Choosing The Right Builder For You

Want to build a new home in Cheyenne? There are a number of important elements to consider before the build process begins. For example: Where do you want to live?  What style of home do you want? Can you build that new home on your budget?

But perhaps the most important consideration of all is which builder you should use and what you expect the builder to do for you.

Building a new home in Cheyenne is an experience in itself, and different types of builders offer a variety of different experiences.  Let’s examine the different types of builders you will encounter here in Cheyenne.

Custom Home Builders

A common misconception is that custom homes are only available to those with mansions in mind. This isn’t true! Custom home builders can build anything from the smallest single-family residence to the largest and most expansive estates.

Custom home builders design houses to your exact specifications, allowing you to customize and have input in almost all stages of the build. You’re fully immersed and involved in every aspect of the process, from choosing the pitch of the roof to specifying the height of the foundation, and every decision in between.

The floor plan of your home can be derived in a number of ways:

• Choose a builder-provided plan and change nothing but the finishes
• Choose a builder-provided plan and change features of the house to make it your own; it’s easy to change a floor plan to suit
• Design a completely custom floor plan. Have a plan drawn on a napkin from college? Take it to your builder, and they can build it!

Typically, custom home builders will build where there is an open lot. This is ideal for someone who already owns their own residential lot (or acreage).  It is not required that you currently own your own lot, though, as many builders can direct you to available lots that suit your wants and floor plan needs.  Some custom builders will even secure a lot for you as part of the build process and add it to the price of the home.

Custom home builders offer the highest quality and the nicest finishes, but with quality comes price.

Spec Home Builders

Spec home builders build certain plans that they “speculate” they can sell. Their homes are built to specifications they believe are desirable enough to attract attention while still being price conscious.

As a result, you’ll have very little choice or involvement in the build process — unless you pre-buy while the house is being built. In that case, most builders will let you choose the superficial items, such as paint colors, appliances and flooring.

Usually, spec homes are built on lots owned directly by the builder. Oftentimes, the builder will try to pre-sell a spec home to avoid it sitting and accumulating holding costs.

Depending on the builder and the neighborhood where it is being built, spec homes can be very high quality and have attractive, high-end finishes.

Production Builders

Production builders are developers (or builders who develop) who have access to a large section of subdivided land on which they intend to build a large quantity of identical stock homes. These builders are “high-volume” builders who value quantity over quality. They have only a small number of plans they build, and they build them very quickly. When you buy a home from a production builder, you are buying a home that very likely has been replicated many, many times in your area.

If you choose this option, you’ll meet with the builder and choose a floor plan. The builder will tell you the finishes included with that particular floor plan, and that’s the end of your involvement in the build process.  

Because they are built so quickly, production homes are not built to the same quality standards upheld by other types of builders. As such, production homes are usually much lower in price than custom or spec homes. With a lower price tag, however, comes lower investment opportunity. The resale value for a lived-in production home is significantly lower than homes built by a custom or spec home builder.

All builders fall into one of these three categories, and some may even fall into more than one. For example, there are custom home builders out there who build spec homes as “inventory” for customers looking to buy a brand-new, well-built home but who may not be able to wait the length a typical build cycle.

Ultimately, the only person who can determine the right builder for you, is YOU. When you decide to build your new home, get familiar with the builders in your area and sit down and talk with them.  Ask them what they offer, compare their answers to what you value in your home and involvement in the building process, and then decide if the builder is right for you.