The prospect of building a home can become overwhelming. Ryan Smith, of Ryan Smith Builders, offers five tips to get the project started off on the right foot.
1. Pick a builder before starting anything.
“If someone is about to build a house, go out and talk to two or three builders and try to find someone who really connects with you. You can sit down with someone and in five minutes and tell if someone is personable or not,” Smith said. “I think what people don’t realize, especially depending on the size of the house, is you’re going to be involved with your builder from five months to two years. You kind of have to like them.”
Choosing someone early in the process is vital as well. “It’s really important to pick someone before you start working on plans especially, because many times people don’t realize their budget vs. square footage. Or perhaps the plans they like have something the architect included that might cost $20,000 instead of $2,000. If the builder is involved in the design of the house, then they can give good advice and guidance,” Smith said.
2. Try to establish a realistic budget.
“When I meet with someone, I try to get it all out in the open and establish a realistic budget,” Smith said. “What ends up happening if you don’t, the owner may not realize how much different things cost. When they start talking about things they see on the Internet or TV, it’s good for the builder to know and be able to say, ‘We can’t really do that, but we can do this.’ It’s a really good way to start it off,” he said. “The budget gives the builder a really good path to go down.”
3. Start a picture book.
When discussing building a house, create a book of photos that embodies the style desired. “It’s really nice when we have the first meeting at the architect’s office when the client has a folder with pictures of exterior and interior shots of what they like. It’s helpful for both the builder and the architect because we can hone in on their style. It establishes their style more than homeowners think,” Smith said.
4. Realize the relationship between cost vs. quality.
It’s not always the best choice to build the biggest home one can afford. “Everyone wants the biggest bang for their buck, but scaling back to maybe not an unrealistic number as far as square footage, and try to get that better quality, better lasting stuff [is better in the long run],” Smith said. “That’s why it’s so hard for someone to say, ‘I’m going to take these plans that are already finished, and bid it out to five different builders.’ The problem is, builders all have different standards in their head. Some only use the standard stuff that you would see in a spec house, whereas this other builder is used to doing custom and has a higher quality standard. It’s going to change the price of the house, and people think the builder is making more money. In reality, all builders are pretty much charging the same thing. There’s only maybe a two to four percent difference in the fee you’re paying to your builder,” he said. “Sometimes there’s value in that – paying a builder that charges a little bit more money but is really involved in everything. Going and helping you pick out everything, being there when the plans are drawn ... a builder that’s going to spend that much time should be paid more because he has more time invested.”
5. Assemble a great team.
Find a builder, then find a architect. “Most of the time if you find a builder and he’s a reputable builder, he will have an architect he works with on a regular basis,” Smith said. “Interior designers are really important too, especially when you get into the high end homes. There’s so many things out there to choose from. Sometimes people aren’t as good at picking things out as they thought, and an interior designer can really help with the process.”
“Yes there’s 500 different handles for your doors, but if we know the direction you’re going in, we can show you four. The more guidance you have, the better.”
For more information, contact Smith at 393-7251 or visit his website at www. ryansmithbuilders.com.
– Mandy Byrd