I have to thank HGTV!

Whether you start your process by interviewing an architect, a draftsperson, or a builder, it's a good idea to interview three potential prospects.  We loved the HGTV shows, "Designer's Challenge" and "Landscaper's Challenge."  When these shows were first on, we didn't even own our retirement property, but quickly realized what a good idea it was having three plans and quotes to choose from.

We started our project with a draftsperson since we started with a stand-alone garage. (More on draftspersons and architects in a later blog). We designed it and re-designed it.  And re-designed it again.  In retrospect, we would have saved ourselves some money by buying plans for this project.  It's not an unusually shaped building, there were things we wanted that may not be totally normal in a garage, like a storage space upstairs that was nice enough to be used for overflow overnight guests, if needed.  But still, we probably didn't have to design it from scratch.  Also at the time we didn't realize our builder was so experienced and qualified, we could have purchased plans and changed them just by discussing  it with him.  Oh well, live and learn.

two works in progress


But back to the theory of three....  We decided to start with the builder/contractor.  You can find builders from ads in the local papers, from your realtor, or from looking at open houses in the area and finding out who built the ones you like.  And, of course, the yellow pages.  In the book, "Designing Your Dream Home" by Susan Lang, she suggests sending out a letter to the three, explaining you are considering them for your project, telling them some basic information such as your timetable, approximate size of the home, the address, and add in a questionnaire, which includes questions such as, how many homes have you built, what is the largest, what is your home construction background and experience, how many homes are you currently building, how many are you currently bidding on, can you provide a copy of your certificate of insurance, and your license to build in this state.  (For more, buy or borrow a copy of her book - it's extremely helpful!) 

We called three companies, set up appointments, and then asked all our questions in person, rather than doing this separate step of mailing questions.  We wanted to meet each builder we were considering right from the start, since both John and I like to get a sense of the person from talking with them.  Either way is fine, you have to go with what you are comfortable with.  Our process was helpful for both us and the builders since we met them right at the site. We were able to assess their reaction to the property, and they could see for themselves exactly where our project was.  Then we went over our list of questions with each....and a long list it was.

More on these next time.