I have always felt the building process is antiquated, complex and full of terms, language and processes that are difficult for the average person to understand. Most of those who wish to build a house struggle with the process and most of the frustration comes from simply feeling like a fish out of water.
There are some great contractors in the area who, for a price, will do absolutely everything for you so you don’t have to worry about anything, but what if you want to do all or some of the work yourself to save some money and make it more affordable?
For the past few years, I have been attending the National Assoc of Home Builders show and talking with every builder I could find in order to learn as much as I can to help our homeowners and owner builders simplify the building process. The building industry has transformed significantly over the past decade, with technology driving new products and processes that are leading the way.
One of the biggest things a homeowner builder can do to get a head start is look into having portions of the house prefabricated or panelized. In the past “prefab”, was considered cheap and low quality, those days are gone as the technology has allowed some prefab or panelized homes to equal and even surpass the quality of onsite built homes. Don’t get me wrong, not all off site built homes are equal and there are still plenty of low quality products on the market however, companies such as Whisper Creek go above and beyond and even offer a 24 year warranty on the work they do. Whisper Creek will panelize your home, which means they build all the individual components including walls, porches, roofing system and interior components in Montana then deliver them to your build site ready for assembly. The building of these components utilizes the same process and building materials that would be done on site, but instead of working in the elements, the construction takes place in a climate controlled environment.
Another section of home building that has moved into the prefab arena is foundations. Due to our seismic activity level combined with our freeze and thaw cycles, most homes in our area are built on stem wall foundations as opposed to slab on grade which is common in Oklahoma and Texas. Swan Realty has partnered with a company specializing in prefabricated stem walls that can be delivered directly to your construction site. We are actively pursuing certifications for our home building professionals to ensure they are qualified to install these stem walls for our local homeowners, simplifying the process even more.
In summary, if you are wanting a new home and wish to do all, part, or none of the work yourself, you have more options now than ever.
If at anytime you would like to explore available options, feel free to give us a call
Rob Swan
Swan Realty
575-613-4243
rob@swanrealtyinc.com