Which builder is right for you?When you're considering building a home, you need to look at all your options. You'll want to choose a builder who fits your needs. Home builders are not the same. Most builders specialize in a specific style. When starting your search you'll want to become familiar with the differences between builders. There're custom home builders, spec home builders, trac home builders and personalized builders. With each type of builder you'll find a difference in cost, styles, choices, and materials. Differences between builders A custom home builder builds a house for an individual client based on their location, ideas, and plans. Time is spent with an architect or professional home designer to create the layout. Clients have the most control over the building process, design, size, number of rooms and materials used in custom home building. This is also the most expensive. Different builders have more overhead and can cost more. Using more expensive materials or building the ideal floor plan can be what a client thinks they want but can be stressful. A spec home builder, builds a house with no particular client in mind. The builders find locations they like, use their choice in floor plan and material they think will appeal to potential homeowners. They are well built. A builder has a large investment in the home until it sells. Before building a spec home, builders consider the types of home selling in the local area and what amenities the homes provide. The biggest issue some buyers have with spec homes is they’re similar to other homes on the market. Spec homes often have items you don’t necessarily want or need, like small sitting areas but lack other features, like a walk-in pantry. Trac homes are homes that have a very similar layout to every other home in a specific development. Builders are building for volume and mass-market appeal when they build trac homes. The selling price is usually reasonable to most home buyers. However, you lose out on quality materials. To save money in the building process, builders usually use stock cabinetry, hardware and appliances. While this doesn’t bother most buyers, those who are looking for higher quality will not find it here. Trac homes, like spec home, use similar or the same layouts, architectural style and landscaping throughout the development. If you are looking for a unique look or a specific style and layout, trac homes won’t be the best choice for you. As a personalized home builder, Stoneshire Builders utilizes mix of spec and custom home building options. Our clients have a choice of location, floor plans and elements from other homes we’ve built or along with new and original ideas. Color choices, materials used and overall design is all within the clients control and budget. We rarely build the same home style and layout twice. The Stoneshire Builders process We work with our clients in person and through a convenient online portal specific to each client. Through this portal clients can choose building materials, stay up to date on the budget and communicate with Stoneshire through internal email. This allows all communication to be in writing and eliminates email being lost and not received by one of the parties. Keeping everyone on the same page thorough out the project and elevating stress which poor communication can bring. This portal allows clients to access their building project any time of day, from any location as long as they have an internet connection. Client’s always have the ability to stay informed. Stoneshire Builders has been building personalized homes to fit individual lifestyles since 2011. Client styles have varied from contemporary, costal, modern, linden and everything in between. Contact us to see how we can help you with your personalized home. Visit our contact page or give us a call at 701-471-6935.
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Open Minds and Collaboration Create the Perfect HomeIt's almost cliché that building a house can mean frustration, sleepless nights and broken relationships by the time your home is move-in ready. If it's not the floor plan, the cost, or settling for less, building a custom house can be overwhelming and disappointing. However, that wasn't the case with Tim and Cindy Davenport. The Davenport's had been looking for the perfect lot in Bismarck for years. If they found a lot they really liked, the price didn't fit their budget. If they found a lot with the right price tag, it wasn't in the right location. They went round and round for years, wondering if they'd ever get to build their house. They looked at existing homes as they'd go on the market. They found they liked a modern style and most homes had a traditional design. It would mean extensive renovation on top of the purchase. They couldn't do it. Tim and Brian, the owner of Stoneshire Builders, had known each other from before Stoneshire Builders became a company. Tim reached out to Brian asking for his advice. They had discussed the issues the Davenports were having finding a lot. Brian started working with developer contacts to find the perfect lot. He brought them a few suggestions and they talked over the pros and cons of each one. Finally, the developer cleared the lot on Promontory Point. It had all they were looking for in a view, neighborhood, and yard. The perfect lot to build on. In starting the building process, Brian brought them floor plans to fit their lot. Together, they went through each one until they found the one they could personalize for themselves. This type of collaboration was ongoing. After choosing the plan Tim and Cindy wanted, they started to talk about the ideas they had to customize the house for their family. They wanted a large kitchen. Brian introduced them to a working pantry which met their entertaining needs. Brian suggested building an upper deck off the family room for them to relax and enjoy the view but also extra space when the family is visiting. The Davenports loved the idea and added the family room deck to the plans. They also wanted a big foyer to greet guests and give them space as they entered the home. Having abundant natural light was very important and Brian brought a variety of window ideas to choose from for the flow of light the Davenport's requested. During the collaboration process, Tim and Cindy brought their ideas. One-by-one they discussed which they could incorporate into the build and which they could modify to work. In the end, they got the exact home they wanted. They were very hands-on in the building process and were always on the same page due to the software Stoneshire uses to communicate. The program has each step of the process, price, materials, and timeline. It also has its own communication platform, so there is never a missed text or email and you know where to look. They always felt in control and an integral part of building their home. Three months before their house was finished, it was starting to come together. When walking in the home you could now see where the rooms would be and how it would look when the building was complete. According to Cindy, "When we first walked in we were very excited. We could hardly wait until we could move in.” You hear about people who build, yet have regrets for not choosing a specific countertop or wishing they had better cabinetry. The Davenports say, " There isn't anything we'd change. We really like it how it is.” Tim recently had a conversation with a co-worker about building a home. Tim referred Stoneshire Builders with no hesitation. According to Tim "Brian is so knowledgeable. He does excellent work. He insists all work is of the highest quality workmanship. With Stoneshire, it's not just a choice of A or B like some builders and it's not production or cookie cutter. You get the house you want." After being in their previous house for 16 years, Tim and Cindy wanted a home where their grown children and grandchildren would be comfortable visiting. They fulfilled that want when their family visited for the 4th of July. Having space and personalized comforts allowed them quality family time. Contact Stoneshire Builders today, to see how you can have your own personalized home. How to build a custom home personalized for you? Start with our process...Do you have a desire to build a house? Have heard horror stories about this and that going wrong? We have too. Which is why at Stoneshire we want the building process to be 100% collaborative and stress-free at the same time? That sounds like a monumental task, but when you go through our process you’ll understand how it works to give you the exact house in your dreams. Our initial consultation goes through the size of the house for the lot footprint. You can choose the architectural style you’re thinking about and we can go through the pros and cons of the designs. Once you choose the style and floor plan, we’ll discuss the interior options. Here is where your dreams can become a reality. Do you have a picture or an idea of how you want a space to function? Do you want your lights to be voice activated? Do you want to control the home from your smartphone? Do you want a large walk-in service pantry off the kitchen for all your meal preparation work? This is the part of the build where you ask and we figure out the best options to make it a reality. With our collaborative software, you’re able to see each an every quote from our vendors. You’ll know exactly where we are in budget and which changes you’ve elected to make in the building process. There are no surprises. No second guessing whether or not a decision has been made. You’ll have all the information at your fingertips any time you want to review them. Stoneshire’s builders have a unique combination of engineering and construction backgrounds. This lends well to those non-traditional ideas homeowners come up with and want to put in their home. By looking at each request from an engineering and then a construction standpoint, the impossible becomes an amazing feature in the home. If you’re considering building, add Stoneshire to the list of builders you’ll be talking to. Whether you want to be hands-on or hands-off during the process, you’ll always have control with your custom built home. Give us a call today at 701-471-6935 or fill out our contact form. Variety of home designs—When thinking about building or buying a home one of the most difficult decisions is agreeing on a style of architecture and layout. Builders showcase multiple architectural styles during the parade of homes. You’ll be able to see builds that are contemporary, modern, traditional, coastal, mid-century and much more. The interior designs can inspire you to put color or texture features together you may not have considered.
Learn about current trends—Builders keep up on new trends in housing materials. They do their best to bring you the quality materials, aesthetics and technology trends. Builders are incorporating Energy efficiency and Smart Home technology in their home designs. Homes wired for wifi capability and convenient entertainment in each room is becoming the new normal in 2018. Smart heating and air conditioning systems are available and controlled by mobile devices and materials with higher insulation ratings. Comparing builders—Being able to save time interviewing separate home builder is a huge benefit to attending the fall parade of homes. Builders are available on location for questions and to help potential clients in their home search. You’ll be able to meet with them on the spot and get a feel for the company and the homes they produce. You’ll get a first hand look at te quality materials and options available to you. You can then decide who you’d like to interview further. Scope out neighborhoods—The Parade of Homes brings you through many different neighborhoods in the Bismarck/Mandan area. You’ll be able to scope out the location and neighborhood before ever buying a new home. By researching locations you can then find the one that fits your travel routes for work, shopping, church and schools in the area. Compare price points—One of the largest benefits of the Parade is learning what’s available and possible for the price point you can afford. You may come to the parade thinking you can or can’t afford a certain area or neighborhood, only to find out you can and you have options. Stoneshire Builders has been a participant in the spring and fall Parade of Homes for the last 6 years. When considering building, explore all your options. Stoneshire Builders is a personalized home builder for your unique lifestyle. Be sure to visit them during the Parade at 2708 Promontory Drive for a give away of Nest “Hello” doorbell. Smart home technology hit the market hard in 2017, 2018 is bringing even better innovation to convenience and home security. We aren’t looking at complete automation a La “The Jetsons”. Some great products became available to builders and homeowners alike for comfort control, lights, and home security. With handy apps and alerts, You can see who’s dropping off a package, control your HVAC, or pre-record a request to wait a minute after ringing the doorbell. It’s a brave new world of connectivity and control. Stoneshire is including many smart home features in their parade home at 2708 Promontory Drive in Bismarck. When visiting the home you’ll be able to see first hand how the Nest Thermostat works on a smartphone. The thermostat lets you control your heat and air conditioning while on vacation, from work or anywhere with an internet connection. The days of worrying about turning down the thermostat or after you’ve left for a trip are long gone.
Check out the security system subscription built into the Nest “Hello” doorbell. This option turns your doorbell into a security guard with the Nest “Aware” membership. You can try it out free for 30 days with a new doorbell. The Nest “Aware” system stores streaming video 24/7 on a cloud server. The system is secure and can only be accessed through your personal account. You can search and scan through the video stream at any time with your app. The Nest “Hello” video doorbell can be used to recognize familiar faces and notify you when someone approaches the front door. It will also alert you if someone unknown is close to the entryway. The doorbell is wired into your homes electrical system and needs a wifi connection. You get the Nest “Aware” subscription for the first 30 days and then have different options to continue service. These smart home tech products will be on display at the Stoneshire build. You could even walk away as the lucky winner of your own Nest “Hello” video doorbell by visiting with us. Best of all, this is the first year Stoneshire will be building a home for sale! That’s right, after playing with all the smart home tech and enjoying the custom creations in the home…the home could be yours! Visit with the Stoneshire builders to learn more during the Parade of Homes September 27-September 30. |
AuthorBrian Eiseman, owner of Stoneshire Builders Archives
November 2018
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