Custom Homes Clarkston MI – Mazza Building and Development Company

Are you looking for a Clarkston MI Custom Home? Call the top rated Clarkston MI custom home builders at Mazza Building Company (248) 625-3305 today!

Building Your Dream Home on Your Own Lot

Do you have a new home floorplan that you love, or land that inspires you, or both?

If you dream of designing a new home that takes full advantage of the unique geography and views of land that you love, then you’re a candidate for a Build On Your Lot home, sometimes know by the acronym BOYL.

Building a home on your own land can sound like a pricey prospect, but rest assured that new homes can be built on your lot or land across a wide range of budgets.

Getting Started

The process of building a custom home in Clarkston MI on your lot can begin in any one of four places:

With land you love.

If you own a lot already or are inheriting one, you’re one step ahead of the dreaming stage. If you haven’t found that perfect lot yet, you can work with a Realtor who specializes in land purchases or contact a builder who can help you locate the right spot for your home. Paul Schumacher, founder and owner of Schumacher Homes, which builds homes in 15 states, says two-thirds of their customers already own land or are in the process of acquiring land. Schumacher Homes can recommend Realtors to the other one-third to help them find property.

With an architect.

Depending on your budget and the level of customization you’re looking for, you can hire an architect to transfer ideas from your wish list to a blueprint. Rob Rutherford, owner of Nelson Homes in Arrington, Va., says having floorplans drawn by an architect could cost $5,000 to $6,000, while Schumacher says architectural fees can go up to $35,000.

With a floorplan.

An Internet search yields dozens of companies that sell floorplans that you can bring to a builder for inspiration or to customize for your land. Floorplans that can be used for review, but not for building, cost anywhere from $150 to $500, while complete sets that can be provided to a builder for construction cost from $1,000 to $2,500 or more.

With a builder.

Most builders offer floorplans of their own that you can have built as designed. Depending on the builder, you can often customize the design to your specifications.
The path to your dream home depends on a variety of factors, particularly your budget and the level of customization you want.

Customizable Floor Plans

Schumacher says his company has portfolios of homes on their website that include characteristic architectural elements for specific locations. For example, in Louisiana, the home designs have a French country influence, while the homes in Wilmington, N.C., have a southern coastal style.

“We have floorplans that range in size from 1,000 to 6,000 square feet that function as a starting point, and then we can customize everything inside and out,” says Schumacher. “A lot of buyers come in with ideas from websites like Houzz and magazines and we discuss everything they want to do with the home and give them a price quote.”

Schumacher says less than one-half percent of people who build a new home hire an architect.

“It’s much more common for people to choose one of our floorplans or to come in with a plan from a service,” he says. “If they bring one to us, we’ll see if we have something similar that can be modified.”

Model Home and Design Center Options

Nelson Homes has model homes available so customers can see the attributes of the homes. Rutherford says the more buyers can visualize what they’re building, the fewer change orders are necessary.

“There’s nothing better than touring a builder’s model home to see the finished product,” says Schumacher. “It helps you see the quality you should expect and get great ideas. You can take any one element of a model home and add it to your home.”

Studying the Land

An important part of the process of building on your own land is for you or your builder to work with a civil engineer to make sure you’re following the regulations for the jurisdiction where your land is located, says George Fritz, COO of Horizon Builders in Crofton, Md.

“You need to know how you’re going to get power to your house, whether you need a well and how you’ll handle sewage,” says Fritz.

Whether you’re a first-time or a repeat buyer, if you dream of owning a home that’s never been lived in and reflects your tastes, you’re a candidate to build on your own lot rather than within a new community. Rutherford says his company schedules a site visit, arranges utilities, helps customers get their zoning approved and permits for constructions and has an excavation company they can work with to build a road if necessary.

“We always look at the land with our clients to talk about how the house they want to build would fit on the property and how it would be positioned,” says Schumacher. “We need to do that early in the process in case the plans need to be modified and to estimate costs.”

Bennett says he typically goes by his customers’ judgment, description and photos of their land at first, then requires a site visit once the contract has been signed. source: newhomesource.com

If you are looking for a custom home builder in Clarkston MI and surrounding areas, call the Clarkston MI custom home experts at Mazza Building and Development Company today at (248) 625-3305.