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How Long Will it Take to Receive an Estimate?
February 16, 2022
Some of the most common questions we receive pertain to turnaround times for custom home building estimates. Those looking to take the first step toward building a custom home in the Bay Area can learn about the Supple Homes estimation process and timeline in this article.
Creating an estimate for a custom built home requires the evaluation of plans provided by the client and their architect. In order to ensure that an estimate is accurate, the plans provided must be clear, detailed, and all-inclusive; essentially a permit ready submittal set.
Less refined plans that exclude:
- finish elevations
- cabinet design
- fixture schedules
and other details will affect the accuracy of the estimate (this means more allowances will be included, rather than firm bids for exact materials or selections).
Once the plans are received, we schedule a meeting with the client and their architect and/or designer to discuss the project’s scope/vision to better understand what the client is envisioning for the completed home.
To begin the estimating process, we review the client’s plans and determine which of our skilled team of subcontractors will be needed. From there, we send the plans to each potential subcontractor so they can provide us with an estimate (or bid) for their respective scope of work.
Subcontractor estimates take an average of two weeks to complete before we receive them.
Once we’ve received the subcontractor bids, it takes us around a week to select the most applicable subcontractors, confirm their accuracy and scope and combine their bids to form a comprehensive custom home proposal. The proposal is then reviewed and cross-examined by our lead estimator/owner, Sean Supple, as well as our admin team.
Once the proposal has been finalized on our end, we schedule a meeting with the client, preferably in-person, to go over the details of the proposal and address any remaining questions or concerns.
While the estimation process consists of multiple moving parts, clients interested in custom-built homes in the San Francisco Bay Area and the surrounding areas can assume an average turnaround time of three weeks for a detailed and accurate estimate from Supple Homes.
Have any questions or ready to request an estimate for your custom home construction? Let us know!
Deciding whether to build a new house or buy an existing one is a significant and often complex choice that involves various factors. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, and the decision ultimately depends on your preferences, needs, and circumstances. In this article, we'll explore the key considerations when weighing the pros and cons of building a new home versus buying an existing one.
Building a custom home is a dream for many, and finding the right custom home builder is a crucial step in turning that dream into reality. The selection of a skilled and trustworthy builder can make all the difference in ensuring a seamless building process that results in a home that perfectly aligns with your vision. To help you navigate this important decision, we have compiled a comprehensive guide on how to find a custom home builder that is right for you.
Building a custom home requires a lot of planning, research, and decision-making to ensure that the final product is exactly what you want. In this article, we will explore the general process of building a custom home.
Dewatering during rainy months is a crucial aspect of construction site management. When starting a job in the winter/rainy months, rain storms can wreak havoc on a jobsite, causing serious delays and potentially significant change orders. In this article, we will share a few tips on how to effectively dewater a construction site.
Looking for a little more room? California has recently loosened some building regulations that can make housing add-ons more feasible. An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a small residential dwelling that can function independently from the main residence and can be attached or detached from the main home while sharing the same property. In recent years, ADUs have become more and more common, and the Assembly Bill 68 (AB68), and recently Senate Bill 9(SB9), has been a major influencing factor. AB68 and SB9 have encouraged homeowners to build ADUs by “wiping clean” many of the previous restrictive rules and regulations in place that hindered many homeowners from building one.
It’s an unfortunate truth that wildfires are part of life out West, and the idea of fire coming near your home is a scary thought. No home material is entirely fireproof, but there are steps you can take to minimize damage from smoke and flames. Direct wildfire flames are not the only danger to your home. A wildfire can reach your home through adjacent burning structures, radiant heat from nearby burning plants/structures, and flying embers. In fact, flying embers have the ability to damage homes up to a mile away and are responsible for the destruction of most homes during a wildfire. When building a home in wildfire-prone areas, it’s critical that you take all necessary precautions in order to protect your family and home. In this article we will look at ways to make your home more fire-resistant, starting with the exterior.
Custom homes are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to ensure you get the property of your dreams. From the ability to add details of luxury wherever you want them to the chance to create a home that you'll feel good coming back to at the end of the day: these are the top home trends you want to consider when building your own, and why custom homes are a fantastic idea. Why Get a Custom Home? Creating your home is something that few people get to experience, but it's an incredible process from start to end. Not only do you get to build a property to your liking, deciding everything from the layout to how you want each space to look, but it's also a great way to make sure that luxury and beauty and woven throughout your home and that you're excited to get back to your property at the end of the day. Custom homes can be more expensive, but when you're creating a property where you want to live and spend time with the people you love, the cost means nothing. These are the five top home trends you'll want to consider when building your custom home.
Service providers are constantly on the lookout for clients, and that means putting their best faces forward. On the flip side of that coin, consumers are poring over search results to find the best fit. So let’s think about the information you’ll find in your service provider research. You’ll probably find mission statements, service details, and—ultimately—why you should choose them. Yes, this is useful information, but wouldn't it help you make a better decision and quickly narrow your search if they also mentioned who they were NOT a good fit for? Contractors and other service providers have different areas of expertise and different working styles, and Supple Homes is no exception. We understand that we may not be the right fit for everyone, and we want to help you make the best decision for your needs. Below we have specified a few factors that will help you determine if we are a good fit (or not).
How long have you been in business?
Here at Supple Homes, we know that embarking on the journey of building a custom home in the Bay Area can seem quite foreign. “Why are they pouring concrete now?” “When do finishes need to be picked out and ordered?” “What’s going to happen once framing is complete?” It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the construction lingo, concrete, and rebar, which is why it’s important to us that we keep our clients in the loop and that they are involved throughout the process of their custom home construction. Below, we have identified and answered some of the most common questions we receive about our project management. Can I have Sean as my project manager? Sean Supple, the president of Supple Homes, no longer takes on the role of project manager, but he does spend a large portion of his time overseeing projects and working hand-in-hand with our project managers. His oversight ensures that every custom built home exceeds client expectations. He is responsible for multiple key components of the company, such as sales, estimating, and ensuring that all projects are running smoothly, making it difficult for him to dedicate the necessary amount of time and attention that a single project requires. That being said, Sean is actively involved with each and every project, which may make it seem as though he is your project manager. He visits each jobsite at least once a week, allowing him to stay up-to-date and offer his support and expertise wherever and whenever they may be needed. Who will run my project? Each project is assigned to one of our project managers, and generally, each project manager is responsible for no more than two custom home constructions at a time. All of our project managers have over ten years of experience within the construction industry and go above and beyond to not only put forward exceptional work, but also to form transparent and genuine connections with our clients. Check out our About Us page to learn more about Supple Homes’s exceptional team. Will there be someone from Supple Homes onsite every day? Yes! By delegating no more than two projects to each project manager, we allow each of them to spend time onsite daily, ensuring that every luxury custom home meets our lofty company standards for craftsmanship and excellence. Will we have weekly meetings? Conference calls that involve the project manager, Sean, clients, and the architect and/or designer will be held weekly. These 30- to 60-minute calls keep everyone on the same page and allow all parties the opportunity to provide updates, ask questions, and voice any concerns. We are also more than happy to schedule in-person meetings and project walk-throughs upon client request. Aside from weekly conference calls, our project managers are always available to clients via email, phone, and text. We encourage our clients to communicate with their project manager as often as they feel is necessary, and it is quite common for project managers to be in contact with clients throughout the week. Clients can follow our Instagram and Facebook accounts (and other social media channels) for general progress photos and videos. For detailed project updates, we use a construction management software platform called Buildertrend . Buildertrend provides our clients with their own password-controlled web portal and mobile app. Once logged in, clients can view daily updates regarding their project through pictures, videos, and written daily logs. Additionally, the project schedule is viewable and tasks (such as deadlines to select tile, etc.) with specific deadlines will be shown. Our goal is to provide the most transparent, client-friendly approach possible to custom home building in the Bay Area. Have additional questions or feel ready to take the first step toward your very own Bay Area custom built home? Contact our team to get started!