Q: What is a CUSTOM BUILDER verses a MERCHANT BUILDER?
A: CUSTOM is the most abused term in the industry. CUSTOM BUILDERS serve 10-15% of the Marketplace. They ask: "How Can I Find the Very Best Product at a Competitive Price?" Custom Builders work with their clients, striving for specific goals: Style, Craftsmanship, Quality, and Location. Cost is an important though secondary consideration. A Custom Builder value engineers the home for you to ensure that the areas that are important to you are where your money is spent.
MERCHANT BUILDERS search out areas of need or niches in the housing marketplace and design housing to fill that need. They serve 85-90% of the Marketplace. They ask: "How Can I Find the Very Lowest Price for an Adequate Product?" When it comes to value engineering, the Merchant Builder's process is similar to the Custom Builder, however they use the marketplace to determine price and target market then they tailor the size and specifications to that market. Cost is the primary decision factor when selecting materials and craftsman.
The question that begs asking is...Who decides what quality is adequate? What considerations are they using to make this decision?
Q: What makes JR Walker & Company different as a builder?
A: We take the risk out of design and custom building. Your custom home will be finished on time and on budget because of our A-Team that will make your project its top priority. We are small by design to assure you of this.
Q: Does JR Walker & Company design/build true custom homes?
A: Yes. Though some of our floor plans might seem similar - each home was built and designed by a team of the finest experts in their field according to the uniqueness of each of our individual clients.
Q: How does the selection process work?
A: You can be just as involved as you want to be - we encourage constant communication! You can select everything, from door hinges to the fireplace stone, from switch plates to the grade of cedar shake or color and type of roofing. We offer homebuyers the world of choices as to design/cost alternatives as well as ranges of grades and materials. Or, you can choose to save yourself time and rely with complete confidence on our established, high-quality product standards.
Q: How does JR Walker & Company make sure that this detailed, important, and sometimes overwhelming process is easier for you?
A: Not only do we track each home in progress, but we give you your own password-protected web site. The site will provide you access to the documents that we use to construct your home, photos of your home as it is being built, schedules with selection and phase deadlines, meetings, and reminders of what essential selections need to be made. It also links to our growing design center. Here, door hardware, window styles, floor finishes, and tens of thousands of other items are at your fingertips, so that you can make many of these choices. All of them, on-line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from wherever you are in the world. This website is free to our clients!
Q: If we both have full-time careers, how do we have time to build a custom home?
A:We all have busy, hectic lives these days! You can not build with a company that requires you to personally take control of your project. We wrap our arms around your homebuilding experience, offering as much help as you wish. In fact, JR Walker & Company has designed and built custom homes for people who were away in other parts of the world during the entire process!
Q: What is JR Walker & Company's "Willingness to Recommend" record?
A: We have a 100% Willingness to recommend record. This bears repeating. As measured by Guild Quality the industry standard for new home customer service quality 100% of our customers are willing to refer a friend or associate to our company. We have consistently achieved this most important of recommendation standards during the 4 years Guild Quality has performed this service for our company. The industry standard for this measurement is 86%. Wouldn't you like to have this confidence for your new home project?
Q: How much does the weather affect the building process?
A: We build 12 months a year. With today's technology, building can begin at any time of the year. Even during January and February, there are several windows of opportunity when foundations can be poured without any difficulty. Concrete walkways and driveways and masonry work cannot be done during extreme cold, but these can easily be deferred without any effect on the overall schedule.
Q: How much supervision will my home have during construction?
A:Your main point of contact is an experienced construction superintendent, who will visit the site each day. One or more of our master carpenters will be at your specific home site during most of the construction period.
Q: Does it cost more when requesting specific architectural detailing?
A:It is logical that the more complex and difficult the detailing and finishing, the more costly a project will be. There are also some styles that take more time to build than others. However, our firm has developed cost-effective techniques to save both labor and material while still creating faithful architectural detailing.
Q: Will we spend more by the time our home is completed?
A: Any increases in your home cost are a direct result of change orders or upgraded selections requested by the homeowner. We make it our business to see that few change orders are necessary, owing to the exacting detail that goes into the initial planning stage. Anytime you request something that affects the final cost this information is provided to you in the form of an authorization form as well as summarized on our project management system so you can make informed decisions.
Q: How long does it take to put the financing together?
A: We have compiled a list of lending institutions that share our values in terms of offering excellent customer service along with the best products for the client's specific situation. These include vacant land loans, construction loans, bridge loans, and end-loan mortgages with fixed to variable interest rates.
Q: Will you build our plan on our site using our architect?
A: Absolutely! In working with your architect, we often offer suggestions for plan adjustments, including positioning of the house, grading and drainage of the property, etc. as part of your proposal. This helps better manage construction time and the overall cost of your project.
Q: What if we already have a site to build on?
A: Great! In order to provide you with the information needed to feel confident about moving forward, our engineers will coordinate any relevant due diligence issues pertaining to the site. Examples include soil testing, environmental testing, topographical surveys, zoning regulations, and architectural review board guidelines, to name a few.
Q: What kind of warranty should we expect on our custom home?
A: This can vary widely from builder to builder. JR Walker & Company provides a one-year warranty. We also have a comprehensive thirty-day service program. Our Home Owners Manual given to each home buyer contains not only our warranty, but a detailed description of our service program, and a copy of final specifications, together with all appliance warranties. We also conduct a thorough review of the home before the one-year warranty concludes in order to identify any items that need attention. We have also done free, 5 and 10-year inspections. We have a home maintenance department that many clients hire, long after the first year, so they know the same quality professionals that built their home will maintain it.