The idea of building a custom home is exciting and full of possibilities, but can also be a little daunting. With so many factors to consider, you may be a little unsure of the process and exact steps involved. The where, the how and who will make it happen. You’ve had a vision for your new home. Now let’s bring your vision to life.

Here’s an overview of what you can expect when building a custom home with Design Gallery Homes by Drees:

1. Plan

With some custom builders, you can start from scratch using a plan that you might buy from an architect. While this allows for the ultimate in creativity, it also leaves room for budget creep and surprise delays in the timeline, considering the builder has never built this particular home before.

At Design Gallery Homes, we encourage you to start with one of our award-winning floor plans as a base and will work with you to adjust the plan so that it fits your vision. The advantage of using an existing plan as a base is that we are better equipped to give you clear estimates of costs and construction. We can also offer firm contract pricing on your home and design finishes — upfront and in writing.

2. Finance

Many custom home builders are too small to finance construction on your behalf, so they’ll ask you to secure a construction loan and to purchase your lot directly from the seller. The downfall of this is that you will have to pay on a second loan in addition to the mortgage on your current home, and you will have a lot of additional paperwork and closings on each of these transactions.

Design Gallery Homes is a division of Drees Homes, who has been in the homebuilding business since 1928. We’re able to buy the lot and finance construction, so you don’t need to worry about a construction loan. That’s a major advantage, so that you have one easy closing to take possession of your home and land at the end of the process.

3. Design

Selecting the finishes in your home is exciting part of the custom home building process. Many custom home builders will give you an allowance and a list of vendors to visit. Making all of these appointments can feel like a second job, and it’s hard to see how the different elements will all come together in in a final look.

Because we know your time is valuable, Design Gallery Homes invites you visit the Drees Design Center where finishes and samples from the top manufacturers are available in one place. We also have professional designers on staff who can help you combine finishes to achieve the look you have in mind.

4. Build

Watch as your vision comes to life. The building process begins with a pre-construction meeting. From there, you will have weekly communication with your builder, pre-drywall reviews and various quality checks to ensure a worry-free process.

5. Own

You’ll get acquainted with your new home at homeowner orientation and receive your keys at closing. After closing, our dedicated warranty staff will schedule follow up appointments at 60 and 120 days to address any remaining items that may come up. We also stand behind our homes with a 10-year transferrable structural warranty.

To learn more about building a custom home with Design Gallery Homes by Drees, visit dreeshomes.com.