The entire goal of our first meeting is to determine if building a Black Estates Custom Home is potentially right for you. You never have to worry that you are wasting our time. If you are considering building a custom home, we want to meet you and hear about your thoughts and plans. We are passionate about building dreams, so connect with us and see if we are the right fit for building yours.
Initial Meeting
We are happy to meet at our Design Center or your potential home site. In our initial meeting, we ask a lot of questions. We want to find out where you are in the process. Are you ready now or planning for the future? Do you have a lot or need help in finding one? Do you already have your home plans? What is your reason for building a new home? You can expect this initial conversation to take about an hour. We will explain the process going forward and at the end of the meeting, we will simply ask if you would like to set up a follow up meeting.
This meeting is not meant to be a sales presentation where we try to sell you a house and ask for a deposit. We want to offer you an understanding of all your options, so you can strategically plan and pray through what steps you are ready to take towards building your custom home. We are happy to provide references of previous customers and our contractors, so you can ask them directly about our reputation, our honesty, how we treat our customers and most importantly the quality of the homes we build.
Second Meeting
After finding out more about us and understanding your options, we are honored that you believe Black Estates could be the right partner to build your new custom home. In our second meeting, our conversation will be focused on discussing budget, expectations and our abilities. We want to build trust in our relationship from the beginning and lay out every detail, so we can give you an accurate picture of the process and pricing.
Needs, Wants & Wishes Inventory
How do you get the most of what you want in your new home? We believe that walking through a detailed analysis of how you live, listing out what you need and creating a wish list are important steps to achieving a custom home that is built just for you. This analysis helps us get the big blocks in place, so we can keep everything in line with your budget. Our goal is to build a custom home that is as individual as the family living in it.
Area/Lot Selection – Need a Lot
If you are looking for a homesite, we are happy show you areas that best meet your lifestyle and price range. We will want to consider your needs, wants, wishes and budget in selecting the perfect lot. We have been building in Austin for more than two decades and can help you identify specific lots based on your preferences, building requirements and budget.
Lot Analysis & Site Planning – Have a Lot
If you already have a lot, we are happy to walk the lot and do an analysis, in addition, we will review the covenants and deed restrictions to make sure you meet all of the building requirements in your plans.
Architect Selection
We have designed with some of Austin’s best architects and have long-standing relationships with many. We work closely with our architects and provide constant feedback from a budgetary and construction point of view. We have found that getting involved with the architect at an early stage helps get the most of what you want within your budget. No one wants to design a dream home that is not achievable. If your plans are already prepared and ready to go, we are happy to help bring your blue prints to life.
You have decided to partner with Black Estates and we could not be more thrilled to go on this journey with you to build your dreams. We are now ready to start the design phase to get everything in place before we begin construction.
Design Agreement & Deposit
Our design agreement outlines how we will work together through the design and planning stage. We will take measurements, order surveys, order any necessary land clearing and work with the architect to finalize a floor plan. This phase will result in a 1/8 floor plan, front elevation, home specifications, a fixed allowance and price details. Our design deposit is typically around 1% of your estimated home budget. This deposit is collected now and allows us to proceed with surveys, lot clearing and architectural plans.
Home Site and Floor plan
With the homesite secured, we order the necessary surveys to know where the important trees are and if there is any slope to the lot that will need to be considered. We help place the rooms you want and need in a manner that works with the land, orientation to the sun and seasonal winds. We will usually have a couple of meetings envisioning the possibilities and talking about flooring, lighting, interiors and exteriors prior to bringing in an architect to put your vision onto paper. These are all important in designing the right home to meet your budget.
Home Specifications
Black Estates is one of few Austin custom home builders who keep a comprehensive in-house selection center at our office. While the many choices involved in the interior design selection process can seem overwhelming, our creative and experienced design team help break it down to make every step of your experience both engaging and easy. The interior finishes, roofing, exterior materials, HVAC, Interior doors, drywall finish style, framing lumber, trim, windows, exposed beams and concrete finish are typically items that you would find already specified in a fixed price agreement. We will work together to determine these items, so you can specify what is to be included in your agreement. This also protects you against any unknowns that may occur or vendor price increases during home construction.
Allowance Items
Flooring, lighting fixtures, appliances, exterior doors, counter tops, mirrors and tub and shower tile surrounds are all examples of items that may be included as allowance items. We will work together to determine how much to budget for each allowance item based on your needs, wants and wishes.
Phase 3 begins with the full set of plans being completed. These are the final steps required prior to ground breaking and the beginning of construction.
Financing
To initiate the construction phase, we will need to confirm your financing plans. If you choose to finance the home with a loan, we will request a pre-approval letter from the lender of your choosing or we work with several amazing lenders that we can recommend upon your request. If you choose to self-finance the home, we will meet to discuss construction funds and the payment schedule. Once construction funding is in place, we can start the construction phase.
Permits and Approvals
We submit a final set of plans to any governing bodies: City, County, LCRA or community Architectural Control Committees for their approval. This process can take from 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the responsiveness of the authorities.
The process of building a home is ultra-exciting and filled with many big decisions along the way. We know the amount of decisions can sometimes be overwhelming, so we schedule our design meetings in stages, giving you time to think through your selections. We offer our in-house interior design firm to you as an invaluable resource while making many of your selections to help you tie everything together. Several selections will be made directly with our suppliers.
With the lot staked and cleared, the excavation and actual construction can now begin. Your Site Builder will meet with you for a Foundation Meeting to explain the foundation process, mark the location of your driveway and get your approval to move forward.
Construction Begins
We are ready to break ground! First we establish the foundation, retaining walls and interior flatwork, while preliminary work begins on plumbing. Additionally, we order any items that require a long lead-time for production, like windows.
Your home is nearing completion and the details of your custom home are added to make it truly unique to you. This includes interior wall paint, trim installation, shelving, tile installation, hardwood installation, cabinet installation, counter top installation, stair rail installation, stucco top coat application, roof installation, exterior flatwork, and more.
The anticipation of your move-in has built and Black Estates is preparing to turn the keys over to you. You will conduct a pre-walk-through with your Site Builder so they can coordinate the finishing touches on your home and have it cleaned prior to your final walk-through.
Pre-Closing Walk-Through
Approximately one week prior to closing, you will meet with the Customer Care Manager and Site Builder to demonstrate the operation of appliances and mechanical systems in your new home.
Texas is leading the nation in housing starts for the fifth year in a row with NO sign of slowing down. We want to partner with you to reduce that cost by hiring the right custom home builder. We can help you find the perfect lot, lock in your budget, and help you secure your financing as quickly as possible. It’s a Win-Win!