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The Presale Building Process

Whether you are building from across town or across the country, building your new home with Snyder Hankins Custom Homes will be an exciting experience. We have the process and proven team in place to make it a pleasurable experience, too! From the “we want to build a home” to moving in and enjoying your new custom home, we make the experience flow stress free and on schedule, while involving you throughout the process.
How long will construction take?
Construction will usually last seven to eight months, while plan design, engineering, permitting and contract work are a variable that usually add an additional one to two months to the process.
How do we begin?
We will lead you through the steps we will take together! It is our opinion that the beginning steps are the most important because they establish the foundation to enable all of your later decisions and selections to come together in a home you will be immensely proud of.

Step one and step two are interchangeable, but can also be interdependent. The “right” lot and “right” house plan both jump start the process.

Step One: The Building Site
We must have a piece of property to build your home on. This can be a lot available in one of the communities identified on our web site, property you have purchased, family land, or with the assistance of a real estate broker and our help, a parcel we find together that will meet your needs. This property may limit or dictate some of the options you have. If the property is in one of the communities we build in, there may be a size minimum, building materials requirement, Architectural Review Board oversight or other details we will need to identify for you. The lot size, soils, and terrain may impact choices like a basement option, driveway location or house placement.

If you already have a home plan or design in mind, we can help you determine if a particular lot or lots would be adequate for your needs. If you already have the lot, then we can help you determine the best home placement to maximize your site’s beauty and vistas.

Step Two: The House Plan
Perhaps you have a plan or two picked out on a web site, magazine, or a plan book that meets most of your needs. With our help, we can identify a list of changes you would like to incorporate into your custom home. With a plan and the change list, we can involve a professional designer to ensure that you have the exact plan that fills all your wants and needs. You may also choose a plan from the Snyder-Hankins Portfolio (or variation thereof that meets your needs.) We also work closely with a number of local designers who have their own portfolios of home designs that may fit exactly what you want. And lastly, we can always sit down with a designer and start from scratch. Rest assured which ever route you choose, we will help you along with the process.

Step Three: The Contract
Our goal is to do everything we can to document and create a thorough understanding of what will be in your home. You will be shown a number of Snyder-Hankins' standards as a starting point and we will work together to identify which of these items, selections, and features you want included in your home. We will work on each of these to fine tune the contract specifications and where appropriate set realistic allowances. On a presale contract, you will usually secure a construction to permanent loan. Snyder-Hankins will provide you with a list of preferred lenders with favorable terms. We ask for a non-refundable deposit of seven to ten percent to begin and may require additional deposits to cover enhancements made during the construction of your home.

Step Four: Permits and ARB Approvals
Once the contract and plans are complete, Snyder-Hankins will handle the building and septic permit applications. This process usually takes 30 to 60 days. We will also handle the Architectural Review transmittal, if needed, while we are waiting for permit approval. During this period, although no site work can take place, you will not be idle.

Step Five: Selections
Plans are complete. It is now time to work on the list of decisions you will be asked to make. We provide you with a selection timetable so that the construction process can flow smoothly.
Snyder-Hankins also has an in house decorator available to assist you with many of your selections. Her goal is to make sure your individual likes and tastes are reflected in your selections, and to help ensure that the various selections work well together.

Step Six: Construction
With permit in hand, the site work will begin. You will be involved in almost every aspect of your new custom home; from approving house location and lot clearing decisions, to what powder room mirror will be installed before move in. Snyder-Hankins will assist you every step of the way to a beautiful home. The construction process includes:

1. Walking your lot to determine clearing limits and house placement.

2. Completing exterior selections with designer (brick, stone, paint selections, shingle selection, front door style, garage door, and many others.)

3. Beginning interior selections with designer; now we are having fun! This area involves cabinetry, granite selections, tile selections and design, plumbing fixtures, appliances, light fixtures, interior paint colors, and carpet selection.

4. Meeting at the job site to walk the foundation work and later framing.

5. Meeting at the house to layout the electrical design; can lights, ceiling fans, switches, flood light locations, receptacle locations and other rough in details.

6. Meeting with security/structured wiring subcontractor for pre-wire locations and enhancements selections.

7. Meeting to locate outdoor hose bibs and other plumbing options.

8. Meeting with subcontractor to complete HVAC decisions that are needed for rough in completion, fireplace and cook top venting and other options.

9. Meeting to identify insulation enhancements you may want to add, i.e. insulation in select interior walls for soundproofing.

10. Meeting to finalize stain color for hardwood floors, stain colors for any exterior trim, and for stairway parts, etc.

11. Meeting with the trim carpenter to lay out closet shelving throughout the house

12. Meeting to determine the layout of the driveway and sidewalks, and to determine the shape of the patio if this is in your contract.

13. Meeting with irrigation and landscape subcontractors to plan your landscaping design.

If you are building with us from out of town, we will make every effort to make your limited trips efficient and productive. Email, digital photography and telephone communication fill the voids.

Step Seven: Inspections
You are always welcome to check the progress of your home. Your visits help to encourage communication and to insure that everything is progressing as planned and your expectations are being realized.

Step Eight: Closing
You should have your final financing set up at least 30 days prior to closing. You will also need to contact an attorney of your choosing to handle your closing. This should take place 30 days prior to the anticipated closing date so they will have adequate time to prepare for the closing. As with everything above, we are available to assist you in this area, too!

Step Nine: Closing Walk Through and Warranty
Snyder-Hankins Custom Homes includes three (3) scheduled walk through warranty visits to ensure your home will provide you with years of enjoyment.

1. Closing walk through – You will be encouraged to walk your home and property with our Warranty Manager right before closing. Any punch items that are found during this walk through are scheduled for timely repair or adjustment.

2. As you begin to enjoy your new home after moving in, a short list of issues may be found. We will ask you to start a list of any additional items you may find while living in your home that will be included on a sixty (60) day punch list. These items, like the closing walk through list, will be reviewed with our Warranty Manager and scheduled for repair by the appropriate craftsmen.

3. At the one (1) year mark we will ask you to provide a one year punch list of items to review with our warranty manager. These, too, will be addressed with you and handled appropriately

We have found that once the heat in your home is turned on there may be some shrinkage or separation in the trim materials. We want your home looking like it did at move in, so we will come in one time during the first year to re-caulk the interior trim, fix any nail pops, and do paint touch up on these repairs.

During this year with us we will always encourage communication so as to be ahead of any problem before it grows into a larger issue. Enjoy your new home with the peace of mind that Snyder-Hankins does not end the relationship at closing. Our goal is a satisfied homeowner that would recommend us to their family and friends.





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