Custom millwork and circular
cutouts create dramatic focal
points in this custom home.

Making the Match

Matching a builder to a building project involves more than getting the best deal for your money. Many aspects of home building are subjective. One person's dream may be a quaint cottage by a lake, while another may prefer a 6,000-square-foot French country. Can the same builder construct both? Probably. Could they be constructed equally well? Probably not.

Builders have niches with regard to the types and price ranges of houses they usually construct. Some may be geared toward high-end custom houses, building only two or three $1 million homes a year. Others have found their niches in building speculative three-bedroom, three-bathroom tract houses. Whatever the builder's specialty, a consumer should match his or her needs to a builder with appropriate experience.

According to Dave Brewer, a builder and owner of Dave Brewer Homes in Sanford, Florida, "If a builder bills himself as a builder of custom homes, don't just take his word for it. Check his work. Keep in mind that if he builds some speculative homes and some custom, that might not be what you want. Each builder employs tradespeople to create their homes. If a builder builds primarily executive homes, he will use tradespeople who are experienced in high-end home construction and vice versa."