What is your builder's success plan for your home?

It's fair to say that nobody plans to fail. And yet, many builders do it every day. The old adage, "We don't plan to fail, we fail to plan," applies double in home building.

In fact, the planning phase can make or break the success of your new home build. All those horror stories you've heard about having a home built? About 99% of them could have been prevented by proper planning.

Will there be weather delays?

You can guarantee there will be bad weather during a build. But that's no reason for a builder's schedule to be two weeks behind because of the rain last week. A delay like that is caused by failing to plan weather delays into his building schedule.

Why are the cabinets 30% over budget?

That happens when a builder doesn't properly plan for the cabinet details to make sure they fit the client's needs in advance.

Why are the faucets the wrong color?

This kind of issue occurs when a builder doesn't have a plan for communicating your desires to the faucet supplier.

Why does a builder want to build your custom home on a cost-plus basis?

Because it removes the burden of planning and puts all the burden of errors on you, the customer. A cost-plus build means that the cost of going over budget, the cost of wasted material and time, and the cost of incorrectly ordered materials are passed on to you.

When shopping for a builder, ask about his planning process and how important he thinks it is to the success of your build. Ask for details.

If it sounds vague, you might not be talking with the right builder. Don't choose a builder who will fail to plan.