Did you know that building a new home ranks up there with getting married and having a baby, for life events. As much excitement and expectation you have for those moments, there will be just as much when building a new home. There will be excitement, joy, stress, frustration, understanding, delays, and much more – it’s a roller coaster of emotions and things happening for the next several months. We want you to not only be prepared – but to enjoy the process as much as the finished product.
If you already have plans we can work off those. IF you do not have plans, we can offer you a few of ours to use or adjust appropriately or taking various ideas you have/like and combining them for you. Having a starting point (general idea) is the main thing – then moving forward from there. We do not place plans on our website because most of our homeowners get either their or our plans adjusted as we go. Knowing this we don’t want to deter anyone – but help encourage a good starting point.
We have a base starting point from homes types, sizes and features – that starts at $175’ per square foot. This is our base price – gives you a nice home; we can take it as far as you desire from there. Typically most of our homeowners have their own lot, but if you don’t we can help you find your lot. So we’ll take your plans/ideas/others + combined with your desired features “Base vs Super Custom” and work from there. Knowing your budget, having a list of absolutes as well as desires then gives you a great place to begin in building your new home.
We’ve built homes in walking distance from downtown, to the suburbs all the way up to Lake Livingston. We enjoy the differences in what they all bring – we have extensive experience from Inner-Loop living requirements to country septic system installation. Our employees and contractors live all over greater Houston, so there’s really no place too far.
What if I need to sell my home 1st. We work with a few in-house realtors that know Houston very well and can help transition from selling your home, to moving into your new home as well. Also, depending on the situation – we maybe able to save you a few dollars in the process as well.
Personalization, Attention to Detail and Relationships are the main reasons. While all companies have policies & standards in place to be successful – we will jointly work together and customize where others wouldn’t entertain this encumbrance. Each home we build will always be a part of us at Zander Homes; our homeowners, their house and the process all means so much to us even years later – even after you’ve spent multiple Christmas in your home with your family.
Do you offer remodeling? Yes we do. While we are selective about remodeling jobs – we have done our fair share. Some of our recent remodels have been for previous homeowners we’ve built or sold too. Some of our remodels have been up for the “Best Awards in Texas.” While remodeling is different from new homes, we strive to take the same care and detail with our remodeling projects as a new home. Whether building new or remodeling hire a professional to get the results you desire.
While there are thousands of selections for your home, we will help guide you through the process. We have a variety of standard samples of items; we will also work with you at one of our partners showrooms for selection/designing process as well. We treat you the same if you are at our base $125 budget or a High-End custom at $200′ per foot. IF you are looking for an Interior Designer we’ve worked with great ones throughout the years and can recommend one if applicable.
Absolutely! IF a builder/remodeler ever brags about building to code Run Away! Building to current codes and standards are the minimum requirements – each city has their own codes & ordinances, Texas has no “licenses for homebuilders”. We belong to our local, state & national Homebuilding Associations, as well as use continuing education & others, to provide the best professional services as possible.
Sometimes we get requests to help offset costs (or) simply because someone in the family is in a particular industry. While we understand this, we only use our vendors, suppliers and sub-contractors, as there are many legal implications & insurance responsibilities that we must maintain and adhere too.
Zander Homes has led the way over the past few years from most of our competitors. We deliver homes that are Healthier, More Sustainable & More Efficient! While everything seems to be going “Green” today, we strive to deliver the best options and features on the market that will have a positive impact on your life and a return on your wallet. *See our Live Efficiently tab to learn more.
Actual Construction time is typically 150 days (pouring slab onward). Obtaining plans, permitting & demolition, and others from scratch can take a few months as well. The typical rule of thumb is a 6-month build cycle depending on the municipality as well as the customization of the home.
We have multiple inspections over the build of your home; from Zander Homes’ personnel, City & County Inspectors, Engineers and others. We also walk our homeowners a few times throughout various stages of construction as well. Third-Party Inspectors – yes, if you want a third party we invite them and have worked with many over the years.
Your home comes Backed by the A-Rated Lloyd’s of London with Limited 1yr – 2yr & 10-year Warranty provided by Texas’ Number One Home Warranty company. 1st Year = Defects from Faulty Workmanship & Materials. 2nd Year = Major Mechanicals & Specific Performance Standards: Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical. 10th Year = Structural Deficiencies in Home & Foundation.
We use fixed costs contracts. So, while lumber prices go up/down our price to you stays the same. A change order is anything outside our contract, selections, specifications; “It’s a change from the contract.” Maybe you were thinking of adding cabinets in your office but didnt want to commit to it & cost at time of contract – now a bonus came & time to add those cabinets, that is a change from original contract. Most of our homeowners have some type of change orders ie; “add can lights to a room” it’s simply the costs in material, time, labor of an item. We want to be open and flexible to you & your home.
Not necessarily – yes there are some large builders who will always be less expensive, but depending on your home and budget – the big X-Factor is the cost is land. Big builders develop subdivisions to offset this cost. After that, you may be surprised how close the two are – Simply compare our BOYL pricing and features to theirs and you’ll see for yourself. We can start with our base price/features or go as custom as your heart & budget will allow. But generally speaking it’s overall very competitive – Ask Zander Homes about the differences today!
No, we mainly build inside Houston’s loop communities or BOYL locations spread out the Greater Harris Country and surrounding areas, which don’t enable us to utilize Model Homes as if we were in a subdivision. The advancement in technology has helped us over the past few years of being able to utilize our website, pictures, smart phones and others sustainably though. We do typically have homes finished or under construction that we gladly meet any of our homeowners at to walk and show like a model. We use these things to help build your home as well as make it as easy as possible for our owners.
It’s simply a contract or retainer for designing your home ie: fees for your builder working with you, the architect or engineers, features in home etc… Why would you do this? We are contractually working for you – whether it be customizing one of our current plans, yours or starting from scratch. It’s similar to having your own plans drawn – besides we are working for you & with architect to ensure what’s being drawn will fit into your home, lot, budget, structural engineering and others… Very important while some architects like to give an idea of cost, only your builder truly knows that since he does it everyday. Also, by bringing in a 3rd party architect or engineer could raise cost by differences in plans/designs that your builder has to warrant for the next 10-years (a lot of homeowners don’t think about that in that manner).
There is no time like the present to build – why? You know your current job, family, interest rates, cost to build today – these are known Absolutes. While its certain there will always be uncertainty, we know prices will continue to rise over time, cost of goods to build as well as land. We’ve had multiple price increases over the years – I cant begin to tell you how many times concrete has doubled in price the last few years as well… There is no crystal ball, but there are a lot of absolutes to help us along our way.
Big Production Builders typically have a fixed price for plans & features per sqft of the home, So we try to give a Road Map of Price per Sqft as well, although there are many variations in building a custom home. (See our BOYL – Costs tab). That is saying we put in so many bathrooms, granite, wood flooring/carpet, brick etc… Any addition will add costs, so while your home may be big/small – if you have lots of cabinets, bathrooms or a detached garage, exotic granite that’s outside the norm/base starting point. We use a starting point and go from there.
Absolutely! There are THREE things that are imperative: 1). Being able to Communicate with one another. 2). Trusting your Builder as the professional; 3). Having Realistic Expectations of what all is involved in building a new home. “Communication” is the lifeline to this whole process, if this doesn’t work out – not much will; remember people communicate differently, find out what works best for you & your project. “Trusting” your builder; they are typically the expert and if they’re unsure about something, they’ll contact a person to get an answer – this is the same as your clients trusting you at work, if a question arises you get it resolved. Everybody wants to perform well for their clients – if trust is broken on either end it’s hard to repair. “Realistic Expectations” most builders take great pride in your home, their work and strive diligently to achieve this – but what they are doing maybe different from what you thought or expected, though this happens it can be worked out fairly easily – but each party has to see it from both sides. It seems as if we spoke about Relationships & not so much about homebuilding. In my opinion that’s where it all will starts as well as ends. Both parties (homeowner & builder) have to be able to work jointly together to achieve a common goal. IF that doesn’t happen – your plans, price of home or others will pale in comparison to a broken relationship.