New Construction

At Roberts Custom Homes, Design/Build is not just a tag line. It is the core of our Business Model.  It is a system that we have worked diligently for years to implement and perfect.   We hope that you will read further to better understand why we are sold on Design/Build versus the usual Design-Bid-Build.

Typically, we find that most homeowners are rather “faint of heart” at the mere thought of having their home renovated and will contemplate the project much longer than it actually takes to construct it.  But no wonder! The Remodeling Industry suffers from such a severe lack of protocolthat homeowners generally, do not know where to begin or what to expect.  They may call a Contractor who, when realizing the scope of the project, may send them to an Architect or designer.  Or, they may find one of their own choosing.  They could spend several months discussing and redesigning the project to get it so that  the homeowner is satisfied.  The Architect may then “recommend a list of contractors to bid the job”.  Often the bids come back way over budget, because “Budget” was an elusive term for the Architect /Designer.   Perhaps, there is a Contractor who came closer to your budget, so he is selected for the Job.   At last, your project starts, dust is everywhere; your home is under construction “most days” …. and you suddenly realize that deciding on a contractor should have involved much more than the lowest number from the stack.  Hopefully, he is a respectable business man and it will work out fine.

But, there is a better way to reach your goal, and that is through “DESIGN-BUILD.

This process may start with a friend’s recommendation, you may have read of us on Angie’s List, or maybe our sign sparked your curiosity, when you saw us working in your neighborhood. You begin to ask around about our company, you may have checked with the BBB, and spent some time on our Web Site learning more about us.  Once you are confident of our professional qualities, and sterling reputation, you decide to take the next step . . .

• You call our office and the Interviewing Process Begins!
• At our initial no- charge consultation, either in your home or our conference room, you are interviewing us and we are interviewing you. We are listening and gathering data about the scope of your project, your felt needs, your investment threshold, and any special events regarding the timing of this Project (birth, graduation, marriage, etc.).
• Following our initial meeting, still at no charge to you, we will document our discussion of scope and review your proposed home remodel with our Project Development Team. You may be busy calling a few of our past clients for referrals.   As soon as possible, we will invite you to our office, and show you slides of projects similar to what you would like.  We will review with you a Preliminary Cost Projection that we have prepared for your project, formulated on our Professional experience and data. This is not an exact figure, rather a range, dependent on your selections and finishes for your renovations.
• At this point, all of our services have been with-out charge.  You might say, “We have both been getting acquainted, qualifying each other, and hoping for a good fit.   By now, you should know us better, and have a good understanding of the cost of doing your project and all that is involved.
• If you want to move ahead with Roberts Custom Homes, our Development Team will then propose a Pre-Construction Service Agreement with you. This is a contract for GCLL to provide “Conceptual Construction Designs and a more exact Cost Projection for your project. This takes a while, because you may review and alter your “conceptual drawings” several times before you arrive at that Final Design.  Once your Design and Cost Projection is accepted, a full set of Final Detailed Plans” are then drawn.
• During this phase, our Product Selection Coordinator is available to assist you with all of the various details and selections for your project. Her job is to ensure that every selection integrates with the total design aesthetically and efficiently as she confers with the Architect and the Project Development team.
• Our Project Development team is busy completing the Final Estimate of the costs of your project. This involves gathering data from a number of our subcontractors and suppliers. This generally takes several weeks.  Once all of your selections are made, and the vendor’s and subcontractor’s prices are in, your Final Detailed Estimate is completed. As you can see, that final number takes quite a while to calculate.  We don’t want to overlook any detail. We don’t like surprises anymore than you do.
• Upon signing the Construction Contract, the project or “baton” is  passed to the Production Manager for his complete review.  He is charged with verifying every detail of your job, on paper, and in reality.  He keeps the Master Production calendar of job starts, schedules every day of your project with all of the subs, and assigns your Project Manager, also known as your “New Best Friend”.
• The Production Manager never just hands off your Plans to the Project Manager.  He is another very important team member, who works cooperatively executing your project, all the way to a final Client Walk-thru.