Here's a secret most builders in Oklahoma won't tell you: none of the builders in our state are big enough to keep their subcontractors busy 100% of the time. Building a custom home requires a lot of subcontractors, and even builders who have multiple houses going at once won't need a plumber or a cabinet maker or an electrician every single day.
That means every subcontractor works for multiple builders. There are more builders than there are plumbers, framers, trim carpenters, or any other subcontractor out there.
Some builders might have certain positions on staff, but there's also not a builder in Oklahoma that has full-time employees for every single skill and trade needed in building a home. It's just not how the industry works. We rely on subcontractors who are experts in their specific area to do the work under the supervision of an experienced builder.
Some builders will claim they have the best subcontractors that produce the highest quality work. But we're really all sharing the same subcontractors!
Now, some builders might have certain subcontractors they prefer over others for certain jobs, but chances are that subcontractor is still working for other builders. So if you like one specific builder's house plans, cabinets, paint, granite, or whatever about their building style, that doesn't mean you can only use that builder to get that style. It's pretty much guaranteed that any other builder in the market could do the same finish for you as long as they know what you want.
So as you're shopping around for builders, don't believe the lie that one builder's better than another because he has better subcontractors. He really doesn't.
Then how do you compare builders? Some builders do, in fact, build better homes than others in the same price range. Here's our recommended process for finding the right builder.