Frequently Asked Questions
How To Choose A Custom Home Builder?
Contact the Home Builders Association of Polk & Marion County to obtain a list of builders who build homes in your area. Home Builder Association members are committed to ethical standards and continuing education.
Check that the home builder is a member and is in good standing with local licensing boards. Search the name of your potential home builder on the State of Oregon Contractors Board website, to make sure that they are licensed. Oregon law requires anyone who works for compensation in any construction activity involving improvements to real property to be licensed.
Read ratings and reviews to pick a reputable home builder. Online reviews can be an early indicator of how well a company treats its clients. While they are not always a true representation, real people’s opinions can help you hire a qualified home builder or avoid a fraudulent contractor.
Ask friends and relatives for recommendations. Ask about home builders they have dealt with directly, or ask them for names of acquaintances who have recently had a good experience with a home builder.
Verify experience. Ask how long the company has been in business and how many homes they’ve built. You can also ask to see examples of their work.
Most lenders, real estate agents, suppliers, and other industry professionals work with builders that they like and trust. These relationships can help you make a reputable shortlist.
Check references, including from other homeowners who’ve used the home builder and the subcontractors and vendors the home builder works with.
Check credentials. Ask for proof of licenses and insurance information.
What Does It Cost to build a Custom Home or Remodeling Project?
Cost can vary depending on home size, materials, upgrades, lot type, and site development. Every custom home or remodeling project is different and during your initial meeting with we will discuss costs and budgets. Stone Custom Homes & Remodeling can build a custom home that fits a range or budgets. At our first meeting, we will discuss your goals to gather the proper information to begin a costing analysis of the specific project. We bid the project based on the specifications that you identify. All of our budgets and costs are an open book.
How do I get financing to build a custom home?
Stone Custom Homes & Remodeling is a preferred builder with many local banks. Construction loans are typically made by most banks. When purchasing land, many of our clients use the “proceeds from a construction loan” to purchase their property. This requires a completed set of plans, budgets and specifications turned in for appraisal in order to close the loan and purchase the property from the seller. This strategy requires a concerted effort of the realtor, lender, builder, designer and client. Stone Custom Homes & Remodeling can help you navigate walk this process.
How Long Will It Take To Build your Custom home?
Your average custom home typically takes about six months to one year to build. A number of factors can affect the building timeline including:
The size of the home
Selection of materials
Complication of the house design
Lot type, site development, difficulty of the building site
Weather
Upgrades
Change Orders ("Change order" is an industry term for an amendment to a construction contract that changes the contractor's scope of work. Most change orders modify the work required by contract documents (which, in turn, usually increases the contract price) or adjust the amount of time the contractor has to complete the work, or both. Classic examples of change orders include the owner's desire to move the location of a wall to accommodate some other design element, adding a window where there was none in the original plans, or changing the finish of the floors from tile to terrazzo. These types of change orders are known as additive change orders.)
Do You Design House Plans?
Our company works with several of Salem’s best architects and home designers. After discussing a project, we help our customers determine the best fit for their home design ideas. We collaborate with the designer/architect throughout this process to achieve the very best custom home plan.
How Long Does The Custom Home Design Process Take?
A custom home design can be completed fairly quickly if starting from scratch. Two to four months is a typical time frame for a new home. This process can vary significantly depending on a number of factors such as:
How quickly the customer responds to various drafts during the process
Level of complexity
Once the initial design is complete, then the design goes to engineering which typically adds another three to five weeks to the process
We then can submit for permits, which typically takes three to five weeks
Can I Use A Stock House Plan Bought Online?
Yes, absolutely! It can potentially speed up the timeline of your build job. Often times you will want to make a few changes to your plan and we will incorporate a designer if necessary to facilitate those changes.
What Should I Consider Before Remodeling?
There are several important considerations you should take into account before starting any renovation project. While there are hundreds of different factors pertinent to any type of remodeling project, to get you started, we recommend thinking about the following aspects in preparation for your remodel. Whether you want to start a kitchen remodel to revamp an outdated layout, or you want to increase your property’s value with a home addition, Stone Custom Homes & Remodeling can help make your remodeling dreams a reality.
Your goals for home remodeling
Your functionality goals for the space
Your aesthetic preferences
The needs and preferences of those in the space
Your budget for the renovation
Your expectations for returns on investment
The space you have available
Your flexibility with regard to time
Your renovation timeline
How your remodel will affect the rest of your home
Can I live in my home during A Remodeling Renovation?
That depends on the scope of the project, and quite frankly, your tolerance for inconveniences. If you live on-site during a renovation, you will be inconvenienced. We typically recommend that people make alternate living arrangements during the main construction, because you will see dust, debris, workers going in and out, you will hear loud noises, and see people ripping apart what is probably your most prized possession. You may also be without certain comforts like bathroom facilities for part of the time. This can be quite disturbing for most people.
Can I leave my belongings in my home during the renovation?
Yes, but we recommend that you remove everything possible. Although we take extreme precautions to protect your belongings, dust flies everywhere during construction. And, much of it is microscopic so no matter what we (or you) do to protect them, your belongings will get dust particles on and in them.
What measures will be taken to protect my home from dust and debris that result from construction?
We cover floors with either rosin paper or Masonite, depending on the circumstances and we block off the areas surrounding the construction area with heavy gauge plastic sheets. We also cover furniture in the surrounding area to protect it as much as possible.