Work Bench
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Jul 16
Know what you’re buying
July 16, 2012When deciding upon the budget for any given home we build, several factors come into play. First, we must decide on a floor plan and elevation. This goes hand in hand with the price range in which we’re building. We must survey the market to see where the need exists. We certainly don’t want to saturate the market with too much of the same product, so it’s common to see various price ranges within a neighborhood.
Secondly, once we’ve established the style and price of a home, we are then able to formulate a budget. Within that budget we must decide how and where we want to spend our money. Not every price range home can have all the amenities we’d love to install in every home. We must be smart about where to allocate these resources so the formula will make sense. If we put too much into cabinets, we can’t put as much into landscaping, or if we understate the trim package, the home will not have the same level of detail as others in it’s price range. You get the idea.
Finally, we must ensure that, no matter what the price range or level of amenities, our home lives up to the standard of quality we have established. Our lowest priced home should match, in quality and workmanship, our highest priced home. Not every builder does this. Our homes are outfitted with the same framing package by the same framers, and all the way down the line. We don’t have a “bargain” subcontractor or level of “hard materials”. Within our price ranges there may be more or less square footage, more or less trim, hardwoods, cabinetry features and quantities, but there will never be a different level of quality that goes into a home we build.
This is why buyers and their agents should do as much homework on any given home before they make their offer to purchase. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a home sell before another (not just mine) that, on the surface, appears to have more square footage, but a lower level of quality. For instance, we use hidden vent soffiting vs. the standard perforated (the kind with visible holes for venting), we use pvc (hard pipe) in our concrete to pipe the storm water away from the house vs. soft plastic corrugated that will crush easily, we use painted composite garage door trim vs. metal that will buckle and need replacement upon one minor bump. These are only the items you can see on the outside of the home. I want to know what corners these builders cut where we cant see!
Now, having said that, we’ve built homes over the years with some of these items I’ve noted incorporated into them. But like most business practices, when we’ve learned a newer, better way of building, we’ve made the appropriate adjustments. What I don’t see, often enough, is a consumer really comparing apples to apples before making their decision. I completely understand and agree with the premise that buyers have different needs in a floor plan, a certain lot, or a specific dynamic in a home. I have seen and heard too many stories about someone buying a home that didn’t seem to have all that they (or anyone) had hoped – solid quality construction by a builder who will stand behind their product.
At Darren Burke Construction, you can rest assured that we are using top quality materials, methods and means to construct your home. We’re also providing the most outstanding service one can possibly expect to build your home. We have a proven track record of satisfied clients who are more than willing to attest to their ongoing experience with their home built by Darren Burke Construction.
