We've been in our home for over a year now. I've waited to write a review because my recommendation…read morecomes with a few suggestions.
1. You will be heavily involved in every aspect of the build. This begins with budget; to me, this is the most important part of the process. No one ever suggests to skip the details. When you're presented with the vendor bids and the opportunity to look them over, do it. There could be 50-100 bids...read them before selecting the vendor...ask questions. Their understanding of what you want in your home may be incorrect; and it's up to you to catch these mistakes. Sometimes, a re-bid is necessary....sometimes the price goes up. But all this is done before a budget is finalized. If you have specific costs related to your area (water meter installation, running utilities, building fees, HOA costs, permits) research that yourself. UBI tries to know every neighborhood's set of requirements, but things change. Don't forget to include soft costs (such as plans, land clearing, hauling off debris, periodic cleanings during construction) in your budget if you are financing these things.
2. If something seems too low or too high, question it. Get outside bids from vendors you know, not just those recommended from UBI. We had a mix of both...I think this worked great. It creates a "checks and balances" system between their vendors and your vendors. Communicate with these guys and establish a trust with them. Of course, before any work is done, have them sign the required agreement and keep on file. Do not pay fully for anything until work is completed to your satisfaction. When things really get going, expect to be on the job site a couple hours each day. (You really have to anyway, in order to lock up the house once doors/windows are in.)
3. Your on-site project consultant (we had Juan)--communicate with him. Juan was so helpful. He offered his suggestions, but still let us control the process. He met with us per the schedule in the UBI binder, which I feel was an appropriate amount of times. If an issue arose, he was available via phone or text outside of those scheduled meetings. If it was a major issue, he'd make it a point to stop by. If we had trouble with a subcontractor not returning our call, Juan would intervene and make it happen. We did not rely on him for simple tasks that we could be doing ourselves...but we knew he was there if we needed extra help. I think he truly wanted our home to be successful.
4. It helps to have a good sense of what you want. Some people need help with picking out paint, fixtures, etc...if you don't enjoy that kind of thing, this process is not for you. You will find it overwhelming because there are a LOT of details. On the other hand, if you can visualize what you want and clearly communicate those details to someone else (*super important*) you will love building a home yourself.
Why did we choose UBI? We wanted a specific style of home, different from what we usually see in our area. We also wanted to avoid the markup that a builder charges to oversee a project (some builders take on too much, and they're really not onsite as much as they should be anyway.) Thirdly, we wanted to know our home was quality, and no corners were cut. We built with a popular home builder before, and weren't impressed with the overall quality of work. Though the process can be stressful at times, we got to see our home from the "inside out." All in all, it was a good experience for us. Just accept the roles of Project Manager and Financial Manager from the beginning--it will help you get into the right mindset to complete the project on time and on budget.
