Building the custom home of your dreams can be intimidating and exciting at the same time. The more you know about the custom home building process up front, the better. We find that clients who have done their research and have a solid understanding of what their vision and budget are have a more enjoyable home building experience. Below you’ll find some of our most asked questions about building a home in Asheville. Have more questions, ask us!

Why should I build a new home when they’re existing homes available?
Building a custom home ensures you get everything you want. Your style, budget, and ideas drive the project and we guide you so you get exactly what you want. If a master-planned neighborhood with similar looking houses isn’t your thing, or a large scale remodel isn’t a project you want to take on, a new custom home might be your best bet. The low inventory levels of homes for sale in Asheville can make searching for a home that fits your needs exhausting and often times buyers feel like they have to settle for a home that’s less than ideal.

Should I build or remodel my home?
If you’re considering remodeling vs. building a custom home, there are many factors you need to take into consideration. Do you love the location of your current home? If so, maybe it’s best to look into a home remodel. If your current home can’t be remodeled to give you the additional space, functionality, or style you want, it’s time to consider building a custom home. Read the other factors you should consider on our blog post “Moving vs. Home Remodeling in Asheville.”

What are the differences between a custom home and a spec home?
Spec homes are the ideas of builders or developers and are built to sell without a specific buyer in mind. Typically the market and current trends drive the selection process. The builder or developer want the new home to sell as fast as possible so they choose products and style selections that are attractive to a large audience of potential buyers. Depending on where in the home building process the builder is, you may get to choose from a couple of options that have been pre-selected by the builder. The home will certainly pass all inspections and may fit your need, but may not be the quality you want. Building a custom home ensures you make every decision from the type of foundation to where outlets are placed in your living room. A new custom home is the only option that guarantees you get to choose the products and materials you want.

What is the time frame for building a custom home in Asheville?

Every custom home project we build has a different timeline, but we tell clients to expect the process to take between 9-12 months. If your house plans are larger or your lot requires extensive site work before we can get started, it can take up to 18 months. The home building process starts with initial planning meetings and site visits which help determine the final plan and budget. Once we have a signed contract and are ready to get started, we move into permitting and site development. We are extremely up front and transparent about budgets. We will not break ground on a new home until we are all in agreement and know all costs for constructing the home.

Does Judd Builders have lots or do I need to find land on my own?

We don’t sell land but we can help you find land. We are experienced Asheville home builders and will help you find the right property for the home you want to build. We have a Realtor in our office Monday-Friday that can assist you in finding the perfect lot to build your new home on. John Jr. and John Sr. do site visits to lots to conduct feasibility studies before you buy the land. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when building a new home in the mountains and we can help you navigate the market. Deciding on the Asheville area where you want to build your new home is a good starting place. From there, you should decide whether it’s important to be in a planned neighborhood or if you’d rather be in a wide open area with no restrictions. We’ve built custom homes in many of Asheville’s most desirable neighborhoods.

What is the cost of building a home in Asheville, NC?

Every new home we build is 100% custom which means the clients choose almost every detail associated with the home. With that being said, there are costs associated with every new construction home no matter the home plan, style, or size.

• The foundation, framing, windows, doors, roofing, and dry wall can average about a third of the budget.
• Interior trim and finishes including cabinets, moldings, flooring, and counter tops can also be at around a third of the budget.
• Electrical, plumbing and HVAC can run you around 10-20% of the budget.
• If you decide to engage an architect or engineer plan on paying $5,000+. Finding a new home plan online and allowing our draftsman to tweak it to fit your needs may be a good option if you don’t want to hire an architect.

Additional home building costs include purchasing land which can run you $50,000 to $100,000’s for desirable lots in Asheville, NC. Once a lot is purchased, excavation and grading costs can be estimated.  From there land inspections, water testing and septic testing may be necessary. If a well needs to be drilled, the cost can run you as little as $4,000 to as much as $12,000. Read more about drilling your own well.

Hopefully you won’t experience unexpected costs when building a new construction home, but it can happen and you should keep this in mind. The Judd Builders team does their very best to provide the most accurate budget possible during the planning phases but there are times when unpredictable expenses can pop up. We try to minimize these as much as possible.

We are understanding when it comes to client changes during the home building process. We make the change order process seamless which reduces confusion for us, our subcontractors, and the client. Change orders can be made and approved through our cloud based software Buildertrend.

If you’re interested in building a new home in Asheville in 2020 or 2021 get started now. Submit your contact information and we’ll be in touch.