The collapse of the housing market late in 2008 had a domino effect on the entire building industry: people stopped buying; builders stopped building; sub-contractors stopped working; house-building materials prices dropped. Fortunately, the market is on the rebound and now may be the absolute best time to build a new home! Interest rates are at historic lows, there are government tax incentives galore, there is competition among home builders for your business, and building materials are still the lowest they’ve been in years.

However, when it comes to selecting a home builder, you need to be choosy. Here’s some advice.

Go For Quality

Building a home is an investment of both time and money that will pay off in time, so don’t cut corners. Your home will retain its long-term value if you choose a builder who insists on using only quality materials. Too many builders cut their own costs and boost their bottom lines by using inferior materials. Your builder should be upfront about his philosophy and provide proof of his quality workmanship and use of superior materials.

A Solid Reputation

Take the time to research different builders and select one that has a stellar reputation in the community. Talk to homeowners for whom he has built and see if they had a good experience. Have they had chronic problems with their new home or do they give their builder a thumbs-up?

In addition to high customer satisfaction ratings, a builder should also have a reputation in his own industry for creating homes that are the epitome of practically, affordability, and elegance.

Now really is a great time to build: just make sure you take as much time researching your builder as you do your floor plans.

Below I am giving you some tips how to go about finding the right building contractor and how to ensure that you are getting the best deal possible.

Shop Around

Building Contractors generally always want you to use them if they give you an estimate to build your home. The reason for this is because it does take some time to get all the information and complete the estimation. However, it is not a requirement. You may make some people a little bit upset by the fact that you’re talking to other contractors, but you will know who is ripping you off and who isn’t by the time it is all said and done. For this reason, if you have know you are going to go with someone specific, I would encourage you to let them know you’re talking to a couple of other contractors. This will hopefully help them keep the price down as much as possible because they want your business!

Know your Building Process

So many people make the mistake of hiring someone to do the work but totally neglecting the fact that they should at least get some basic understanding in the process. Not only will this help the contractor so that he is not having to keep you up to date everyday, but you will be able to walk through the house each day and take note of the changes and realize what is good work and what isn’t. For example, I have been into some houses and have seen walls that looked like waves across it. The cause of this was that the framing crew didn’t have the wall straight when it was built. So actually, after your house is framed, you should look closely down the walls to ensure that they appear as straight as possible. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as a perfect wall. However, they should be straight enough that to the naked eye you can’t see the problems.

Take Pictures!

I know I have a dad that is pretty good in construction. Maybe you are in a situation where you don’t know much, but others related to you do. You don’t have to ask them to view pictures, more than likely they would be interested in seeing them. Generally, if they see any mistakes, if your dad is anything like mine, he’ll let you know. This is just a good way to get someone else’s eyes on the process to ensure that you aren’t overlooking anything. Especially if you aren’t real familiar with how framing is done or what to look for, just sharing these pictures is a good reference and good way to look back later if there are any problems in the home after you move in.

In recent years the profile of rural Scottish architecture has been raised by the succession of contemporary vernacular buildings in the Scottish Highlands.

One area where this has been particularly noticeable is the Isle of Skye. Located off the Western coast of Scotland, Skye is a rugged and beautiful island with numerous mountains and an extensive coast line. With the opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995, the accessibility of the island was greatly improved, and in the years since the number of visitors to the island has risen dramatically. In contrast to other Hebridean Islands the population of Skye has continued to grow steadily – aided by the increase in new residents to the island from mainland UK.

The influx of new residents on the island, and the increase in demand for holiday accommodation, has led to a significant shortage of suitable properties. The traditional residential building on the island is the white croft house – normally two rooms with a small cupboard (used as a bedroom in the centre), these houses, whilst suitable for the climate and constraints of working a croft, are not suitable to the requirements and demands of a modern family and as a result the number of new build properties on the island has dramatically risen.

The two routes open to potential home owners on the island is the purchase and construction of a kit house – available in a range of faux traditional styles, which claim to derive their design from the traditional croft houses, yet this is often hard to see; or to employ the services of an architect or design agent.

By employing a professional to guide the clients through the design process and the issues of gaining statutory consents (planning permission, building warrant and where necessary listed building consent), allows the clients to specify the exact design of house they want – with their needs and requirements met to a level that a kit house would not be able to achieve.