Congratulations on your decision to become a new timber frame homeowner! Now that you’ve chosen a beautiful piece of land for your home and designed your dream layout, it’s time to select your building team. Once your team is in place, all you’ll have to do is select a date and let the building begin! Our team will be with you every step of the way to answer your questions and make the building experience both easy and memorable. While there are many large and small details involved in bringing your dream home to life, we are with you until the end. For Woodhouse, no detail is too small when it comes to bringing your dream home to life. We’ll make sure the home we build is better than what you’ve envisioned.
Builder Search
Our Woodhouse Builder Partner Network is a roster of contractors who have been vetted and trained in the Woodhouse product; with these tradesmen on your building team, you can rest assured that every detail of your home will not only meet your expectations, but also match Woodhouse standards. Begin by having this conversation with your Woodhouse Regional Project Manager who will be instrumental in this part of the process as a great resource. Learn more about our Builder Partner Network here. When you’re ready to choose a builder, browse through our network to find a Woodhouse trusted Builder Partner in your area or work with your local RPM to find one of many certified builders that are not listed on our website.
How to Hire a Builder
If you’re not located near a service area for one of our Builder Partners to take on your project, don’t worry – we’ll help you find a contractor if your home is located in an area where we haven’t built before.
When it comes to building your home, working with the right contractors is essential; that’s why we will assist you every step of the way, even with the screening process. For example, if your home is being built on a development, there may be a preferred builder you’ll be required to use. We will make sure that you find a contractor that understands your vision and desires to make your home one that you’ll enjoy for years to come. We hold all contractors we work with to a very high standard. Here are some of the things we consider during the screening process.
- Website professionality: must contain high quality photos of recent, relevant projects
- Photo gallery: must showcase their timber frame construction experience (or relevant building experience)
- Their rating with the Better Business Bureau
- Referrals listed on their web page
Another way the Woodhouse team will assist you during this phase is by conducting phone interviews with potential contractors. We prefer working with contractors who have their own crew rather than those who work with a line of subcontractors. We will also look for contractors who ask insightful questions that clearly demonstrates a passion for your particular building project and a willingness to learn and adapt when given instruction from the Woodhouse team. If we have previously used an outstanding contractor, we will rehire them for other projects within that same geographic area.
Financing your Home
At this point, it is important to ensure that the financing on your new home is secure. We recommend partnering with smaller banks, such as credit unions, as they tend to be more flexible in offering the right financing options for building your timber frame home, as opposed to larger banks.
TIP: We can help with one of our finance partners. Contact your local RPM to learn the right time and what information is required to finance your project.
Set the Date
Now that the builders are in place, the time has come to begin the building process and to set the finish date. Setting your home completion date is exciting! In many cases, timber homes are being built for retirement that is 2, 3, or 5 years down the road. No matter when you plan to move in to your home, we will work backwards to determine the right start date for your project.
According to Woodhouse Regional Project Manager Don Downs, the hardest part about scheduling is keeping in mind that external factors will mostly likely cause the final date to change. “You can have it all planned out, but it is inevitable that you will run into delays with financing or selling your current home. The builder is going to run into delays with weather, construction, or something else. It hardly ever goes according to the original schedule. That is a very hard thing to deal with.” Once a final date has been set, we’ll do everything in our power to make sure your dream home is completed on time. We may be excellent builders, but we haven’t quite figured out how to control the weather…yet.
Our Woodhouse technical representatives will be a crucial asset during the construction stage. They will join the crew on site during the first week of construction to make sure everything runs smoothly. Our technical representatives are highly skilled at what they do and will instruct the builders assigned to your project on each step towards building your dream home. Just think of them like wedding planners who are there to make sure every detail is perfect.
‘Tis the Season
Traditionally, this was the advice given to homebuilders on when to start their building project: “If you can’t get the roof on before the first snowfall, wait until spring.” However, modern technologies and products allow for builders to start in any season. Construction in the winter months is not only possible, but can also offer advantages for both the home owner and the builder-dealers. Imagine breaking ground in October and having your home be completed in time for you to enjoy the whole summer the following year! Learn more about the pros and cons of each building season here.
Let’s Get This Party Started
The Woodhouse team is delighted to experience the excitement right along with you. Nothing brings us more joy than to see long-time dreamers take the first look at their new home. Especially when we see our homeowner’s years later-and they’re still glowing.
Talk with your Regional Project Managers if you’re ready to say goodbye to dreaming, and hello to your dream team. Whether your project is in an area serviced by one of our Woodhouse Builder Partners, or our Regional Project Manager helps you select a contractor, you’re in good hands. Find a Woodhouse Builder Partner near you today or call your local RPM to help find one of many certified builders.