Are there any houses going up in the area? I have found many of the subs I work with from jobsite hunting. I'm sure the same success can be achieved when looking for a quality GC. A custom builder is what you are looking for, maybe you haven't found one that can embrace your budget yet. "Semi Custom" builders are often model home or tract home builders. The "semi" portion of that process can be as limited as the paint color and cabinet hardware.

You can also use your architect/designer for a GC recommendation. Be cautious with any potential candidate regardless of the source of the recommendation. Thorough vetting will help you to avoid a bad experience.

Giving your GC a $225-$250/sf budget should make them a bit leery. Most of the time when someone comes to us with a modest budget, they are out of touch with reality and think they will be getting high-end results for less than most everyone else since they are:

• Not picking the most expensive of everything
• Going to do some of the work themselves
• Have a buddy who does an aspect of the job
• Have a buddy that sells products for cheaper
• Will have the most simple design you've ever seen

Each of these things can add up to real savings on a project, but in my experience it is not as profound as the customer hoped.

In my market your vision of a Toyota is my bread & butter. Many of my clients will scoff at the price of high end carpet, but won't be bothered at all to upgrade the roof sheathing. But if you drive 70 miles South, it is a totally different market. They tend to build cheaper houses with finer finishes. Your task is to find a way to properly communicate your goals and then find a GC and architect who will embrace them with you.

Best of Luck

In the selection process of selecting a builder, also talk to past/current clients to get their experience; and not necessarily the clients the builder tells you about.

I have had good luck starting at the lumber yard. If you can get a conversation with the people who are doing the plan take offs then you stand a good chance of getting a solid recommendation that fits your needs.

We went into our custom build by making it clear that we wanted the build quality of their best homes without the luxury finishes, and we're happy so far.

$250 a square foot in Austin is not going to give you the ”quality” that you want. That’s a lower market entry price. Double that figure is not really in the ”luxury” realm either.

I will argue that you can get a quality home built in any low or medium cost of living area for $250 per square foot. I will also argue that "luxury" doesn't have to include "quality." Then again, quality and luxury are both subjective words. I am using quality as an indicator of how the house is build and luxury as an indicator of how the house is finished. You can have a very well built home with carpet and sheet vinyl, laminate counters, and basic fixtures and appliances.

Most people don't think of building houses that way so it is hard to relate.

Austin is not the rest of TX. The COL for housing is 76 points higher than the state that surrounds it. Or 60% higher than the national average, however you want to term the fact that $250 a square foot gets you very little.

https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/city/texas/austin

Hello Eric. We saw your comment about us, and the statement about David Weekley Homes not paying our contractors is absolutely false. We have a Preferred Partner program where we highlight our vendor partners each year, and we are known for compensating our contractors in a timely fashion. Please contact us at feedback@dwhomes.com for any questions. Thank you.

I'm not sure why two commenters talked about costs in Austin, when I'm not building in Austin, but the TX Hill Country, as I clearly stated. The price per sq ft. that I stated did NOT include the land, so it should be fairly constant for a good 50 miles radius, even if I were in Austin, because the build crew can commute. (Assuming the building permits didn't make things more difficult - but unless you're building a junk house I'd hope you'd meet Austin building code even in the Hill Country.)

As far as Weekley's comment, I read that in a review. I tried to find it again but I didn't have any luck. Could've been a BBB report or some other review website.

As far as 225-250 being "low end" then how is Weekley able to do 175? Again, I'm not including the land.

D.B., you say giving 225-250 would make the GC leery. Given that Weekley can build for 175, where is the extra money going to "do it right"? Are you saying you wouldn't be able to hire qualified subcontractors for 225-250, or that the material cost would exceed that?

Weekly is a large national builder that likely realizes greater economies of scale that may not be achieveable for a smaller custom builder. National builders buy large quantities of the same stuff because they're building the same plans which may not work on your lot.

David Weekley, IMO, at least in Phoenix, is one of the better production home builders. They build in my Buckeye, AZ neighborhood and seem to put out a decent production product (although the lots and setbacks are too small for my taste).

A custom home, of course, is a one-off and custom anything is always more money. My build cost in Phoenix was quoted to be about $250/sq ft; however, when I exceed line item's budget I write a check for the difference. For example, my applaince budget was $20k. After I made appliance selections, I was at $35k. So, I had to write a check for $15k. Same for plumbing. I have a $14k budget. After design center visit, I know that I'm over. Still waiting for the quote. I'm sure that I'll be writing a check. My point is that the builder can give you a cost estimate for a certain finish level, but once you start adding a Subzero/Wolf kitchen and Newport Brass faucets instead of Kitchen-Aid or Delta, plan on writing a check and watch your price/sq ft increase.

D.B., you say giving 225-250 would make the GC leery. Given that Weekley can build for 175, where is the extra money going to "do it right"? Are you saying you wouldn't be able to hire qualified subcontractors for 225-250, or that the material cost would exceed that?

Weekly recently (last 4-5 years) started building in my neck of the woods (SW FL). A few blocks away they put up a house that wound up selling for the same price my house cost me to build. Size was about the same, etc. However even with all the problems I had with my builder, I wouldn't give you a dime for the Weekly home. Cheaper windows and doors, especially the sliders. Very basic HVAC system. And we're not talking an inexpensive home but one considered "quality". Weekly put the money into making the house "look good" but the important stuff wasn't quality. Being I got to walk the house at various stages of completion, I could see where they cut corners.

The most important things in a house are not the pretty things you see, but those things you don't see.

Hello @cpartist - Can you please identify the community or address where you observed this home, and what specifically you observed so that may have an opportunity to address? Did you speak with one of our Sales Consultants?

I've said as much as I want to.

Thanks D.B., that provides more of a framework for me to understand the situation.

But one more question. How would I go about picking a builder that will use "good" subs like you talk about? I do plan to have my own inspector look over things at the various stages, but it will likely will be difficult to get some of the mistakes you talk about fixed, I think.

I'm only looking at builders with high ratings (rated here, other sites, BBB, etc.), but I probably can't just assume that doing that will guarantee good subs. Also, while a low quoted price might make good subs impossible to hire, paying more won't necessarily guarantee it, as the builder may just pocket the extra money.

I'd love to explain how to interview and weed out the bad ones, however I've never had to do that, I can only give you my perspective. I kindly ask those who have experience as clients share their vetting process. I've seen posts on other threads that touch on this.

Here’s a good read on how to find a contractor. It’s more from a remodeling perspective than a new build, but it translates well. Because it IS a 2 way street. The contractor is interviewing you, as hard as, or harder, than you are interviewing them.

The most important thing that a contractor is looking for is realistic expectations for the available budget. The most important thing that a homeowner is looking for is past performance history, and current ability to take on any project.

The best contractors are worth waiting 24-36 months to work with. Because they won’t have any availability next year. If someone does, that’s a red flag. If someone promises a 350K house build, when houses built similarly are going for 550K? They will be lying to you. Don’t lie to yourself by believing it.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5332686/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractor-s-first-meeting