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Building Process (What to Expect)
Exceeding Your Expectations with Each Phase! From finding the perfect home site to designing your dream home, the Hess Homes building experience is designed to fit your lifestyle. We offer a range of features to choose from, but the real reason our homes are special are because we give you the tools and flexibility to create a home that is an expression of who you are as an individual.
Our step-by-step building process helps ensure that our client’s experience is both exciting and pleasurable. Here is what you can expect from Hess Homes.!
Phase 1 - Initial Meeting
During this phase we get to know more about you and your lifestyle needs. We encourage clients to share their thoughts, ideas and bring clippings of pictures of what they would like to have included in their home or remodeling project. We want your project goals to exceed all of your expectations, so we want to take this time to ensure that we understand all your exact needs and desires.
Phase 2 - Your Homesite or Ours
Some of our clients have already acquired a home site while others choose from one of our available lots. We can also assist you in locating the perfect home site based upon various factors including location, home site size, price point and school district.
Once a home site has been selected, we can then sit down with you and fill out an entire set of specifications which allows us to come up with a preliminary budget. Once we have a budget number established it is a good idea to check on financing. We have several lenders and will match you up with one to fit your needs. They can usually pre-qualify you within a couple of days.
Phase 3 - Designing Plans
We offer a full in house Design/Build or can work from a 3rd party set of plans acquired from an architect or online resource.
Our design build process takes our customers from general ideas to a fully custom designed set of plans. After gathering all the necessary survey work, ranging from topography evaluation to tree surveying, we will work with our Architects and Designers to put together a set of plans that fits your property and your needs. We will work in stages from preliminary floor plan layout, to custom exterior elevation design and eventually a full construction set of plans. You will have complete design control, working hand in hand with Hess Homes, our Architects, Designers and Interior Designers. This process has proved to be a very successful program.
If you have already acquired a full set of construction plans from a 3rd party architect or online resource, we are more than happy to provide a full bid for the project. Depending on your current status of selections and specs, we will create a plan to allow us to work with you to obtain all of the information needed. We will provide our bid as quickly as possible and can evaluate many options and scenarios to the project if needed.
Phase 4 - Selections
We will set up a selection schedule which will include a timetable for when certain selections are due. We have a very strong relationship with our vendors and they will assist you during the selection process and help make this time both fun and easy.
Once the selections have been made, both the builder and client will date and sign the specifications sheet acknowledging that both parties are in agreement. We are a custom builder and know that selections can change during the construction process. When a final selection changes, we have the client sign a selection change order to ensure that both the builder and client are on the same page. The timeliness of these selections is imperative so that the construction process is not disrupted.
Phase 5 - Pre-Construction
Once you approve the architectural plans and the budget pricing, we will then be ready to finalize the contract price. The contract will include the specifications, time to complete the home and the contracted price.
There are several items that need to occur before construction can begin:
- Ensure that financing for the project has been secured
- Septic engineering and permitting (if applicable)
- Acquire necessary building permits
- Have design approved by the Architectural Control Committee (if applicable)
- Site meeting with your construction manager
- Level 1 Selections – These are the minimum selections that must be made prior to construction
Phase 6 - Construction
Now that all the preliminary work is done, the excitement can begin. Our team will be in constant communication with you throughout the construction process. Regular appointments and consultations will be scheduled between you and our team on site.
The selections are also a very important piece of the construction process. We will re-confirm all of the selections that were made during our bid process. You will have the opportunity to make adjustments to those selections if needed or provide the final approval. The timeliness of these final approvals is imperative for our construction schedule.
Phase 7 - Welcome Home
Prior to completion of your home, we will perform a final walk-through with you to ensure that the level of craftsmanship meets your expectations. Additionally, all of our homes come with a warranty.
We take great pride in our homes and want you and your family to be as proud of your new home as we are.