To give you a feel for how the Keast Builders experience is unique, we have offered a step-by-step look at our home-building process.
Step 1: Getting to Know You
This step involves us getting to know you and learning about
all the wonderful things you wish to accomplish in your home.
Do you have highly ornate and decorative whims, or do you prefer
simplicity? Do you need unique space for entertaining or for overnight
guests? Are you dreaming of a gourmet kitchen? A "Green"
home? There are so many ways to help make a home become a spectacularly
perfect fit just for you.
Step 2: Select the Architect
Different types of architects excel at different types of styles.
We will help you find an architect that suits your needs, your
personality and your price range.
Step 3: Dealing with Permits and the Architectural Committees
This step isn't a lot of fun for you, so you are going to love
it when we step in and take over. We stay very involved in the
permit process and meet frequently with the architectural committee.
(Every subdivision has one, and they will try to get right in
the middle of your business and redesign your home.) We also serve
as a liaison between the homeowners association and the building
contractor. Most builders won't touch these chores, but we're
happy to take this burden off your shoulders..
Step 4: Getting Contractor Bids; Selecting Materials
Like other builders, we negotiate bids for our customers so
our customers get the best value for their dollar. Unlike other
builders, we are very strongly on the client's side in keeping
costs down and we don't have unbreakable agreements with anyone.
We are very selective about where we buy, so you get the best
quality with the best price.
Step 5: Construction Phase
We make a huge difference in that we are on site several times
a week during the course of the home construction, and of course
we meet with you when ever and where ever you like. We are very
aware of keeping you up to speed about the decisions you need
to make during the entire construction phase. Remember: You don't
have to make every decision about your home in advance. For instance,
the day we pour the slab, you still have plenty of time to linger
over decisions about cabinets, colors, fixtures, etc. We will
guide you and give you plenty of lead time to decide about all
those little things that are so important to you. Inevitably,
you will change your mind many times as the construction process
unfolds, and with us, that's perfectly OK.
Step 6: Construction Phase
We accompany and guide you as you meet with various designers and vendors to select light fixtures, doors, flooring, and more. We don't have commissions or brother-in-law deals with any vendors, but we do have lots of excellent vendors we can recommend (as well as some we would suggest that you avoid). If we do get a discount on something, we pass the savings to you. That's how we do business.
Step 7: Completing the Finish Work
You can have the strongest walls in the world, but if the finish
carpenters do not do superb work, the house will never appear
to be a high-quality home. Finish work is any kind of work with
cabinetry, trim, moldings, door and window installations, paint,
ceilings, floor treatments … anything where the carpenter
has to get on his hands and knees. This work is
extremely
important, which is why we put great effort into helping select
and manage the people who do it and why we are increasingly on
site during this vital phase. We are not afraid to say, "This
needs to be redone." Sure, everybody makes mistakes, and
that's to be expected, but we hold the vendors responsible for
their mistakes and ensure that everything regarding the finish
work is made right. A high-quality finish job can be difficult
to judge with the untrained eye. But when a house has a high-quality
feeling, and you can't say exactly why, often that's the result
of excellent finish work.
Step 8: The "After Work"
Once most of the construction is completed, we help guide what
we call the "after work" - the driveway, sidewalks,
patios, fences, as well as the landscaping and the final cleanup
of the lot (know that we always work to keep
every step
of the job as clean and well managed as possible). You won't have
to call us to get these things done.
Step 9: Following Up
We're here until you are happy. If you move in and discover that
the painter forgot to paint the trim in the utility closet, or
that something just isn't quite right, we make sure everything
is taken care of until you are happy and satisfied.
