Building a custom home (SELECTIONS)

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PHASE FIVE: SELECTIONS

By far the most exciting part of building a custom house is picking all the great stuff to go in it. In today's market, there's an almost limitless list of wonderful options - from practical and functional to wildly luxurious and exotic. It's this phase of the project that applies your singular signature to your dream home. Enjoy it.

Often our clients find the sheer number of options overwhelming. We recommend that you consult an interior designer before you wade in. You can hire your own or we can suggest designers that our clients recommend highly.

ALLOWANCES. Before you fall in love with that crystal chandelier, we suggest that you look through your construction contract. We've included "allowances" - suggested price guidelines - that are typical for homes in your size and price range. These estimates compare favorably to the amount we would spend if we were building your home as a "spec house." We'll adjust the allowance based on specifics of the design. We have carefully selected a trusted group suppliers to aid your selection process. We strongly encourage you to visit them before we execute a residential construction contract to be sure your allowances will be sufficient to meet your expectations. If you exceed a stated allowance, the overage will be assessed, including a 15 percent charge for overhead and profit.

SELECTION DEADLINES. We can't stress enough how critical selection deadlines are to the construction timeline. Some of these deadlines may seem early or arbitrary. Please keep in mind that many items must be priced, custom-made, ordered in advance of manufacture or shipped from distant locations. It can take weeks or even months to receive some items. Selection deadlines are divided into four stages:
• pre-construction: for most exterior masonry, entryway and roofing materials and colors. Plumbing fixtures need to be selected and some flooring options as well. See details. (Due 30 days after executing a residential construction contract)
•framing: decisions on appliances, lighting, architectural stone, hardwood floors, sheetrock, cabinets electronic/security systems and water features. See details. (Due 30 days after the foundation is poured)
• insulation: for slab countertops, all manner of tile, garage doors, and railings - inside and out. See details. (Due at insulation installation and prior to sheetrock being hung.)
• sheetrock: for carpet; shower area metal, glass and mirrors; interior colors; door and cabinet hardware; rain gutters; landscaping. See details. (Due on completion of sheetrock texture and before cabinets are installed)

We know your time is valuable, so we'll provide you with a list of approved vendors and their contact information. The schedule should give you plenty of time to choose carefully. To make the best use of your time and the vendor's, it's wise to make an appointment. That allows the supplier to focus solely on your project. PLEASE NOTE that only the vendors on the list may be used in the construction of your home. We enforce rigorous adherence to certain qualifications and certifications for our subcontractors. We can't always be certain that other providers meet those standards. We think you'll find everything you need, but if our vendors cannot offer the goods or services you need, we will find a source from our growing network of specialty providers. Please work directly with your project manager to find an approved provider.

Some vendors can price your selections on the spot so you can compare their cost to your allowance. With others, pricing may have to be calculated at the manufacturing source. In either case if an allowance is exceeded, we'll need to get your signed approval on an allowance variance before those items can be ordered.

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