Featured Homeowner Interview with Adair Homes

Thank you to Adair Homes for featuring us on their blog. We were intereviewed a few weeks ago by Adair Homes; discussing tips on building with Adair Homes. Some of our answers were edited and combined with another interview, so here are the original answers to our interview.

1) How did you choose the location for your home?

We knew we wanted to be in a certain area of town and we happened to find a lot that had a condemned home on it. We had been looking at different options for our growing family, but in the area we were looking there were not a lot of affordable options with a floor plan that suited our needs. We ended up finding the location, purchased the lot, and then went through the process of finding a builder.

2) What parts (if any) of the site development process did you DIY? What parts did you hire out to contractors? Are there any tips you’d give other homeowners as far as what they can DIY, or what you recommend they hire out?

We hired it all out. We don’t have experience in land development and this felt like an important step, as this is the starting point. Obviously, it depends on what your experience is and how much time you have. If you don’t have the time to get it done, it will make meeting deadlines difficult. The easiest step to DIY is the clean-up (We did the site clean-up and it ended up being five loads to the dump. Not a huge commitment but it does take time and you would need access to a trailer. The other option is to get a dumpster but the cost of that can add up quickly), next I’d say is the painting, and the site prep probably last.

3) What was the biggest challenge of the process/build? Is there anything you would do differently in hindsight?

A big challenge at the beginning is making decisions based off a drawing. You don’t know how it’s going to look and if you’re a feeler it’s going to be difficult to feel what the space is going to be like.

One thing I would do differently is not do as many upgrades and save them for later. I think we could have saved a lot by doing less, such as the tile work. I think it all came out really well; it was just a lot more to do during the construction.

4)  Did you look at other homebuilders? How/why did you choose to build with Adair?

We looked at several homebuilders and discussed options with them. The other production type builders did not have plans that we liked. The custom builders were priced significantly more per square foot and there were additional costs that would have been included; such as the cost for an architect or drafter to draw the plans.

5) When did you start your build and when did you move in? Looking back, is there anything that could have sped up the process?

We started in July and finished in January. All things considered, it seemed relatively fast, but there was definitely time that could have been used more efficiently. There were a couple of weeks between when the foundation was poured and the framers started; eliminating dead time where no one is working could help the process go a little quicker.

6) What did you enjoy most about going through the custom building process? What part was the most fun?

Picking out finishes is fun, but also stressful. It’s fun to go through all the options and be able to make things exactly how you want. The really enjoyable part is seeing it all come together at the end. After picking things without seeing it in the actual space and having everything go in and look better than you could have imagined. It was a lot of stress wondering what it was going to look like and how everything was going to match, but we really liked everything we picked out.

7) Are there any other tips or advice you’d give to others who may be looking into building a custom home?

There are some advantages of working with a custom builder, like having more attention and better customer service, but going through a production builder such as Adair Homes has advantages too.

I think the two biggest advantages are the time it takes to build and the cost. If you’re looking at working with a custom builder make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. Ask them what they include in the building process. Some custom builders include landscaping in their costs, so although their price per square foot might be more, it might include different things.

8) What are you most excited about for your new home? (E.g. holidays, hosting parties, bigger space, etc)

A bigger backyard compared to our previous home and more space inside.

9) If someone was hesitant to build a custom home with Adair, what would you tell them, based on your own experience?

I would be very hesitant to build a custom home with Adair. I would consider Adair Homes a production builder. They do very well with homes that are standard, but the more custom the home, the more that can go wrong and they don’t have systems in place to get things corrected.

I’ve heard from Adair employees, as well as others who have tried to do custom homes with Adair that this is something they still need to improve on. If you’re looking for a builder that is going to have great customer service than you might want to look into a smaller local builder who can meet your specific needs and give more individual attention. If you want a standard home, built for a reasonable price and in a timely manner than Adair Homes is going to be a good option.

Ask around and talk to other people who have built homes. See what your friends have to say. Check out blogs like www.onceuponourhome.com to get a customer perspective on the building process.

10) Is this your first custom home or have you built custom before?

Our previous home was in the process of being built when we purchased it so we were able to pick out some of the finishes, but this is the first time we started from scratch.

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