How we design and build your custom home, step by step

Step 1: A 30-minute call

We start with a short, no-pressure conversation with Phil. We'll talk about your land, your ideas, your timeline, and your rough budget. It's as much about you deciding whether you like us as it is about us understanding your project.

Book a 30-minute call

Step 2: Meet us at the office

If it looks like a good fit, we'll meet in person at our office on Earl Drive. You'll meet the team, see how our systems work, and look at plans and finishes from past homes. Afterward, we'll send you a questionnaire that helps you think through how you want to live in the house, from how you cook to where the dog sleeps. It becomes the starting point for your design.

Step 3: Design and estimation

Timeline: about 2 to 3 months. Cost: typically $30k to $40k, depending on the size and complexity of the home.

This is where your home takes shape. Phil designs the house around your lot and your questionnaire, and you'll refine it together over several meetings. Engineers handle the structural, HVAC, and septic design where needed. Josiah works with you on selections, bringing a short list of options for each finish so you're not buried in catalogs. Meanwhile, we collect real bids from our subcontractors.

At the end, you have finished plans, a permit-ready package, your selections, and a fixed price. The plans are yours, whether or not you build with us.

Download our Design and Estimation guide

Step 4: You decide

With a complete design and a real number in front of you, you have three options. Sign the build contract and we'll schedule your start. Adjust the design to bring the price where you want it, and we'll help you find savings without giving up what matters most. Or walk away with your plans. No pressure either way.

Step 5: The build

Timeline: typically 8 to 12 months, depending on the home.

We start with an on-site meeting with the surveyor to set the exact placement and orientation of your home for the best views and light. From there, Ezra or Aiden runs your job site day to day, and Caroline or Sarah keep you updated weekly on progress and next steps. We’ll walk the house with you about once a month and at key milestones, including after framing and before drywall, scheduled through your project coordinator.

One client described it this way: "The team accommodated our questions and walk throughs along the way to allow us to be a part of the process and make sure we were satisfied with every milestone." The Walls

Step 6: Move-in

We'll be honest about this part: the last month or two is the busiest stretch of any build. That's when everything gets installed and small issues show up. Before closing, we do your home orientation tour, make a punch list together, and work through it quickly. This is the time to point out any cosmetic items like scratches or chips, since those touch-ups are handled from that list. Then you get the keys to your new home.

Step 7: Warranty

Your home is covered by our two-year limited warranty, starting from the date of your certificate of occupancy. Coverage is tiered, and the details are in the warranty FAQ below. We check in with you at 30 days, 11 months, and 23 months, each timed just before a coverage window closes. And after two years, we’re still a phone call away.

Every builder says "fixed price." Here's exactly what we mean by it, including the parts most builders leave out.

What's fixed

Everything in your build contract: the house as designed, built to our standards, with the selections you made during design. We don’t pad every line item with a buffer to protect ourselves. That keeps your price lower, and it means that when something costs more than we estimated, it usually comes out of our margin, not your pocket. The few situations that can change your price are spelled out below and in your contract, so you’ll know them before you sign.

Allowances

A few categories can't be priced exactly before construction starts, so they're set as allowances. These are budgeted amounts based on our experience. The most common is excavation and foundation, because nobody knows exactly what's in the ground until we dig, and Colorado has plenty of rock and expansive soil. Any selections you haven't finalized before signing the build contract are also set as allowances. If the actual cost comes in under the allowance, you get the difference back as a credit before final payment. If it comes in over, we’ll tell you as soon as we know and write it up on a change order, which is paid before that work goes ahead.

The more selections you finalize during design, the fewer allowances you'll have, and the more certain your price will be. That's one reason Josiah works so hard to help you decide early.

Changes you make

Changing your mind during a build happens, and we’ll work with you. Here’s how changes work, so everything stays clear and documented:

1. Email your request to your project coordinator. Changes asked for on site, by text, or over the phone aren’t official until they’re in writing.
2. We’ll tell you whether the change is doable and what the change order request fee will be. 
3. Once you approve the fee, we price the change with our trades and vendors and send you a formal change order showing the full cost and any effect on the schedule.
4. Nothing is ordered or built until you sign it. Change orders are paid at signing, since construction loans don’t cover them.

Most changes take 2 to 3 weeks to price and schedule. Long-lead items are ordered right after the build contract is signed, and everything else is ordered as construction moves along, so the later a change comes, the more likely it means restocking fees or materials already on site. Credits for removed items are rarely dollar for dollar. That’s why we work so hard to settle every detail during design. The earlier you decide, the less a change costs.

How payments work

You’ll pay a deposit when you sign the build contract. After that, we submit a draw around the first of each month for the work completed the month before, and it’s due within five days. Most clients pay draws through their construction loan, so we’ll coordinate with your lender. Change orders are paid directly when you sign them, since construction loans don’t cover them.

Final payment is due before you take possession of the home. We hold back enough to cover any open punch list items and bill those as each one is finished, so you’re never paying for work that isn’t done.

What's included (and what isn't)

When we take on a home, we take on the whole project, so you don't have to manage the pieces yourself. That includes setting up utilities, drilling the well, installing the septic system, and preparing the land for construction. During design, we even plan around the size and shape of your furniture so every room works the way you'll actually live in it.

Your build contract spells out everything that's included, down to the doorstops. There's no fine print to decode, and nothing gets discovered halfway through the build.

The one thing we don't typically provide is furniture, unless it's built into the home. Our goal is simple: when we hand you the keys, the house is finished and nothing is left undone.