There are large and small reasons that drive people to build a custom home. Some clients are looking for a floor plan or style of house they can’t find in their preferred location. And others, after touring countless houses that don’t fit their tastes, just want the decisions made their way right from the start. Even if your new client is initially motivated by the broad strokes, they’ll likely grow invested in the custom touches over the course of the project. In fact, every product decision can ultimately take on fate-of-the-world importance in their minds.
Small custom builders, on the other hand, typically focus most closely on those broad strokes—the imperatives of quality construction—and leave the product parsing to someone else in the office. That someone (usually a female) helps guide the client through the head-exploding number of product possibilities and keeps an eye on the allowances you’ve allocated to each selection.
Unfortunately, it’s a woefully inadequate process. No one on your staff has enough hours in the day to handhold the number of decisions to be made—unless that’s their only job and they are trained in interior design or architecture. But the biggest challenges are the allocation and budgeting procedures themselves. Gauging the tastes, expectations, and priorities of new clients is without a doubt a snake pit. They may not yet know which items are “must have” versus “can do without.” And worse still, they may realize later that something they thought unimportant at the time mars the whole result. Maybe they made do with your grade 3 granite countertop allowance, only to learn an upgrade wouldn’t have cost much more and would have transformed their experience in the kitchen. Simply slapping them with change order upcharges can leave a bitter taste. A good, better, best set of allowances that prepare them for likely overages might help smooth the sail.
Another common stumble is scheduling. Have you planned adequate time for clients to deliberate on important decisions? (And remember, even a faucet choice is important.) Or are you chasing them down at phases? “Hurry up with your color choices, the painters are next!” Hasty decisions made under the gun are bedrock for bad feelings down the line. Here, a list of all items your clients need to choose and a clear timeline for selecting them (with gentle reminders along the way) could save the day, and help make the journey with you a trip to remember.
cconroy@hanleywood.com
