Custom home building: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering custom home building

You design and build one-of-a-kind homes, working from the owner's program, the site and a design team to a finished house. Clients who hire you want a clear design process, honest pricing against the drawings and selections managed with no surprises.

What customers ask

  • How much of the design will be done before you give me a price?
  • Which materials in this design will raise the cost the most?
  • Who prepares the drawings, and who handles permits?
  • How do you manage the finish selections and the lead times on custom items?
  • Can I visit a finished custom home you built?
  • How will changes be priced once construction starts?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask for the site, the budget range, the program of rooms and the style references, then say how the design phases and pricing will work
  • Walk the site and note the slope, access, soil and utility routes, then share those notes in the proposal
  • Price the design from the drawings and mark the cost drivers, such as roof complexity, specialty materials and custom millwork
  • Show an allowance schedule and the selection process so the owner knows when each decision is due
  • Write every change order and every selection change into the contract with its price and schedule effect
  • Bring photos and a walk-through of a finished custom home in a similar style to the first meeting

What to put on your profile

  • Post photos of finished custom homes with the site, style and key materials noted
  • List the design services you coordinate, such as architects, engineers and interior designers you work with
  • Show examples of custom millwork, stone, timber or specialty roofing that you have built
  • Describe your design phases and the number of revisions you include in the contract

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Offer a post-occupancy walk-through and a written list of the systems, the warranties and the maintenance dates
  • Suggest a yearly maintenance review for the envelope, the roof and the mechanical systems
  • Offer to keep the final drawings, specifications and selection records on file for future work

Licenses and permits

Custom home builders are commonly required to hold a general contractor license, and the drawings must come from a licensed designer or architect where the rules require it. Check with your state and local licensing agencies and your local building department for your license class, insurance and the stamping rules for drawings in your area.

Questions

How do I keep a custom price from growing during design?

Price the design at each milestone against the approved program and write the price of each change before the owner approves it. Keep a running log of selections and their effect on the budget.

How do I handle a long lead time on a specialty material?

Order early, confirm the delivery date in writing, and build the lead time into the schedule. Tell the owner what is at risk if the material arrives late.

How do requests reach me on infinibell?

Customers describe the job and pick the pros they want by name, and only the pros they picked see the request. Joining is free. You pay only for the leads you accept, and you can decline a request for free. Every pro is reviewed before going live.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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