With so many people involved in designing and building a custom home, where do you start? Do you hire the architect before the builder? Do you have to hire an architect at all? Since your house won’t get built without the skill and labor of builders, is it best to start there?
There are advantages and disadvantages to each route. If you go with an architect first, you can definitely get the most freedom with design. The problem can be that the design may not be as budget-conscious as you’d like. And later, the builder may have to rework the plans for budgeting or feasibility.
At Blythe Custom Homes, we have an in-house architectural designer and can estimate the cost, time, and resources required to build your dream home, which we can discuss during the vision meeting. You may be able to customize any of our base plans enough to match your unique needs without hiring an outside architect. Hiring builders first helps avoid permit issues, budget overruns, and timeline delays. If you do hire an architect first, get in touch soon so we can start construction on your custom home.
Get started building your custom house with Blythe Custom Homes by going to our website today.
Should You Hire a Builder Before an Architect for a Custom Home?
If you hire a builder first, especially one with an in-house or partner architect/designer, the process is often a lot smoother. The design and budget are addressed together seamlessly which saves time and money through efficient teamwork. Plus, the builder is already in a good relationship with their own architect or architectural designer and they know how to work well together.
Another plus of going with hiring a builder first, the builder will work with the land’s site plan to make sure that the design fits beautifully with the topography and with your desired views. The builder understands how to best situate your home on your particular site and how to make adjustments to the plan, when needed, to facilitate making the most of your property and getting the best out of your home design.
If you decide to go with your own outside architect, we can work with that scenario, too. But before you get the final plans for your custom home and every little detail is finalized with your architect, you should meet with our builders. You can share your specific design needs or material preferences with us, and we can explain what it will take to bring your vision to life. We’ll also help to make any adjustments needed to fit with your piece of land and lifestyle.
While architects can help design custom homes, builders may play a more crucial role in the construction process. To build a custom house, you need access to vendors, skilled subcontractors, and high-end materials, all of which we can provide. And many of our clients love our home plans so much and the ways we can personalize them with our designer, that they don’t feel a need to have their own architect.
Meet with us first to discuss your desired move-in date, and we can explain what is possible in that timeframe. You can also discuss any architectural preferences, such as a pitched roof, large windows, or an open-concept floor plan, and we can refine your vision.
Do You Need to Hire an Outside Architect for a Custom Home Build?
While you may initially think of hiring an architect for a custom home, perusing our portfolio of base plans may take you in a different direction. Rather than building an entirely custom house, you can personalize any of our base home plans, potentially speeding up your timeline.
When we sit down for a vision meeting, you get to tell us everything you want out of your new custom home. Many of our base plans already feature luxury custom home elements, such as two-car garages, grand living rooms, and spacious kitchens.
If any of the base plans resonate with you, we can further refine them to match your specific requirements. With your insight, we can prepare builder-ready blueprints soon after the vision meeting and budget discussions are complete.
What if You Wait to Hire a Builder for Your Custom Home?
Waiting to hire a builder for your custom home means risking going over budget and delaying your move-in date.
Permit Issues
The sooner clients contact us about custom builds, the sooner we can get all the required permits. We may also need to review and update the zoning, which can take some time. In addition to construction permits, we may also require permits to install utility lines and develop the land, so let’s obtain these permits as soon as possible.
Budget Overruns
You may have more control over the budget if you hire builders for a custom home earlier. We encourage you to make as many pre-construction decisions as possible, which helps you stay on target. We provide detailed building costs and specifications before construction begins and work hard to stay within the target budget for custom builds.
Materials Issues
Obtaining the specific tile flooring, quartz countertop, or other desired features for a custom build may be more challenging or expensive if you wait to hire our builders. As construction begins and continues, you can meet with our vendors to compare final selections and make your decisions.
Timeline Delays
Hiring Blythe Custom Homes to build your new house can help avoid timeline delays. While some delays — like major weather events — are simply unavoidable, we work efficiently and strive to meet our clients’ target move-in dates. The sooner you contact us, the better we can schedule the build and account for potential construction delays.
What Should You Do Before Hiring an Architect or Builder for a Custom Home?
Before we take on clients’ new home builds, we sit down for vision meetings. This is the time for you to bring up everything, from your must-have items to your highly desired items.
Feel free to ask any questions you have about our process, vendors, subcontractors, and more. You should feel comfortable and confident in the builders you choose to construct your family’s home, so don’t hold back.
You should have frank budget discussions before hiring an architect or builder for a new home. While you may have a sizable budget for the custom build and luxury features you want to include, respecting that budget is still crucial, so it’s essential to be on the same page.
What if I Hired an Architect First for a Custom Home Build?
If you’ve already had an architect draw up custom plans for your new family home, we can bring those plans to life. We may even further refine custom plans after a vision meeting to discuss your wants and needs.
Hiring an architect first does not mean you can’t change your mind. We can alter custom house plans to hit your modified target budget or better suit your family’s needs.
Even if you hired an architect first, you still need builders to construct your new house, so don’t wait to contact Blythe Custom Homes. We can review the house plans, suggest possible improvements, and help bring your dream home to life.
Build a Custom Home with Us
Plan and build with Blythe Custom Homes and visit us online.
