Preliminary Pricing

BTW – This post is just 1 in a series of Home Design and Build posts. You can find them all right here: Positively Jane's Home Design and Build.

April 2023

Last month my architect, Rick Wissmach with Wissmach Architects, added as many details as possible to the plan. He did this so that the builder, Milestone Custom Homes, could provide an accurate price. It took 2 weeks to get the price back from MCH and I have to admit, I was a tad surprised. It came in more than we anticipated. But I don't think the prices are ever less, do you?

The builder wants to give you a preliminary price to make sure that you are prepared to spend what the house costs. Because most of us, me included, have NO idea how much it really costs to build a home. They don't want us to get so involved and fall in love with something we can't afford. I do appreciate that.

After we found out the price Willy, my husband, asked MCH for a list of areas where we could save money. And that list was super helpful when we came to making decisions.

You really don't want to be this girl…who is totally shocked and not sure what to do.

While I was waiting I spent a bunch of time in my craft room…designing it that is. I needed to make sure that the doors and windows were where I wanted them to be. You can read about that process HERE.

Now, one thing that I do that most people do not do is go shopping. I shop before I have a price. I know what I would like and how much it will cost BEFORE saying yes. Builders give you ‘allowances' for certain things. Meaning that these are NOT hard costs. You can read about Builder Allowances HERE. So, when I get the price from the builder I know I need to add my ‘overages' to the cost…so I am not surprised.

MCH gave us the preliminary pricing before our meeting. As a result, I was able to go through each item line by line and jot down my questions. I think it was a 5 page google doc. And yes, I am detailed. I want to know what I am paying for. But, more importantly, I want to know – what does the price include?

Know before you sign.

I have learned the hard way that assumptions will break my budget. Our lot slopes from front to back. We want a lever yard. So, it needs retaining walls and TONS of fill dirt to make it level. I need to make sure that the fill dirt is included…and NOT an allowance or something that I have to pay for later because I didn't know.

We had our meeting and were told that no one ever went through the quote with as much detail as we did. And that surprised me. Did people not care…or didn't know what to ask? You can grab my ‘Questions to Ask Your Builder' PDF HERE. It's free and no opt-in required.

So, as you are designing and getting pricing, find out what is included. What type of insulation do they use? What about landscaping? Are sprinklers included? What kind of driveway? Can you have extra outlets or will they cost $50 extra each. What does the trim look like? What type of doors?

As you can see – there are so many questions. Grab the PDF. This will get you started – and then add your own.

And, if you have any questions let me know. I am here to help.

xoxo