Building a home is unarguably the biggest expense that you will ever undertake, even if you are like many Americans who are forsaking conventional houses that rising costs have pushed beyond their budgets and choosing to live in a tiny home. As per forbes, a tiny home is also a wonderful opportunity for living simply and reducing your impact on the environment. However, living in a tiny house can only be a happy experience if the house is professionally built using innovative architecture. Some tips for locating a tiny house builder who will deliver the maximum bang for your buck:
Identify Prospective Builders
While the best way of identifying the best builder is to ask friends, relatives, and colleagues for recommendations, you can expand on the list by looking at the local yellow pages and trade directories. Your local chapter of the Home Builders Association can be another useful source. Contact each one of them and inquire whether they have any experience of tiny house building and if they are interested in doing something for you. If they are experienced, request a meeting so that you can discuss your requirements and obtain a ballpark quotation, details of their credentials, as well as references of other similar work executed locally.
Make a Shortlist of Builders Who Seem to Fit the Bill
Make a shortlist of builders who not only have the desired experience but are willing to build a home for you within your budget. Conduct background checks on each builder using the details available from your local Better Business Bureau and Consumer Protection Agency to find out the negative feedback and incidents of customer litigation for poor or non-delivery. Be sure to strike off the builders who are not registered with BBB or those with a long list of dissatisfied customers. Compare the estimates given to you earlier and the results of your research to call the best tiny home builders for further discussions.
Conduct One-On-One Interviews
Ask for detailed cost-estimates from each of the three builders that you have shortlisted after giving them details of your project that will allow them to give accurate estimates. Be specific regarding the materials and the fixtures as large cost differences may be encountered in the absence of details. Find out specifically what their estimates exclude so that you can compare oranges with oranges. Ask about the construction time too; be prepared to wait for around six to nine months to get delivery from even a moderately bust builder. Insist on getting itemized estimates in a language that you can understand.
Conclusion
Before selecting a particular builder, be sure to check their references, including their suppliers and visit as many of their completed homes as possible in your area to check up with the homeowner regarding his experience. Ask for the draft of the contract that specifies the total price, the payment plan, the warranty, procedure for changing the order, specific materials and fixtures, as well as the delivery schedule. Go over each offer, preferably with the assistance of your attorney and pick the one builder that seems best suited for the job.
