Build your custom home with Master Craftsmen

Master craftsmen

Your thinking about building a custom home, your interviewing general contractors, here’s a simple question that you should be asking them.  Do you employ master craftsmen or master carpenters?

If you are having a custom home built you will want a master carpenter working on it. Master carpenters excel at all things within the building of homes especially working with wood and the interior finishes that go along with them.

If you want a house to look like an extremely rich and well put together place, then your general contractor better have master carpenters on your job site. Without them there is no way anyone can guarantee that the work will be of an extremely high quality and finished in an efficient and timely manner.

Master carpenters are hard to find into today’s construction industry, not all general contractors are able to find a master carpenter and they usually have a harder time keeping them. As a general contractor you have to pay them enough to keep them around and you also have to generate enough work to constantly keep them busy year after year. If your general contractor isn't able to do these things then his master carpenter will go to the competition.

The only way to become a master carpentry is to be in the construction industry for decades working on high end work in all manner of homes and buildings. As the population gets older there is a glaring number of high end carpenters that are retiring from the industry or stepping back into a more handyman role where it is easier on their aging bodies, allowing them lighter workloads and more flexible hours.

There is a generation gap in the construction industry, for year’s parents and guidance councillors have been steering boys and girls away from working in the trades, they were told if you’re smart enough you should be going to College or University. They were told this was the only way to be guaranteed a good paying long term job. What has happened is that a whole generation of people have realized that going to College or University doesn’t guarantee you a well paying job anymore. One of the few places left to secure that job is in the trades.

Because of that way of thinking a whole generation of young people did not seek employment in the trades and have left a gaping hole, this makes it even harder to find master carpenters and also carpenters in general. There is a younger generation coming up through the system training to be carpenters but they are decades away from being ready to take on the role of a master carpenter.

If you are interviewing a general contractor and he doesn’t employ his own carpenters but subs out the finishing’s I would consider that a red flag. You want your general contractor to be able to control the fit and finish of the home and the only way to do that is to have at least one master carpenter employed and onsite all the time as your custom home is being constructed.

The more questions you ask of your potential general contractors the more information you will have when you go to choose one. You can never know enough about your general contractor.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Finding the Right general contractor should be more then how much they cost

Finding the Right Builder

There is a ton of information about how to find a builder for your new home. This newsletter, in fact, is one way we use to impart information about our company in hopes of being a good match for your project.

Unfortunately, most of what you read or hear from non-builder "experts" reduces the decision to numbers, specifically the cost estimates that a few builders provide in a competitive bidding process. To us, basing such an important decision and arguably one of the largest investments of your life on mere numbers is at least incomplete and at worst, a potential nightmare scenario. Frankly, we'd rather not be your builder if your evaluation of our capabilities rests entirely on how much we think it will cost to build your new home.

Instead, we encourage and have found success (read: satisfied clients) by suggesting a different tact. It's a comprehensive approach that admittedly takes a little more time than just collecting bids, but one that can result in truly finding the right builder for your unique situation and budget.

It starts with identifying what's "right" for you, a unique definition that requires a solid vision for your project and some personal introspection. For instance, if you are planning to build a large custom home, you should look at builders in your area that specialize in and have a track record of building those types of homes.

Narrow that list by investigating each builder's website, calling their references, the Better Business Bureau, or your local building association chapter.

Based on your current personal and professional relationships, consider the types of personalities you like and respond to best. You'll probably spend more time with your builder over the next several months than almost anyone else.

You won't know if you're 'compatible' until you meet face-to-face. If you're confident in one builder, either from your research or a strong referral, you may not feel the need to meet with any other candidates. But if you are truly starting your search from scratch, without a referral from a trusted source, we suggest you develop a short list of 3-4 builders and invite them to make a presentation in your home or their office -- as much to glean their methods as to gauge compatibility.

At those meetings, be open and honest about your project. If you have a set of architectural plans, show them. Request that each candidate bring photos of projects that are similar to yours in style and size. Inquire about how they define "quality" construction and how comfortable they are about green building ... if that's something you care about.

Finally, ask the builder (or builders) about their financial stability and, in turn, share your project budget and financial plan. There's no sense in trying to forge a good working relationship if you demand a builder's financial status but won't be forthcoming about what you can afford and how you'll pay for your new home.

Once you find a builder that's earned your confidence in their skills, financial stability, understanding of your project, and (most important) their ability to communicate with you, it's time to refine and sign a contract and get your builder involved in the project as soon as possible. Having a builder on the team early helps ensure that everyone is moving in the same direction and toward the same goal of realizing the home you envision.

Warm Regards,

Doug Abbott
Village Builders

 This is an exert from a newsletter that is distributed to all former, current and future clients of Village Builders Inc. It is written by the President Doug Abbott. If you would like to receive this newsletter feel free to email me at www.robabbott@villagebuilders.ca

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.