DSR Builders of Greer, South Carolina are building the Bacon’s home. Owner, Dave Sarkela sat down with At Home with Donald A. Gardner to tell us what life is like working with the Bacons and give advice to other potential home builders.
AH: How’s everything with the Bacon’s project so far?
DS: So far, the relationship with the Bacons has been very smooth. We got bogged down on a tub issue and weren’t able to sheet rock when we wanted to, so we were held up for two weeks. But everything overall is going really well. We should be on schedule for them to move in.
AH: How do you recommend someone find a builder?
DS: I think it’s important to look at their product and talk to previous families they’ve built for. Interview the builder and make sure you are comfortable and trust one another.
AH: What should be a red flag when talking with a builder?
DS: If they’ve never done it before, that’s a red flag. And if someone is way out of bounds on their price, either way up or way below, you need to find out why.
AH: How does a builder determine the estimate/cost of the house?
DS: In the Bacon’s case, I’ve done quite a few homes that are around the same price range, so I have the existing costs of materials from previous builds. For the amount of custom features we’re doing, like hardwoods, brick, cabinet, all the big items, I plug in the allowances in the template of a comparable house I’ve already built.
AH: What advice do you have for clients to stay within their budget?
DS: It’s very easy to go over budget. If I were building a house myself, I would pick a price where I absolutely can not go over and figure out what I can get for that price, and then prioritize. When clients are trying to pick what’s important to them, I suggest they look at the big things: exterior, size, landscaping, all the things that make a home look nice or devalue it. Once they have their price I will say “this is what I can give you for that price: shrubs, cabinetry, irrigation, etc.” The allowance is based on the overall budget because the core structure is not going to vary: plumbing, framing, etc., all the stuff you add to it is what makes the house nice and thus, more expensive.