Architect first.

Get a builder who will work with your architect to design a house that will be within your budget.

Land first. Where you WANT to live and can afford to live.

"Land first. Where you WANT to live and can afford to live."

How do you know you can afford to build the house if you only think of the land first? They need to be in conjunction with one another.

Thank you everyone! I do know the town I would like to live in (and the exact area of town). I’ve been keeping an eye out for land, but nothing has come up yet. But as mentioned above, One concern is buying land first and then realizing a custom build is out of budget. Especially in a place like NJ. I’m going to try to find an architect or builder I like in my area. Unfortunately the architect and builder I love are in north jersey!

Always the architect first, but bear in mind that you are at the very beginning of this endeavor and putting a move-in date of two years in your head could potentially lead to problems. Two years might be just fine, but it might take 2.5 or 3 years to get it done properly. I always tell clients that they should move slowly so that everything is considered. It takes time to refine the design, create the build plans, go through permitting, find the right builder, etc. Plus, everything needs to be within your budget.

We do not live near you. But have gone through this process from buying a tear down lot to a custom build. In our case we chose builder first. We met with several to see if we would be a good fit, we looked at their projects, we looked at past budgets to glean if we were even in the ballpark. We then bought the lot, with builder there an aware of the lot potential limitations etc. We then worked with the builder to find the appropriate person to do the design. We wanted someone they were comfortable working with who met our style. All the way along we had a build budget in mind that we shared with design and build side and every decision was made working backwards from that number. Having the builder involved from day one saved us many headaches as they knew about how to build a home within a budget and not just design what was pretty. It was a full on team approach.

JCA Design group - thank you so much for your advise. I would be totally fine with a 3 year move in date. I am in no rush since this would be my forever home. Our current home will get right as our family grows, but we can make it work. Budget is the major thing, so I need to really talk to people in the industry in my area to get an idea of what I can get for the money here in jersey

A S- thank you so much for your comment! We have thought about tearing down , but thought it would add a lot to the cost. I definitely want a full on team approach from the beginning for this build as you suggest. I want people to work together within my budget and I think having everyone involved early will save money in the long run. Thank you so much for your input!

A Stold it the best. We are currently constructing our house and it's getting framed. getting the right builder is the most important one. Talk to 6-7 of them and then find an architect who can work with the builder. Often, Architects are not updated with the new codes, trends in building and you need to have the builder input in to make sure that plan is what you can build.

EJ M, Any architect who is not updated on the latest code revisions is not an architect that anyone should use. Builders are not the ones to rely on for the latest code requirements as it is the architectural drawings that are sent to the permit office for approval and thus must abide by all the latest code requirements in order to be approved for build by the jurisdiction in which they are submitted.

Builders should be brought in once the build plans are at a stage in which a builder can do proper take-off calculations and provide hard costs to the client. Builders are required to build exactly what the plans state, not take their own liberties as they see fit. While many builders take these liberties, it is not in the best interest of the client to allow it.

It should be a team effort. Architects designing in isolation cost homeowners money. Builders building what they want not on plans costs homeowners money.

Everyone working together from the get go on day one gets everyone in the same page and working together.

All players are important.

JCA Design Group, I respectfully disagree with bringing builders later in the game. The reason, well, that's the biggest mistake we did. In the end, it's not the architect who provides the budget, it's the builder who provides the final number. The architect should not dictate the process.

EJ M, I completely understand your thought process and perhaps I was not clear in what I wrote. I am not suggesting that a builder is brought in at the end of the architect's process, more in the middle, once a builder can accurately gauge what is being designed and therefore provide a proper take-off and bid. A builder cannot provide accurate numbers to a client without having enough information to calculate their materials and time.

If a builder is brought in and provides a bid that exceeds the client's budget, one of two things occur:

1. The architect revises the plans in order to meet the client's budget with that specific builder

2. Other builders are brought in to provide bids so that the client can determine the best course of action (i.e. go with a different builder who better understands the build process and therefore can provide a lower but accurate bid - OR - instruct the architect to revise the drawings in accordance with the cost per sq ft from the chosen builder)

Being in this industry for such a long period of time, I have seen more than my fair share of clients who come in initially telling us "My builder says a 2500sqft house will cost $250k". My response is always the same. There is no way a builder can tell you how much something costs when they have no idea what the design entails, the materials necessary, or the foundation design based on a geo-technical survey of the property. Builders love to throw out numbers to entice clients. None of that matters until the builder is presented with a plan set for bid that allows them to calculate everything the build entails.

I hope that explanation clears up the confusion.

I actually think that a builder, if they have been in business long enough and have experience, can give clients an understanding of average costs to build. Design can often be accommodated to fit within a budget. It was most certainly our experience that having the builder involved from day one helped to curb expensive design ideas and keep us on track and on budget.

Wouldn't it be best if everyone worked together to create a plan that was just in budget? I'm not sure why the go to is for an architect to design something, a builder to say it costs too much, architect to redesign to fit budget? Why not just all work together from the start?

I am 100% happy with our decision to have the builder in place before design. They are the ones who were with us start to finish and saw it all through all the time. Knowing we trusted them was key.

A S, that's my exact point. The builder needs to be involved from the beginning, not after the plan was drawn.

Thank you everyone for your answers!