FAQ

Our goal is to put you in charge of building your own home by offering you a complete, proven homebuilding system and ongoing support during construction. Unlike general contractors, we don’t charge “markups” on labor or materials.

No. You can build your own home anywhere in the state of Colorado. Some cities or counties require that you hire professionals to work on the electrical, plumbing and/or heating systems.

Our fee is fixed, based on the square footage of the house. You’ll know all charges up front, and they won’t change based on upgrades or change orders. And, in most cases, you’ll save enough on materials and supplies to offset our fee.

You do. You fill out the paperwork, take in your plans, and get the permit in your name. We are there to help if you need us.

No. Most cities, counties or municipal governments have an easy and user-friendly process, especially if you contact them and tell them you are going to be your own builder. They will give you the paperwork you need and explain how to complete and submit it. Many cities and counties also have informative Web sites that explain the whole process.

• You have unlimited access to our background and our company’s knowledge. We are never more than a phone call away.
• We have identified outstanding subcontractors who want to do the work right the first time. You are a good reference for them for new work.
• Local inspectors will be monitoring your project at various mandatory inspection stages.
• The lender that has your construction loan (if you borrowed money) will send an inspector at specific stages to verify that the work they are “paying for” is being done right.
• You have a complete Quality Assurance Guide (in understandable terms) for each phase of your project, so you can check every detail.

Whether you are acting as your own builder, or you have hired a professional builder, visits to your new home under construction will be a weekly, and in some cases a daily, occurrence. The biggest difference for an owner-builder is when you find something that you want changed (and you will), you can work directly with the subcontractor to get it done. There is no middle man and often no change order expense. Either way you build, you will spend time selecting windows and doors, roofing and paint, brick or stucco, flooring, cabinets and plumbing fixtures. That’s the fun part of building a new home.

You do. You shop where you like and where you find the best prices. Some owner-builders shop at traditional supply houses. Some use the Internet. Some shop at auctions or garage sales. We have a complete directory of supply houses that provide great service and sell at great prices.

Great! In most cases, you’ll save additional money if you do. The important questions to ask are whether you have the skills for the job and whether you can keep the project on schedule. Remember, time is money when you are using borrowed funds.

• First, you will avoid the costs that a builder or general contractor charges to cover materials, overhead and profit. Those fees range from 10% to 40% of the value of your home. The percentage varies with the size, location, features in your home and the general economic conditions.
• You will have access to HomeWrights suppliers and products for your home at the best available pricing. A little competitive shopping will save you even more. Subcontractors will “bid” for your job so you have choices among price, service and quality. You can build your house at cost.

Your house will appraise when complete as other similar houses on the market, regardless of what it cost to actually build the house (this is your equity)!

You are the one in charge of the project, but we show you how to work with subcontractors so that they return for repairs and corrections. Subcontractors and suppliers in our resource directory are loyal to our clients. They work hard to make sure you are satisfied. And we are there to help iron out any wrinkles.