Custom Home Building FAQs

If you’re looking for a brand new home, but haven’t been able to find the right one to fit your needs, you might want to consider building a custom home.  Custom homes are brand new homes that are built and designed to a homeowner’s unique specifications. LEARN what makes custom built homes unique.

If you’ve purchased your own plot of land for the purpose of building a custom home, Schumacher Homes makes it simple. There aren’t many things more satisfying than having the freedom to build and design a brand-new home on your very own plot of land, whether you just purchased it, are expanding on an existing lot, or recently inherited acreage from family. But where do you start? Working with us is one of the easiest and painless ways to go without having to hire multiple contractors, worry about site planning, or do any of the construction yourself. LEARN more about the process of building on your lot.

Contrary to popular belief, building a custom home can actually be quite easy when you work with an experienced and reputable homebuilder. Building a custom home doesn’t have to be one big do-it-yourself project where you have to vet and hire an architect, contractor, plumber, or electrician, and deal with building codes. Working with Schumacher Homes gives you the best of both worlds. We take care of all the technical details like site planning, permits and labor, so you can focus on the fun part—designing your dream home.

First of all – no compromises! Every used house on the market is going to have something that’s just “not right” for you, something you have to settle for. With a fully customized home, every square foot is built exactly the way you want it. And includes everything you want such as messy kitchens, open floor plans, a huge pantry, or spa bathrooms – no compromises like with existing homes. Also, all of our homes are built with the latest energy efficient products that help to save money on your utility bills every month.

Each custom home differs slightly in the homebuilding process due to location and inspections.  After the required permits have been issued, construction can begin. There are varying degrees of homesite preparation needed depending on your building site.

The first significant construction activity of your home is the foundation, which provides the structural support for the entire home. Framing provides the structure for the interior and exterior walls, floors, ceilings and roof of the home, as well as all windows and doors. All mechanicals, which include plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical, will be roughed in following the completion of the framing stage. The exterior finish, including siding, soffits, gutters, etc. can be started any time after the framing is complete. Once all mechanical inspections are completed, the builder insulates the exterior walls. Once the insulation is completed and inspected, the drywall will be hung and insulation blown in.

The the fun part begins. Installation of trim and interior doors, and completion of all other interior woodwork throughout your home, including cabinets, countertops, and vanities. Your walls and trim will be prepped and painted with your selected colors. After the painting is done, the hard surface flooring and carpet will be installed. The lighting and plumbing fixtures are installed next. After all finishing touches are complete, a final cleaning of your new home is performed.  LEARN more about the building process here.

We offer the best new home warranty in the industry that includes a third party 10-year structural warranty. The guidelines to qualify for this insured warranty are so strict that only 1% of builders nationwide qualify to offer it. And we provide a full two years on the mechanicals.

We have over 50 fully furnished model homes spread throughout our 20 plus locations. There are single story homes, two-story homes, some with first floor owner retreats, and even a few that have a second owner's retreat available to tour – all you have to do is stop by.  No appointment is necessary.

The process of building your dream home depends on the size of the home and the location of the build. It typically can take about three to four months for the planning and design process and then another four to seven months for the building stages. The majority of our homeowners are in their new home within seven to ten months. We have construction and design processes in place that have been tested and refined over the years to ensure work is on time, on budget, and meets the highest quality standards.

The upfront costs of building a custom home can make it more expensive than buying an existing one. But over the long term, a custom home is often the cheaper option. There are plenty of factors to consider. But your custom home will be built with the latest materials and modern construction methods. That means long-term savings through energy efficiency, no upgrades to worry about, and the protection of a home warranty. 

Building a custom home is one of the most exciting projects you can take on.  Reputable builders have a proven building process to ensure everything goes smoothly and is planned out making the process simple, and as hassle-free as possible.  In most cases, yes, it’s better to build a custom home than buy an existing house or a new construction minimally customizable property, like a spec home. The biggest reason is how much control you have. When you build a custom home, you have a say over everything, 

Existing pre-owned and built-to-sell, spec, homes were made for their original builders, not you. With outdated styles, smaller rooms, and minimal storage, the average older home can get in the way of living your best life.  TV shows may make home renovations look exciting and fun, but in reality they can take a lot of time, money, and stress to get what you initially pictured.  So, consider the tradeoffs carefully.

A better first question might be, where am I planning on building my new home?  You can’t build a dream home without the land on which to build so factor in site work. In the simplest terms site work includes a whole category of tasks needed to make a plot of land suitable to build upon. 

Next to having a desirable plot of land and a professionally drawn plan, one of most important considerations in a home building budget is a solid foundation.  Calculating the cost of this portion of the budget can be affected by your floor plan’s square footage, the type of foundation and soil quality. Framing, that is the process by which your blueprints come to life by material and structure, is often the most expensive part of actually constructing your home.

 Account for a decent part of the budget towards major systems and hooking up utilities like sewer, electrical, HVAC and other plumbing.  Interior finishes include everything from light switches to flooring to the faucet can play a major role in your budgeting. Siding or stonework, roofing, exterior doors, and windows serve equally in functional and stylistic capacity. They can play a major role in energy efficiency, curb appeal and so much more.

We sure will!  Unlike some builders that expect you to prepare your site and have it “build ready” before they start – we do all of that for you. Since every lot is different as part of your lot walk and quote, we will estimate the costs involved to get your site ready for your new home – but rest assured – all the work will be handled by us.  This is the best way to assure that your home gets situated on your land the perfect way. We can also address any concerns or questions you might have about your lot before the actual building of your home takes place to make it as easy and carefree as possible.  LEARN some tips about finding a homesite. 

Don’t worry if you don’t have land yet. Almost half of our customers did not own land before they came to us. We have valuable relationships with the real-estate community in each of our building areas who will be happy to help you find the perfect lot for your home.

The best part of being an on-your-lot builder is that we build your home on the location of your choice. The location is up to you, in a rural setting, on a family farm, on a lake, in a development- wherever you choose. Whether you currently own a site, are in the process of narrowing down your options or are just getting started–we can help you! READ more about considerations when evaluating land.

That’s the beauty of working with a truly custom homebuilder like us – you can literally make as many changes as you want. Want to add square footage, a three-car garage or move a few walls? No problem – we can do that. The amount of changes you make are limited only by your desires.

Absolutely not! We’ll be happy to schedule time to sit down with you to discuss your needs and dreams as you begin the process of building your dream home. In fact, this is a great time to really get an idea just how much home you can invest in while learning about architectural styles and the latest design trends. Our price quotes are the most detailed in the industry and will spell out every item that affects the cost of your new home. No surprises – just a completely transparent quote for you to take home.

We have over a hundred award-winning house plans, and every one is designed and customized to complement your life. We know every dollar counts, that’s why a new home consultant will work within your budget to help create a home that not only meets, but exceeds your expectations. And with itemized quotes, there’s no mystery to our prices and more importantly, no surprises. 

We offer a range of exterior styles—from Modern Farmhouse to French Country to Classic styles and more! We have exteriors that are popular regionally, but can be built anywhere, along with numerous styles that are built all around the country.  And you can make almost any exterior style match any of the floor plans we offer. If you have your heart set on a craftsman look with a touch of farmhouse, our team can work with you to design it just the way you want it.

You bet – and that’s actually one of the most exciting times in the early planning stages of your home. Each of our locations has a design studio specifically developed to help you make all your choices in one place. No need to run all over town to pick out your features – we have a one-stop shopping experience that you’ll love and makes your life easy.

In fact, we have multiple plans designed with a dual owner's suite right in the original floor plan. They have a large second owner's suite that includes its own kitchen and laundry room. In many cases, this room can actually be attached to the home by a beautiful porch, so it is in essence its very own living space. We even have a couple of models available showing this design for you to tour. And keep in mind – you can take any of our floor plans and add a second suite to it – all you have to do is ask.

We provide the most comprehensive list of included features in the industry. With both national buying power and local expertise, we’re able to buy superior products at lower prices and offer them as included features—meaning you pay much less.

Yes, you have to start with one of our house plans. We have about a hundred of plans to choose from and each one can be changed or customized to fit your family’s needs. The process begins with one of our house plans, but it ends with the home of your dreams.

Yes, our model homes and design studio locations are open to the public every day we're open. You are welcome to stop in and browse our homes without an appointment in a no-pressure environment.

Yes! When you create a MySchumacher account, you have access to pick your favorite plans and modify them further with our Customize & Price tool. You can also view gallery photos you want to save and access documents created for you.

We’ll be happy to put you in contact with one of our preferred lenders so you can ease into this transition. Building a new home is different than buying an existing one and our lenders are experts at creating programs designed just for you. They’ll help you with bridge loans and construction loans that save you money and make the process as stress free as possible.

When constructing a new home, you’ll typically need both a construction loan and then a permanent loan. The construction loan covers the building process while the permanent loan pays off the construction loan covering the actual overall cost of the home and land (if you roll land into the loan). Luckily these loans are typically combined to make for an easy process. Schumacher Homes’ lenders are able to issue these loans in such a manner to keep the financial factors of building your new home relatively easy. There’s never been a better time to build between the low interest rate environment and loan products now available for new construction. We work with multiple lenders including Schumacher Mortgage in each of our building areas. We will be happy to put you in contact with them to help answer any you may have.