My Bielinski Home Building Experience, Pt. 3
By Paul Bielinski
I’m building a new Bielinski home! And if that isn’t exciting enough, you all get to follow along. In this four-part series I’ll share what that process looks like. It’s part three and we’re going to look at pre-construction.
So what exactly is pre-construction?
Pre-construction is the timeframe that occurs between when a customer approves their home price with all options and upgrades and when construction begins. A lot occurs during this time, mostly preparing for the actual construction of the home.
What are the most important things happening in this stage?
It begins with a worksheet, a written document detailing all the changes the customer is making to the base plan. After the worksheet is created the personalized plan is drawn up and the home is physically staked out on the lot.
The lot is then surveyed, and Bielinski Homes will then take that information and review the plan internally. The plan is then reviewed with the customer, and, if applicable, an architectural review is scheduled with the neighborhood developer.
Once the plan is finalized, the permitting process begins, and the customer obtains a construction loan and builder’s risk insurance. After permits are pulled and all of this is squared away, pre-construction ends and construction begins.
What does the timetable look like?
Pre-construction can take up to three months or more, so patience is crucial. Understandably, every customer wants to get their home started as soon as possible, but these steps are vital to the process and must be completed prior to construction. Simply put, construction cannot begin until all steps have been thoroughly completed.
How did Bielinski Homes work with you during this stage?
Bielinski Homes handles almost all of the work during the pre-construction process. The only pieces the customer will be responsible for are their construction loan and builder’s risk insurance.
From time-to-time, the customer might be asked for clarification or decision making, like where to place the home on the lot (especially if it’s a large lot).
What was your personal experience like?
During my home’s pre-construction process, I noticed some things that we could be doing to make the customer experience better. Even though most everything went smoothly, I felt the communication between customer (in this case, me) and Bielinski could be improved. There was also a moment when my home’s pre-construction got lost in the shuffle and I had to get involved. Going through this process myself opened my eyes to some areas where Bielinski can make the home building process a lot easier for our customers.
What changes did you make as a result?
There were two major changes.
- First, we created a customer tracking report. Now we always know where every customer is in the process. We also created a weekly meeting with all individuals involved in pre-construction to review the report discussing every home and where they were in the process. Now, a job won’t get lost in the shuffle or get “stuck” anywhere.
- Second, we created seven points of required communication throughout this process. This ensures our customers are made aware of how the job is progressing through the process, no matter what.
Even though we’ve been building beautiful homes for over half-a-century, there’s always, always, always room to improve. In fact, that’s why we’ve been so successful for so long, because we’re willing to evolve and improve. My building experience is just another great chance for us to make Bielinski Homes better.
In case you missed them, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of my building experience. Remember to check back for monthly blog updates on my building process! To contact us about building your own new home click here.