Happy with your builder?

[BeachCat]

Just a question for those of you who had custom houses built-

Were you totally satisfied with your general contractor and would you recommend him/her to a friend?

If so, please PM me if you don't mind sharing names.

My husband and I might be making a change...

 

[scooterbug44]

Be very careful - changing builders during construction can be very problematic, even more so if litigation is/will be a factor. Many builders will not take over another's partially finished job because of all of the issues involved so you could be left w/ a partially finished home and a longer time period paying interest on a construction loan.

If you are close to completion or just started, it might be better to either let them finish (and then have them pay to fix their mistakes) or start over from scratch.

 

[Beachbummette]

We absolutely love our builder! They have just completed our new home at Watersound Lot #42. I can't say enough good things about our experience from start to finish he has done a superb job. His name is Peter Horn and his company is Artisan, they have been around SoWal for 25 years. His phone number is 850-231-4604. Tell him Suzanne & Peter sent you!

 

[seaside2]

and watch out for any liens that may be in place now or in the future.

Those things can get nasty.

 

[Smiling JOe]

and watch out for any liens that may be in place now or in the future.

Those things can get nasty.

ditto!!! and if the builder is that terrible, the liens may not stop with just the builder, but likely that he may not be treating the subs right, and the subs might file lien, too. Be extremely cautious about changing horses mid-stream. Also be cautious of another builder willingly wanting to take over the job. A reputable builder grows his business by doing good work, and I doubt you would find many who are willing to place their own stamp on someone else's shotty work.

 

[jodiFL]

It can be a big problem. But read your contract carefully and even have an attorney go over it to make sure that you do everything the right way to insure that you do not end up paying for an incomplete/incompetent work. They should be able to show you invoices for any work done on your house and you should be able to contact any subcontractors from those invoices to insure they have been paid. You can get "release of lien" forms offline and have those that have been "paid to date" sign them so the contractor cant come back and say they still need to be paid. If there are ones that have NOT been paid after you have paid the contractor for those services you need to make the sub-contractor aware that you have paid and have proof that you paid for his services so that he can ask where his money is. There are also time limits on contractors and subs to be able to file a lien. These can be found by searching "Florida Construction Lien Laws" @ myflorida.com. Good Luck! And just to let you know..FL law is very strict on contractors and leans toward the homebuilder, so you will probably be OK

 

[Chickpea]

Just a question for those of you who had custom houses built-

Were you totally satisfied with your general contractor and would you recommend him/her to a friend?

If so, please PM me if you don't mind sharing names.

My husband and I might be making a change...

I agree with all that has been written before my post. My only addition would be References, references and references.

1) Call them, ask them detailed pointed questions.
2) did Builder meet schedules, deadlines, budgets, etc...
3) did they work well with architect and engineer (very important with custom work).
4) ask whether they will assign someone to your jobsite as a construction manager?
5) how long did punchlist take at end? I have seen great relationships that were nurtured and where Builder and Owner had good communication over 12-18 month period, become completely squandered over the final excruciating 5% at the end where typically a GC pulls all of his subs from job and it takes forever to get final work completed.

Good luck and if you are interested, PM me and I can also share some good names.

 

[ShallowsNole]

There are many good builders in SoWal...I agree about Peter Horn; known him for years. Koast Construction built one of my neighbor's homes and were excellent to work with, even with several major changes to the plans mid-stream.

My home was built by Alan Ficarra / Ficarra Builders, and I do heartily recommend him. He's not cheap, but you'll have a quality house. If I had it to do over again, I'd go with Ficarra again.

However, changing builders in the middle of a job...I don't know.

 

[BeachCat]

Thank you to everyone who responded.

We've got a complicated situation w/ our builder but we are hoping everything can be worked out. I'll keep you guys posted...

I will keep a list of those who were recommended and *not* recommended--just in case and for future reference for friends.