Custom Home Builder Contract: What Should Be Included?
The clauses that matter: fixed price, an itemized specification, a progress based draw schedule, change order terms, lien waivers and warranty. What to read before signing.
Custom Home Builder Insurance: What Actually Protects You?
Which policies matter during construction, who insures the house before you own it, why lien waivers are the protection nobody asks about, and what to request in writing.
How Do You Verify a Custom Home Builder’s License and References?
Every Washington contractor is registered with L&I, and checking takes about thirty seconds. How to run the lookup, what it shows, and what to ask a reference.
Custom Home Builder Portfolio: What Should You Look For?
Photographs show finishes. They do not show whether the builder returned calls. What to look for in a portfolio, and why asking to walk a finished home beats all of it.
What Experience Should a Custom Home Builder Have?
Enough that your house is not among the first. Why experience changes the accuracy of a bid, and what credentials to check beyond years in business.
Common Mistakes People Make When Building a Custom Home
Buying land before talking to a builder, budgeting without the energy code, deciding finishes during construction, and four other mistakes that cost real money.
Red Flags to Avoid When Hiring a Custom Home Builder
The warning signs that show up before you sign: no firm turnkey price, large up front draws, resistance to writing things down, and an underbid that grows into extras.
How to Choose the Right Custom Home Builder for Your Project
A comparison framework for deciding between builders: contract structure, experience, subcontractor stability, communication, and what their job sites look like.
What Questions Should You Ask a Custom Home Builder?
The questions worth asking at a builder consultation, including the two John Worlund thinks matter most, and the answers that should make you keep looking.
How to Work With a Custom Home Builder on a Limited Budget
Give on finishes, hold on structure. Cabinetry has ranged from roughly $24,000 to $50,000 for the same kitchen on past Anasazi projects, and appliances from about $8,000 to $30,000. Those decisions move a budget far more than cutting square footage does, and they do not touch how the house is built.