BUILDER QUALIFICATIONS CHECKLIST
Building a new home is a big decision and choosing a qualified builder is most critical to the success of any home building project. When making your decision make sure you ask your prospective builders the following questions:

• Does the Builder provide a list of satisfied customers? For a list of our client references refer to page 6 of our New Homeowner's Guide.
• Does the builder utilize a written warranty and provide a copy to clients? We use the ACES Builder Limited Warranty and Performance Standards. Ask for a sample copy.
• Does the Builder have a defined warranty process and what are the average number of days it take to respond to warranty request? For a complete explanation of our warranty process refer to pages 25-28 of our New Homeowner's Guide.
• Is the Builder Registered in the State of Texas and what is their registration number? Our Texas State Registration Number is 3890.
• Is the builder an active member of the National Association of Home Builders and what certifications do they hold? We are and have been active members of the NAHB since 1997 and for a list of certifications see page 5 of our New Homeowner's Guide.
• Does the Builder carry general liability insurance and builders risk insurance and what are the limits? We carry general liability insurance with limits of $2,000,000 and $1,000,000. We also maintain builders risk insurance for each home we build in an amount equal to the replacement cost less the land value.
• Does the Builder maintain worker's compensation release records as required by the State of Texas and why is this important? We maintain subcontractor and supplier files consistent with state requirements to protect you, the homeowner, from unnecessary worker injury risk.
• Does the Builder require and maintain lien releases from subcontractors and suppliers and why is this important? We require partial lien releases from our suppliers and subcontractors for each payment we make. This protects you from unnecessary lien liability and insures that your builder is staying current with payment of all bills.
• Does the Builder have a defined quality assurance process and what is it? We have developed a process to insure quality through the utilization of the following systems. Ask us more. We'd love to explain.
  • Internal BWCHQC Guide
    • In Process Quality Control by Dedicated Construction Managers
  • 3rd Party Expert Inspections
    • Foundation Inspections
      • Piers & Makeup by Strand Systems Engineering
      • Concrete & Placement by Sam's Engineering & Testing
  • Fame Inspection by Burgess Construction Consultants
  • Final Inspection by Burgess Construction Consultants
• Is the Builder financially sound? We are more than happy to provide a list of our lenders, suppliers and subcontractors upon request from any client.
• With whom will I be in contact with on a daily basis? How do we communicate? We take keeping you informed as a client very seriously and understand effective communication throughout the process of building your new home is critical to your satisfaction. That is why we've developed a series of "walks" and weekly client contacts to keep you informed. Ask us more.
  • Team and Roles
  • Weekly Flash Reports
  • Weekly Builder Phone Calls
  • Formal Meetings
    • Redline Meeting (see page 17 of the New Homeowner's Guide)
    • Pre-Sheetrock (see page 21 of the New Homeowner's Guide)
    • Buyer Demonstration (see page 22 of the New Homeowner's Guide)
    • Final Walk (see pages 23-24 of the New Homeowner's Guide)
• Does the Builder have a process to manage changes during construction? For a complete explanation of our change process see pages 13-16 of our New Homeowner's Guide.
• Does the Builder have a process to manage color selections? We provide an AISD interior designer to help you with the process of making selections. For a complete explanation of our selection process see page 18 of our New Homeowner's Guide.
• How many homes a year does the Builder build? We currently build between 15 and 20 homes a year.
• How does the Builder control cost? We control cost first by bidding each and every home from a detailed set of construction documents and amenity definitions. Then we hold our suppliers and subcontractors accountable by issuing over 100 work orders and purchase orders for each specific step. Finally each and every invoice is coded and approved by accounts payable, purchasing, the construction manager and finally the president of the company prior to payment.
• How many years experience does the Builder have? We have over 23 years of experience building homes in Texas and 10 years experience as Barnett/West Custom Homes.

 

PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION