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The Difference Between Custom Builder and Production Builder

A Custom Home Under Construction.

A Difference in Pricing

First off, the most recognizable difference is the price. Production builders buy materials in bulk and pay less for labor, therefore, the home costs less. When you buy in bulk, you get a discounted price, but you also get a lesser quality product. Also, when you pay your labor force less, the quality of the workmanship goes down. If you pay someone $500 to install your tile in the bathroom or you pay someone $1,500 to install your tile in the bathroom, which job will give you a better result? 

Paying more for material and labor equates to a better finished product. This leads to a longer lasting home free of maintenance and upkeep for quite some time. I tell my clients you won’t have to do anything to the home until it’s time to start updating appliances and equipment in 10 to 15 years. This makes for a worry free and durable home that stands the test of time.

More Location Choices

Next, your choice of location with a production builder is which lot in the subdivision do you want, if you’re lucky. Custom builders will build on your land, or a piece of their land, or they can help you find land to build on.

Customized Floor Plans

There is very little customization to floor plans available with production builders. You can choose between one of their floor plans and make some minor changes, but you can’t typically change the footprint. With custom builders, your possibilities are endless. We make several visits, sitting down with the architect and designer, if necessary, to design the perfect floor plan for your needs and budget and contour/slope of your land.

Pleasant, Stress-Free Experience

Finally, the experience with production builders is just that — production. It may seem like you’re just a number on the assembly line. As a true custom home builder, I make the experience as pleasant and stress free as possible, giving plenty of time to make finish out choices, and making changes as we go.

In my opinion, the biggest difference between production and a true custom home builder is a builder that doesn’t take on too much work, so that they don’t have time to devote to each client, individually. This ensures not only a perfect home but a perfect home building experience.   

Call Us Today

Are you looking for a custom home builder in  Weatherford and Aledo, TX and surrounding communities to build your perfect dream home? For great quality and dependability, the reliable choice is Open Prairie Custom Homes. Call us today at (817) 736-6323 to find out how we can help you.

The Perfect Home Requires the Perfect Home Builder

A Two-Story Home Under Construction.

Learn about the Most Important Aspects of a Custom Home Builder

So you have probably already put a lot of thought into building a custom home. The decision to build rather than buy alone is a huge one. You want to make sure that it can be done in a reasonable amount of time, you have to decide on a budget and you have to figure out what kind of features your custom home will have. Building a custom home can put a lot of strain on an individual, not to mention a couple or an entire family. And that is all before even considering which contractor to go with. Still, once you have worked out the initial kinks, there are certain aspects that you should look out for when it comes time to hire a custom home contractor. In the following post, we will discuss some of the more important attributes to look for in a custom home builder. If at any time you want to ask us any questions directly, be sure to email us or give us a call here at (817) 736-6323!

Level of Quality

Think about it – your custom home is one that you and your family will most likely be living in for a very long time. The first thing you want to make sure of when selecting a custom home contractor is the level of quality they offer. You don’t want to have to be faced with costly structural repairs just a year or two after your home is completed so it is of the utmost importance that you consider quality first. One of the best ways to check for quality is by asking for references – preferably projects that were completed at least a decade ago. Talking to homeowners that have had their homes built by the contractor you are considering is the best way to gain insight on the level of quality they offer. You can also ask them what kinds of materials they normally work with. If you are talking to someone who sounds like they are going to go cheap on materials or cut corners, you may want to consider someone else. While lower costs for materials may sound enticing at first, you will be spending a lot more in the long-run on future repairs.

Keep It Local

You will want to work with a contractor that is local and has some accountability in the area in which you want to build your home. Let’s say for instance that you are ready to build in the Weatherford and Aledo, TX area. If you hire a company that is nowhere near that area, they don’t stand to lose a lot of face if they do shoddy work because their base of operations is elsewhere. Working with a local company that has some status in your area is a good way to ensure a quality job. Asking friends and neighbors in the area could help select the right candidate.

Communication

Building a custom home from scratch can be a long process so before you even start, ask a lot of questions. Ask about materials used, timelines, past experience estimates and anything else on your mind. The contractor you choose should be communicative because building a custom home is a collaboration between owner and builder. When your partner isn’t good about being available to field your questions and listen to your ideas, the project may not come out so great.

Tours

Does the company you are considering offer tours of previous homes that they have completed? Some will and some won’t. That is not to say that ones that don’t are not high quality but they should at least be able to provide you with a comprehensive portfolio of their past work. If they do offer tours take advantage of them. They are a great way of gauging the quality of the company and getting an idea of what they are capable of building.

Consultation

Initial consultations are key to successful collaboration with a custom home builder. Be prepared before your initial consultation. Be sure that you have at least a general idea of what you want your home to be like. Bring pictures if you can too. Pictures of what you have in mind (either physical pictures or digital images from the web or your camera) will give the contractor a visual of what you are looking for and help them determine whether or not they can handle it. Ask a lot of questions at the consultation as well and be sure to get estimates.

Here When You’re Ready

A Building Contractor Placing Trusses On a New Home Construction.

We Can Build You the Home of Your Dreams

At Open Prairie Custom Homes, we are here to help with your project when you are ready. We use premium materials, customizable floor plans, maintain a strong line of communication with our clients, and can provide references. When you want a custom home in Weatherford and Aledo, TX and the surrounding areas, give us a call at (817) 736-6323 to speak with one of our custom home builders.