How We Do It
Title – “The Sky House Pathway”
STEP 1 – CONSULTATION
In this first step of the consultation, we will meet at our office and discuss your project to find out where you currently are in the process and identify the determining factors for your individual needs. These are qualities that you are looking for in a builder, what their expectations are with a builder and what services you want your builder to provide. Also, determining factors will include any kind of “must-haves” you want with your new project.
This could be price-driven, quality-driven or timeline driven. Usually, it comes down to two determining factors, i.e. high quality in a short timeline drives the cost up or low price with higher quality can be very difficult to accomplish and oftentimes leads to longer build cycles. Low quality, low cost has the shortest turnaround time but you end up with low-quality production – WE DO NOT PROVIDE LOW-QUALITY PRODUCTION.
Budget? It’s not uncommon to feel uncomfortable talking about what your budget is with a builder. We get it. However, based on your vision for your new home, we are very confident in being able to give you a “ballpark” number. If it’s outside your budget, we can discuss where we can provide a more realistic number by making adjustments in the vision.
There is no charge for Step 1.
STEP 2 – PRE-CONSTRUCTION
After our consultation meeting is over and you feel comfortable moving forward with Sky House we start step 2 which is the Pre-Construction service phase. In this phase, we create “the plan” for your new home. We start with selecting an architect that fits the style of the home you’re envisioning as well as an architect that you feel comfortable with. We work with several architects all with different styles and personalities. If you need help choosing an architect, we would be glad to help you with the process. Ideally, we prefer working with the architect from the conception of the design all the way through final drawings. This allows us to eliminate designs and drawings that aren’t feasible to the budget that the client would be paying for. We want to protect you from the “surprise and confusing costs”.
Next, we define the project. We identify the important features you would like to incorporate into your home and align these features with the budget. In this planning phase, we can diagnose potential problems on paper rather than on-site during construction. This saves you a ton of money, time and quality. You will really enjoy the speed and efficiency of a well-planned build.
Working alongside the architect, we can combine our expertise of building with the design expertise of the architect thus creating a well-executed plan at the target budget.
Often times, new ideas and/or changes to initial ideas will come up. It’s not uncommon for these changes to create costs that the customer is not aware of. We want to protect you from this and keep your best interests in mind throughout the process. That’s why it’s important for the designer and builder to walk together through the whole process. That way, you will be able to see the cost impacts of new decisions. Click here for a graphic model of our Pre-Construction Model.
STEP 3 – CONSTRUCTION
Behind every highly successful construction process is a detailed step by step plan of execution. Once we have the pre-construction plan in place, we move seamlessly into the construction process. This phase of the Sky House Way includes the initial site and foundation work. This is a critical step for us because we take pride in setting the house in the most optimal position of the lot to maximize the beautiful mountain views that you probably purchased the lot because of. This is when we bring the big machines to your lot to clear it and move dirt. Think back to the days spent playing with Tonka Trucks in the sandbox.
Once the grade is established, we begin building the foundation for your home here. Every well built home starts with a well designed and executed foundation as this sets the stage for all other construction. Once the foundation is complete the framing of the house commences. We call this going vertical.
This is the phase where the house comes to life and starts taking shape. Typically the framing cycle takes anywhere from 1 to 3 months depending on the time of year, weather, and based on the size/complexity of the home. After the rough framing of the home is complete the rough in of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems starts. This is all the components of the home that you will most likely never see and are hidden within the walls and structure. In the rough in stage we also install the roof on the home. This allows us to have the home permanently dried in and allows for the insulation to be installed followed by all interior wall coverings. The exterior siding installation follows after the roofing is completed. Once interior and exterior wall coverings are in and finished, we then start painting both the interior and exterior. The interior receives a primer coat on all drywall surfaces before the installation of interior trim starts. After the interior trim is installed the painters sand, caulk, and fill nail holes before applying primer. At this time tile work is also underway, typically in all the bathrooms. We then follow with the installation of any hardwood floorings. Once flooring and tile is completed we cover the surfaces to protect them from traffic while the other trades finish their scopes of work.
The finish out phase includes cabinetry install, followed by final coats of paint and lastly the trim out of plumbing fixtures and electrical devices. Lastly, the exterior landscaping and paving of the driveway complete the construction of the home and the interior undergoes a final deep clean before closing out the project.
STEP 4 – CLOSEOUT
The final step in our process is the close out. This is where we schedule a final walkthrough with our team and you, the homeowner. We spend time educating you on how the home functions and how to maintain the home. We provide a full home manual specific to the house which documents all the materials and systems used and any information that may be needed in the future like warranty information, maintenance schedules, parts numbers, and service logs.
We then turn over the keys to your beautiful new home! We don’t stop here though.
At this time we also schedule our 3,6, and 12 month follow up meetings where we come back to the house and inspect to make sure everything is performing as designed. If we find anything that needs to be addressed at these meetings we have our team take care of those items.
