials and products in constructing your home leaving you with a poor return on investment in the long-run.
Web Site – Always check our your builder’s web site. Is it helpful? Does it give you good information? Does it answer the bulk of your questions saving you time and effort? If your builder does not have a web site this will indicate you are dealing with a smaller company, or a company not taking advantage of today’s modern communication methods. This may or may not affect your decision but is an indicator worth considering.

After you’ve narrowed your list of potentials down to 3 or 4 you like, only then should you go to bid or begin the design process by obtaining proposals. There is no point in getting bids from builders you know nothing about.

Taking the time to thoroughly investigate several builders, now, before you go to bid and before you begin your project will save you myriad headaches and frustration later.

We hope this information will be useful to you. LandSmith Construction can provide you with everything you need to bring your dream home to reality. We’ll be with you every step of the way!

Call, write, fax or email us:

LandSmith Construction

(650) 328-4663
(650) 328-1833 fax
Construction@LandSmith.net