Right about now, you’re thinking: “Really? I’m going to read a blog written by an Edmond home builder about how to pick an Edmond home builder?” There can’t be any bias here, can there?
OK, I’m being just a little facetious… but really, how do you know you’re hiring the right builder to build your new home in Edmond or Oklahoma City? Of course, if you’re looking to have a new home built, this is something you want to know. Here are just a few tips on what to look for:
- Job site cleanliness: the state of order on the job site is a direct reflection of how a builder runs his/her business. If the job site looks like a tornado just passed (and most do), then ask yourself whether the builder is organized enough to pay close attention to the details of building your new home.
- Days that pass with no work being done: how many days go by between subcontractors doing work on a particular home? Lots of gaps between workers indicate a builder who hasn’t done his/her homework. Are they learning to build as they go? Have they not planned the entire job from start to finish prior to construction? That means the builder is solving construction problems “on the fly”. Do you think the people who build BMW’s and Fords figure out how to build cars “on the fly”, or do you think every detail of every product is planned out from start to finish?
- When you see framers on a job, ask to look at the plans they’re working from. Is there a framing layout designed and approved by a structural engineer? Or does the framer, equipped with a tape measure and circular saw, figure out the structural needs of your new home in Edmond? Whoa… that one’s a little scary.
- How much waste material is laying around? This kind of goes hand-in-hand with my first point, the one about site cleanliness. Lots of waste is a sign that the builder of your new home hasn’t taken the time to figure out exactly what it takes to build it. There are lots of implications there, but the biggest one is this: who’s paying for all that waste? Whoever buys the home! Imagine that: a 30-year mortgage on the contents of a landfill!
These are just a few things to look for, whether you’re thinking of building a new home in Edmond, Oklahoma City, or anywhere in the world. Just use your common sense: if a builder’s job sites look like nobody’s in charge and nobody cares what goes where, then that might just be the case.
Thanks for reading!
Tim
About Tim Turner