Knowing what to clarify before building a custom home is one of the MOST important things you can do for your budget … and yet it’s one of the most overlooked parts of the entire process.
In fact, there’s a specific layer of clarity that very few people talk about, even though it’s one of the biggest reasons custom home projects go over budget.
In this episode, I’m breaking down what it actually means to be “ready” to build, why finish selections impact your budget more than most people realize, and the four finish categories you need to clarify before you ever request a quote from a builder.
Listen to this episode or continue reading below.
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
- Splurge + Save Blog Post Mentioned
- Get the SPLURGE + SAVE PLANNER℠
- Join BEFORE YOU BUILD℠
- Download my FREE HOME BUILD START GUIDE
Free On-Demand Class: HOW TO BUILD WITHIN BUDGET AND WITHOUT REGRETS!
Hey, welcome back to the Before You Build podcast … I’m your host Carrie Barker (aka Caroline On Design), and in today’s episode, I’m answering a question that came up in my free class recently.
A class attendee asked me: “What are some things we need to make crystal clear before starting a build?”
This question is SO good that I wanted to answer it for you too.
But before we get into it, I want to tell you something first …
If you’re listening to this and your home build feels completely overwhelming right now, I want you to know that you’re not alone.
You’re not behind.
You’re not doing it wrong.
You’re just at the beginning of something really big.
And it’s normal for that to feel overwhelming.
But the good news is that you don’t need to have it all figured out right now.
You just need a starting point, and that’s exactly what I’m giving you in this episode.
What Does It Mean to Be Ready to Build a Custom Home?
When most people think about getting ready to build, they know they need to find a builder and design a floor plan, but there’s a whole layer of prep that should happen BEFORE either of those things happens.
True home build readiness starts with clarity about what you actually want your home to look like and feel like design-wise.
Not just the basics like “I want a big island” or “I want a mudroom” or “I want a walk-in pantry”, but the specific details that actually DRIVE the cost of your home.
Yes, square footage plays a big role in the cost of your home, but probably the biggest factor in price is the level of finishes you want in your home.
So it’s very important to get crystal clear on the level or caliber of design finishes you want.
Why Clarity Comes Before Everything Else
Here’s what happens when you skip this step … you walk into a builder’s office without a clear idea of the level of design and finishes you want, and they have to fill in the blanks.
And those blanks get filled in with THEIR default finishes … not the ones you were imagining.
You might be envisioning a high-end Wolf range, but your builder has quoted you for their default basic GE appliances.
This gap between what you picture and what’s on paper is exactly what leads to blown budgets.
Not sure where to start with your home build? Download my FREE CUSTOM HOME BUILD START GUIDE and learn my proven 4-step framework to build within budget and without regrets!
What Is Finish Caliber and Why Does It Affect Your Custom Home Budget?
So what do I mean by the level or caliber of your finishes?
It’s NOT having your exact products selected.
You do NOT need to know your specific cabinet brand, your exact quartz slab, or even your appliance model before you break ground.
You just need to know the general level of quality you envision in your home.
Are you thinking high-end, mid-range, or builder-grade?
Your builder needs to know the level you’re considering so they can price your home accurately.
Again, you don’t have to have specific products figured out, but it’s important to know the level you want for the major finish categories in your home.
Obviously, there are many design finishes you’ll be choosing for your home, and they’re all important (your exterior materials, interior doors, exterior doors, your windows, etc), but there are four categories that can really drive up cost or bring it down, depending on what you choose.
Custom Home Finish Categories to Know Before You Build
So let’s talk about the four main categories to get clear on before getting your house quote.
Again, you don’t need to know exact products … you just need to know the level of finishes (i.e. high, mid or low) for each category.
Cabinetry
Cabinetry is one of the largest line items in a custom home build … and the price range is huge.
The main options are stock (prefabricated, limited options, most affordable), semi-custom (more flexibility, mid-range), and custom (built specifically for your space, highest cost). And even within these overall options, there’s significant variation in pricing … details like painted vs. stained finishes or inset doors vs. partial-overlay can significantly affect the price.
This is important because the difference between stock cabinetry from a big box store and painted, inset, custom cabinetry is TENS of thousands of dollars (or more) for the same kitchen and/or bathroom.
If you’re imagining mid-range custom cabinets and your builder quotes you for low-end semi-custom cabinets, you’re not getting a quote for YOUR home. You’re getting a quote for a completely different home.
And that mismatch is one of the most common reasons people end up significantly over budget.
Countertops
Counters are another large line item in your budget.
There is a wide variation in pricing among lower-end and higher-end countertop materials.
Low-end counters are materials like laminate. Granite and quartz are popular mid-to-higher-range options, and natural stone like marble or quartzite is typically at the top of counter pricing.
Your builder needs to have an idea of the counter material you envision.
A ‘quartz in the kitchen and basic granite in secondary bathrooms’ person is very different price-wise from a ‘marble everywhere’ person.
Let your builder know which ‘person’ you are!
Flooring
Flooring covers a LOT of square footage (like, your entire house!), which means even small price differences per square foot add up FAST.
Like cabinetry and counters, there is a wide variety of pricing among flooring materials.
There is a huge range in tile price with basic ceramic being the least expensive to high-end imported porcelain tile being on the higher end of pricing.
And the same is true with wood flooring (or pseudo wood flooring).
LVP (luxury vinyl plank) is durable, popular, and a lower-cost, affordable option.
Engineered hardwood sits in mid-range in price. (side note – this is what I have in my current home and will likely do in my next home because I love it!)
Solid hardwood is typically the most expensive option but the benefit is that it can be refinished as much you want.
If you’re picturing solid hardwood throughout your main living areas, your builder needs to know this BEFORE they quote your house — not at the finish selection stage.
Appliances
Appliances are often the “surprise” category because the range is so wide and most people don’t realize it until they’re standing in a showroom.
The difference between a builder-grade appliance package and a high-end package (think Sub-Zero, Wolf, or Thermador) can be tens of thousands of dollars for one kitchen.
You don’t need to know your exact appliances yet, but knowing whether you want builder-grade, mid-range, or high-end is something you should figure out before getting a quote on your house.
What Happens When You Don’t Clarify This Before Building
So what happens when you don’t clarify the level of finishes in these categories before building?
Let me paint you a picture.
Say you meet with a builder and feel great about them … however, you haven’t given them an idea of the caliber of finishes you want.
You wait for your builder to gather estimates and put your quote together.
You finally open your email and the quote is there … and it fits your budget.
You’re SO excited and you sign the contract.
Everything seems like it’s on track and then you get to the materials selection stage, and THAT’S when you realize the quote assumed basic finishes across the board.
Eek.
If you want help figuring out exactly where YOU should splurge and save in YOUR home, you’ll love my SPLURGE + SAVE PLANNER℠ mini course. Dive into it before your first builder meeting, and I promise you’ll walk in feeling SO much more prepared!
You realize the cabinets you’ve saved on Instagram and Pinterest are actually WAY more expensive than what your allowance includes.
And you envision a beautiful Wolf stove in your kitchen, but your allowance is tens of thousands of dollars short because it’s a quote for basic LG appliances.
And your inspiration photos are full of gorgeous quartzite counters, but these aren’t even in the ballpark of your allowance.
Suddenly, you’re tens of thousands (if not more) over budget, and you feel stuck because you’re already committed to your price.
You have two options – go with the builder-grade finishes you were quoted for and end up with regrets, or get what you envisioned and end up significantly over budget and strapped financially.
Neither option feels good.
What I want you to know is that this is NOT a builder problem.
I mean, yes, a good builder should ask you what caliber of finishes you’re thinking of before quoting your house.
But this doesn’t all fall on your builder.
It’s a clarity problem, and it CAN be PREVENTED simply by being clear with yourself and your builder before getting a quote.
For more on how to use this clarity when you’re ready to talk to builders, check out this post on how to get accurate home construction quotes.
Your Next Step Before You Build
So now you know the importance of clarifying the level of finishes you envision in these four main categories, but how do you actually figure that out?
It all comes down to understanding what’s most and least important to YOUR family and YOUR actual budget.
When you’re clear on that, you can walk into any builder conversation knowing exactly what you want — and get a quote that actually reflects YOUR home, not a builder’s assumptions.
For a closer look at the splurge and save side of this equation, this post on where to splurge and save when building is a great next read.
And if you’re ready for the full picture (not just the finishes piece) for building within budget and without regrets, grab a seat in my FREE on-demand class ‘4 Steps to Build Your Dream Home Within Budget and Without Regrets’.
