Each custom home builder has its own process to take home buyers from start to finish. Let’s go step by step for Blythe Building Company’s general process so you can get a feel for what to expect if you would like to build your own custom home with us in the beautiful Midlands of South Carolina.
Our 7 step process
1. Initial Consultation
Our process begins with an initial consultation where we get to know each other. During this meeting, we will discuss the goals of your project and answer any questions about our design and construction process you may have. We will determine if Blythe Building Company is a good fit for your project, and if it is, we will work together to establish a targeted budget to build a house for you.
We give our home buyers a notebook to help them stay organized so they can keep track of their paperwork and decisions. We also discuss budget, upfront. We want to stay within the target budget. If home buyers decide later that they want to do something different that adds to the total build cost, they are welcome to. But this is a decision the individual home buyer makes to go above the target budget without any pressure from us.
We are honest about the cost of change orders and what to expect cost-wise if a homebuyer does decide to make changes during the process.
We also provide a contact sheet with all the vendors and subcontractors for home buyers so that they can get in touch with anyone they may need to, if necessary.
2. Plans (optional)
We can help you design your dream home, or we can use established plans. Custom home designs are an additional cost to be factored into the budget. There are three steps in home plan design:
- Conceptual drawings – This is the basic preliminary floor plan design and elevations sketch to convey the overall intent and flow of the design.
- Hardline concept – Once conceptual drawings are approved, we develop real dimensions and elevations. At this stage, we will review your plans in 2-D electronically so you can get a better visualization of spaces and the overall exterior view of the home. This stage helps individuals who cannot use the visual space and geometry of traditional plans. For example, we can show a bed or couch in a room so you can see the area better and virtually walk through a room, or look out a window.
- Construction plans – This set includes a fully dimensioned floor plan and elevation along with a foundation plan and electric plan.
3. Vision Meeting (Discovery)
This is the fun stuff. We go through a 5-page questionnaire to help us understand your vision, style, wants, and needs. We look at homes you’ve found online, pictures of features you love, and discuss anything else that helps us meet your goals during the home building process.
We provide a color selection sheet that helps buyers keep their decisions organized and helps them see everything in the color scheme of the entire house as a whole. This is especially helpful when a neighborhood only allows certain colors.
We provide a schedule and timeline for certain key decisions. Most builders expect home buyers to make all decisions before any building begins. But we understand that people may need a bit more time. Certain decisions do have to be made early, but other ones can wait a bit.
4. Specifications and Building Cost
During this phase, we determine the allowance for each portion of the build – a lighting allowance, a plumbing allowance, etc… We decide how to frame the house and how the foundation will be constructed. We create and discuss detailed specifications and a budget that outlines all of the aspects of construction.
Realistically, it’s difficult to make all decisions at this point, and we understand that. We are experts in our field and can undoubtedly adapt as we go along, but the more that is decided during this phase, the less risk of going over your budget. If pre-construction decisions cannot be made, we can help determine accurate allowances for you with our quality vendors and trades.
5. Pre-construction
We schedule a meeting with you at your home site to discuss the placement of the house, the orientation of the house and conduct a land evaluation (to determine which trees need to be taken down and other prepping). We also prepare a plot plan to help you visualize your future home on the property.
At this time, home buyers ask any questions they may have before construction begins. It’s much easier to make changes at this point than it is after the building starts.
6. Construction
During construction, we have multiple walkthroughs with you. Additionally, you will meet with our experienced team of subcontractors and vendors to discuss cabinets, paint, plumbing, lighting, and more. You will meet with our team as many times as necessary throughout the process to finalize selections and allow you to make decisions you are satisfied with on the features that are important to you.
Once we have completed construction, we do a final walkthrough to inspect your new home. You can address any concerns or problems you may see. We tie up the loose ends so that your new home is completely ready for your family to move in.
7. Move In
This is the moment you have been waiting for! All the months of planning and the fruit of all of your decisions finally pay off. After the final inspection and paperwork, you get to experience the joy of moving into your new dream home and enjoying every moment of it.
We trust that the rewards of this building process will continue for many years to come. And we hope you will take as much pride in your home as we do. We want your new home to be the perfect fit for your family and we know that, if you are satisfied with a job well-done, you will share your experience with Blythe Building Company with your family and friends. We are so thankful for the word-of-mouth recommendations our customers give to others.
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