Building a Home on a Budget? Start Here

Budget-minded home builders shopping for land in the Chelsea, Dexter, Ann Arbor and Saline areas all have the same question:

"How much should we budget to build our new home?"

Building a custom home requires:

• Planning

  • Budget

  • Design

• Coordination

• and Patience.

The more time and energy you put into those three elements, the stronger your home building budget. And a realistic home building budget will ease your mind. You’ll be a much happier home builder through the building process. And a more satisfied homeowner at the end of your project.

We'll assume you've gone through the Preliminaries:

• Secured a buildable parcel of land

• Utility Services are available, or the land is able to support a well and drainage field

• Design in mind for the home

• Zoning authority approval to build that design.

You may know the square footage you need, or are thinking more in terms of bedrooms and baths. There may be certain design elements you'd like your home to have, or be free of, certain wants, needs, and accommodations.

Once you have the basics down, the Architectural Designs website is a great place to visit for ideas and inspiration. We can build from a set of plans you like, or modify a set of plans to suit your preferences and budget.

A detailed set of drawings is going to be the best place to start for you and your potential builders.

Drawings will ensure that you, the homeowner, get exactly what you want by communicating those wants in a language that builders understand best: architectural drawings.

Drawings ensure that all your bidders are equally informed and that you are comparing 'apples to apples,' as the saying goes.

Here's the process we follow for our Design-Build projects:

1. Preliminary Design, including:
   Site plan (land survey, plot plan)

   Floor plans

   Elevations

   Details (interior/exterior)

2. Conceptual Budget

   A cost estimate based on the Preliminary Design Drawings.

3. Construction Drawings Final architecturally approved drawings which include:

   Final choices for fixtures, features, and finishes. Window & door schedules etc…

4. Construction Agreement

5. Commencement: Work begins! 

We have three (3) local architects that we work with here in Chelsea:

• Scott McElrath, Dangerous Architects

• Paul Samulak, ARK Architects

• Greg Raye, Gregory A. Raye Architect

Scott, Paul and Greg do magnificent work and can help you create a custom home uniquely you and specifically designed to maximize your home building investment.

We'd be happy to set up an appointment with you and discuss your project and our Proven Process in more detail.

If you've got drawings to share, or would prefer to work with an architect directly, we can work together gathering the preliminary information required and get started on your drawings.

It doesn't cost you anything to meet with us

Delayne, the owner, is a fantastic resource. He's been building and renovating homes for over 30 years. I'm sure he'd enjoy talking with you, and I'm sure you'd come away with more than a few nuggets of valuable insights and information.

Let us know if you'd like to chat. I'd be happy to set something up.

We’re really looking forward to building something great with you.