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Answer: A “Custom” home by its very description is the reason for the range in cost to construct. Firetti Builders is a professional at taking a client’s vision and building their dreams. These types of estates are usually evolving over months of planning and continue to evolve many times through the construction process as the client incorporates new feature. Our clients come to us for a home that is unique to their lifestyle and rarely is that home defined completely on paper prior to the start of construction. It is not uncommon during construction for one of our clients to find a magazine article or visit a friend’s home and discover something they want incorporated into their home. The result is a change to the project which affects a number of variables and one of them is cost per square foot.

Answer: Firetti Builders is committed to providing a valuable service to all of our clients whether it is a custom construction of a summer home or a year round residence in an established community. The span of any building project is in direct relationship to the scope of work that is being completed. Understanding the construction process will assist you in understanding the factors affecting duration. For this reason, we go to great lengths to enlighten our customers through the entire process of building their home. We will develop a schedule of the building project so that an accurate picture of when our client can move in is answered. Duration of a project is very much dependent on how far along in the planning stage the customer is. The customer’s complete understanding of the building process and ability to make decisions in a timely manner will reduce the time it takes to build the house.

Answer: Here is a typical example of the process of building a home. Depending upon the nature of your particular project, some of these steps may not be include.

• Purchase of land (if not already complete).
• Creation of a “Plat of Survey”
• An official document of the building location is needed by architects and the builder.
• Review of permits and zoning regulations.
• State and local zoning requirements should be initially reviewed to ensure that the project will not be cancelled due to any misuse of the property.
• Project Architecture: Without a Plan - We frequently help our potential clients gather ideas about how their land or existing home can be designed to their taste. Once the client is comfortable with the overall project concepts, an architect can be recommended. We then form a team of the client, the architect and the builder. The architect is responsible for developing a detailed building plan aided by the client and Firetti Builders.
• Project Architecture: With a Plan - If we have an approved architectural plan, we can proceed to quoting a price and schedule for your house after we have met with you. Note that a detailed architect plan might be revised to match the construction codes of the state, county, or city.
• Firetti Builders Proposal: Construction materials and selection of finishes are discussed. If the client can provide a complete selection of all items (electrical fixtures, cabinets, flooring, countertops, trim, plumbing fixtures, etc.) an accurate cost can be provided to the client. Otherwise, the proposal will contain allowances for those selections that are not finalized. See Allowances.
• Selection of Proposal / Contract: Once the proposal has been accepted, a contract will be established between Firetti Builders and the client. The timeframe for construction will have been estimated. A start date for the project is generally two weeks from the date of contract signing (assuming Firetti Builders will not incur any delays in obtaining building permits from the local governance). If the contract signing is delayed, the estimated project completion date might have to be revised.
• Project Schedule(s): When the contract is signed, Firetti Builders provides the client with a Building Schedule, Selection Schedule and Billing Schedule.
• Building schedule: Every project has unique qualities that create variances in scheduling. For a general idea of the time it takes to build a new home (after contract signing) of approximately 3,500 square feet starting in July (the time of the year also affects the length of time to build), we would quote 7 months to move-in date.
• Selection schedule: The client is given a schedule of the dates in which their selections (plumbing, lights, cabinets, floors, brick/stone, etc.) needs to be finalized. If the client delays their selections past these dates, the overall project time might be delayed.
• Billing schedule: The billing schedule defines when the client will be required to make progress payments towards the building project.

Answer: Firetti Builders believes the client should have every opportunity to review financing options. Many our clients have existing mortgage relationships over the years but from time to time would like to review available options. Currently we partner with a local bank to secure financing for projects at a very competitive rate, and we would be glad to help.

Answer: A Custom Home Builder usually provides project allowances for some of the selection items that result in very personal taste. A few of the most common are for items such as light fixtures, countertops, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, tile work and floor finishes. Builders typically set an allowance based on experience of their past clients. These allowances provided by the builder are typically based upon averages and should be sufficient to meet the requirements of most clients. When building a custom home, upgrades are actually the norm, hence the word “custom”. Firetti Builders will define allowance amounts and define the options for “upgrades” as well. We will provide you a list of options and guide you on the timeline available to make decisions. Once chosen, we will include this information as part of our standard contract. We must advise that second most common reason next to change requests for cost over runs beyond a client’s original budget are typically the result of “upgrades”. Please remember personal taste can vary greatly and result in higher priced selections.

Answer: Absolutely, at your request we will provide you with a list of homeowner references. In fact, we encourage prospective clients to contact several of our homeowners for feedback on their personal experiences with us. We pride ourselves on our quality craftsmanship, our attention to detail and building personal relationships during the construction process, which we maintain through warranty and beyond. But don’t take our word for it, just ask for yourself!