Frequently Asked Questions
How long will it take to build my house? There are many variables that impact time to build. Some of these include designing the home if you don’t already have a plan, the size of the house, lot location and steepness, the time of year the project starts, special-order components and, of course, the weather. We prefer not to give
time-to-build estimates without knowing the specifics relating to your home.
However, it typically takes nine months to a year to take a
2,000 square-foot home from plan to completion.
Will you help with lot selection? Yes. We’re always looking for land for ourselves so we
keep track of available inventory. If you’ve already found some lots that you like, we’d be happy to give you our opinion of each.
It's important to remember that the steepness of your lot, its
accessibility and any underground rock will impact construction
costs.
What is a Structural
Insulated Panel? A SIP consists of oriented strand board
(OSB) structurally laminated to a core of expanded polystyrene
(ESP) insulation. In layman's terms, a SIP is an insulation
sandwich with an engineered plywood product on the outside and
rigid-foam insulation on the inside. A SIP's advantage over conventional
stick-built homes with batt insulation comes from reduced air
leakage and a higher thermal resistance (R-Value). Wall and
roof assemblies built with the Insulspan SIP System (which we
use) experience a 40-60% reduction in heat loss (or gain in the
summer). In any season, you'll save money on energy costs.
Has the slowdown
in housing impacted construction costs? Yes, but not to
the degree some people might expect. Certain components have
come down in price due to lack of demand. These include lumber
and drywall. On the other hand, anything with a petroleum
base has gone up in price. Roof shingles have had five price
increases since January 2008 for a total increase of about
30%. Of course,
delivery costs are up due to the increase in gas and diesel
fuel prices. Even though insurance and commuting costs are up,
most of the trades are generally working on tighter margins in
order to stay busy. Overall, we'd say total cost is about the
same.
Can you guarantee
a price? Not in the current market. With our
subcontractors and suppliers unable to guarantee prices to us
there's no way we can guarantee a price to our clients.
However, we strive to give our clients the most accurate
estimates possible, based on current costs and any projected
cost increases.
Since the
construction of a home is an ongoing joint venture with our
clients, we always work to keep the total cost within their
budgets. One way to do this is to reallocate amounts spent on
certain components throughout the process. For example, if
windows turned out to be more expensive than anticipated, we
might offset this extra cost by reducing the allocation for
flooring and/or landscaping.
What's the
contract process? Our philosophy is that building a home
is a partnership between us and the owner. In order to ensure
that the home meets the needs and the budget of the owner, we
first sign a Construction Feasibility Agreement. During this
phase we evaluate the construction site, come up with a basic
house plan if the owner doesn't already have one, and
determine the quality and number of the major components of
the house, such as kitchen cabinets, appliances, fireplaces,
etc. At this stage we're looking to establish brands and
relative costs rather than select specific items. The fee for
this service is based on the size and complexity of the home.
Once we've determined
that the price range to build a certain home falls within an
owner's comfort range, we then proceed to the Construction
Contract. At this point, we get actual construction drawings
done and make specific component selections and/or establish
allowances. This enables us to get a more accurate cost. We
also decide on the type of contract (cost plus vs. flat fee)
and agree on a payment schedule. Everything included in the
contract is noted; anything excluded is also noted.
After construction is
underway, written Change Orders are used when items are added
or deleted and costs are adjusted.
Why do you use a
Construction Feasibility Agreement? There are two main
reasons. First, most owners are unaware how much their
excavation and foundation expense (due to underground rock and
lot steepness) and their component selections impact the
overall cost of their homes. Since our goal during the
feasibility phase to keep the house on budget, we can work
with an owner to, for example, offset the cost of a chef's
kitchen by using a wood stove as opposed to a stone fireplace
in the great room.
Second, builders
can't get the price of a house out of a catalog. To do all
the takeoffs and get prices from our suppliers and
subcontractors to accurately cost a home can take several
weeks. We want to be reasonably sure that a home meets the
needs and budget of its owner prior to investing all that time
and effort.
Can you provide interior design/decorator services? Yes, we have access to some of the best designers
in the high country.
I live too far away to visit frequently during construction. How can I keep track of progress?
We'll mail or email you photos or post them on our website
based on a schedule we work out together.
I'm a great painter. Can I do some of the work myself? Because of insurance issues, Highland Homes generally does not allow owners to work on projects during construction. If you happen to be a licensed and insured professional who lives in our area, then yes, you can probably work on your home. However, we will not warrant the work of any subcontractor/owner with whom we do not have a prior history. If you want to paint, we can leave painting out of our contract and you can paint after we turn the house over to you.
Do your homes come with a warranty? All of our homes come with a one-year warranty. In addition, the manufacturers of the components often provide longer warranties. For example, the AdvanTech subfloor which we use has a 50-year limited warranty.
How far will you travel? It depends on the specific nature and location of your project. If you want us merely to erect your Riverbend Timber Frame/Insulated Structural Panel shell, then we can
typically travel farther than if you want us to build the entire home.
When erecting a shell, we bring our own crew with us so accommodations and food are a part of the cost.
If we were to build a turnkey home a long distance from Banner
Elk, we'd utilize subcontractors based close to the home site. We are currently working with a client who has land in Texas.
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