RUSSELL EPPRIGHT CUSTOM HOMES
CLIENT ORIENTATION MANUAL

Aces Builders' Warranty

Thank you so much for considering Russell Eppright Homes as your builder. As the number one custom home builder in Austin for the past three years, we attribute our success to quality customer service and complete customer satisfaction. We promote and maintain a genuine customer service attitude toward our clients and among our team. As a result, we consistently translate our customers’ needs into their dream home in an individual, personalized and unique manner. No corner is cut, no detail overlooked and no compromise made in ensuring quality and craftsmanship for each home.

Building a Custom Home

We understand what it takes to build a custom home. We know how daunting a task it can seem to our clients. We believe the most important aspect of the custom home building process is that you have faith in and trust your builder. You’ve come to the right place. You will not be alone in this process. We have carefully selected and organized our team of professionals to make the process as easy and straightforward as possible. We have the systems, staff and resources in place to guide you in the selection process and oversee every aspect of the project. We have intentionally structured our team to allow for layers of oversight so that no detail is overlooked. You can be as involved as you want to be, from down to the selection of every type of tile and every light bulb to simply approving selections that our interior designer chooses for you, and anywhere in between.  That is the beauty of building a custom home with Russell Eppright Homes.

RUSSELL EPPRIGHT HOMES ORGANIZATION

Assuming we haven’t scared you off, we would like to introduce you to our organization and how it is structured. We have assembled a team that gives the client access to more experience and resources than any other custom builder in our market. We believe this is the reason for our success.

Operations

Jody Jones is our Vice President of Operations. He has been with us since 1996 and has a degree in Construction Science from Texas A&M University. Jody coordinates all departments within the organization, monitoring all the processes in the company and continually finding ways to improve them. In the field, Jody has built/supervised over 200 Custom Homes. As a result, Jody’s emphasis is on the construction process, and he is constantly looking for ways to make it more efficient and enjoyable for all parties involved. Jody is always available to all of our clients and urges you to contact him if you feel there are ways we can improve your homebuilding experience. 

Sales & Marketing

Doug Clark is our Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Aided by our sales associate, he takes the client through homesite selection and the design, bid, contract, and financing processes. Doug has over 30 years experience in custom home design and construction and is an expert in his field. Together with our talented design team, we offer a great ability to understand the clients needs and develop home plans that are fresh and exciting and yet practical, which allow efficient construction and keep your project on budget.

Jennifer Cummins, Sales and Marketing Associate, works alongside Doug Clark to ensure the customer expectations are consistently met. She serves as an integral member of our client support system, helping the client through homesite selection and the design, bid, contract, and financing processes. She is also the primary contact for all of our marketing endeavors. She has a graduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and several years of experience.

Design

Alice Hulsey leads our architectural design team. She accumulated a wealth of custom building design knowledge as she has been designing custom homes for over 18 years.  Using the latest Rivet, Architectural Desktop and AutoCAD software, we are able to quickly develop design documents that provide a flexible platform for client input as the design evolves. 

Bob Gilmer is our Vice President of Construction. Involved in home construction for over 30 years, most of his time is spent in the office overseeing the entire construction process. Bob’s responsibilities include continuous subcontractor negotiations and pricing, estimating and bidding new homes and pricing change orders.

Paige Shoberg , our Project Coordinator, is the link between the interior designer and the construction department. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Her organizational skills help to expedite the process of pricing selections and change orders. She also prepares monthly billings for change orders and allowance overages, communicating directly with the client near the completion of their home to settle up on final accounting.

Jake Badger, Jason Natho and Kent Stromberg are our Construction Managers. They are all degreed professionals, have a wealth of experience and excel at building custom homes. Our Construction Managers are responsible for scheduling, coordinating and overseeing the entire construction process for each home they are assigned. Upon the start of construction, the Construction Manager becomes the primary contact for our clients, and they along with Jesus Ibarra, our Construction Assistant, spend most of their time in the field at the homes.

Administrative

Linda Graham is our office manager. Her 20 plus years of experience in homebuilding help her run the office smoothly and efficiently. Linda also works directly with our clients to process the interim construction draws and coordinates closings.

Pam Graham is our Accounts Payable Administrator. A native Austinite, Pam recently joined our team and works directly with our vendors to accurately process accounts payable, oversee liability and worker's comp insurance and manage lien waivers. She earned her Associate's Degree in Spanish and plans to pursue an accounting degree.

Emilie Dauenhauer is our Controller as well as our Human Resources Director.  She is a graduate of The University of California at Santa Barbara with degrees in Business Economics and Psychology. Emilie is responsible for accounts payable to subcontractors and suppliers as well as all accounting functions, financial reporting, closing statements, property taxes, bank reconciliations and human resources.

President - Russell Eppright

Russell started Russell Eppright Homes in 1996. Prior to that as a Construction Manager, Russell built over 50 custom homes and has a degree in Construction Science from Texas A&M University. In the past 11 plus years of Russell Eppright Homes, Russell has served twice as Chairman of the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin’s Parade of Homes, has been involved in several builder initiatives locally and nationally and currently serves on the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin’s Board of Directors. Russell Eppright Homes has earned numerous awards and accolades including The Grand Max Builder for 2006 and 2000, many Product Design Awards spanning several price ranges, Best Construction Manager awards and has been named the #1 Custom Home Builder in Austin for the past three years.

With regard to the company’s operations, Russell focuses on seeking out new strategic homesite positions and the development of those homesites. In addition, his goal is that our team makes every effort to uphold our contractual obligations, conduct our business fairly with our clients and provide exceptional customer service. Russell strives to equip our team with the management tools and authority to handle any problem they encounter.

CUSTOM HOME CREATION PROCESS

Initial Meeting

Once you have decided a custom home is in your future, the first order of business is to find a homesite. Our Sales Team will take you through this process. They will need to know the size and price point in addition to all other requirements such as school district, homesite size, views, etc. We always like to pick out a homesite before beginning to design your new home. In Austin, it is much too difficult to start with a plan and try to force it on a homesite because of the topography, homesite size, and view constraints. We find a homesite and then design to maximize the unique characteristics of that homesite.

We are most proud of our preliminary budget program. Once a homesite has been selected, we can then sit down with you and fill out an entire set of specifications.  This automatically gives you a budget price!  This usually takes about two hours and is within +/- 3% of the final price as long as the specifications and square footages don’t change, or your decision-making process takes so long that our costs increase.

This doesn’t mean that we won’t work with outside architects. We are glad to. Please remember that we can’t control the costs as well if we don’t control the design.

Once we have a budget number established, it is a good idea to check on financing. We have several lenders and will match you up with one to fit your needs. They can usually pre-qualify you within a couple of days. 

The last thing we want to do is build you a home you can’t afford. To quote a wise old builder, “if you can’t afford your dream home, let us build your nightmare”. This quote holds true in that if you have to cut everything out of the home that made it special to you in order to afford it, you may become frustrated with the entire process. This certainly doesn’t mean you have to have an unlimited budget to build a custom home. We pride ourselves in being able to make a preliminary budget in the first meeting with our clients so that they have a very good idea of what they are going to get for a particular price and then creating a home that keeps you on track with that budget.

Architectural Design

After you decide Russell Eppright Homes is a match for you, it’s time to go to the design stage.  To start the design, we require a $5,000 deposit on Russell Eppright Homes owned homesites. The deposit for design on a customer's own homesite is also $5,000, plus the cost of topographic and tree spot survey, and any other tests or reports required to complete the design. These deposits are non-refundable but will be credited toward the purchase price of your new home. The deposit is typically sufficient to complete a preliminary set of plans so we can give you a firm price for your home.

Before we start the design, we will also need to get the homesite under contract. If you are purchasing the homesite from an outside entity, we can assist you with the process. If you are purchasing a homesite from our inventory, we will execute an earnest money contract with you. This contract will be contingent upon coming to terms on a construction contract. If that does not occur, then the homesite contract typically becomes null and void, and the homesite contract earnest monies will be refunded to you.

We start the design process with input from you on the Design Questionnaire in this manual.  It is structured to promote an organized thought process in establishing your wish list for how your new home will function. We realize your responses here will be very preliminary and subject to change; it just gives us a point of departure to begin the design process.

This is all the information we need for a first draft of the plans. It will consist first of just the floor plans. Timing to complete this first draft depends on our workload, but we usually try to get it back to the client within two weeks. From this point, it usually takes a couple of more revisions and the development of the front elevation before we really nail down what the client wants. Throughout the revision process, we will update the specifications and budget so that we don’t let the costs get away from us.

Construction Contract

Once you approve the architectural plans and the budget pricing, we will then be ready to finalize the contract price. At this point we need to draw the electrical plans and any other elevations or sections needed to get a firm price. For final pricing, our estimating department will measure all quantities in detail and solicit prices from our subcontractors and vendors. Usually our firm bid price is no surprise to our clients since we update the budget throughout the design process.

In the typical custom home scenario, the client purchases the lot, and we contract to build the improvements on that lot. This allows the client to take out the interim construction loan in their own name and in most cases write off the interest against their income taxes. For this reason there are two contracts involved in the typical transaction: a lot sales contract and a construction contract.

The typical construction contract consists of three documents:

• The contract and all addenda
• The specifications
• The architectural plans

These documents define the three most important aspects of the contract, which are:

• The purchase price
• The time to complete the home
• What we are going to build

It is imperative that you read and understand all aspects of the contract, plans and specifications since this is what the price is based on. Throughout the design process we typically discuss hundreds of different design and specification alternatives. If an item is not in the plans or specifications, it is not in the contract price.

Start Construction

Several items still need to occur before we can start construction on your new home. Fortunately, most of them can occur simultaneously. These items are as follows:

• Interim financing  - Assuming you have already been pre-qualified, this process should take 1-2 weeks.

• Septic engineering and permit (if applicable) - this process will take anywhere from three to six weeks depending on work load and system complexity.

• Permits - This process can take anywhere from two weeks to eight weeks depending on the government entity with which we are dealing.

• Architectural Control Committee approval – Usually this process only takes a couple of days, but it can take a few weeks in some communities.

• Close on lot and interim loan – This can usually occur as soon as the lender is ready. Funding should occur the next day.

• Pre-construction Meeting – The purpose of this meeting is to introduce you to your Construction Manager and familiarize him to your home so that they understand all your needs. This meeting typically takes 2-3 hours.
• Final plans – We typically wait until after the pre-construction meeting to finalize the plans because there are usually a few changes that occur as a result of this meeting.  

• Phase I selections – These are minimal selections but they are often needed for architectural control committee approval.

All these items must be completed before we will issue the actual Construction Start notice. This start notice is what triggers the beginning of the contract build time. We may be able to clear the lot and set the foundation forms once the interim loan is closed and funded but we can’t proceed until all the above items are completed

Selections

The selection process can be the best part of the home building process with all of the unique and wonderful selection options available. Unfortunately, for every selection to be made there is an endless number of possibilities, which can be very frustrating to some. We work with interior designers and vendors that carry products which complement our homes, and they carry anything you can imagine. To help you narrow down your options, in your preliminary budgets we will set allowances at levels that are typical for your size and price range based on samples we will show you in our office. It will be the amount we would spend if we were building a spec home and our interior designer was making the selections. Please keep in mind that no matter how much we put in your allowance there will always be a more (and less) expensive option. Throughout the design stage, our Sales Team will try to determine your selection needs and establish the allowances accordingly; therefore, be as explicit as possible, and we HIGHLY encourage you to visit our vendors & supplies to determine whether the allowances will be sufficient BEFORE we execute the construction contract. If you exceed the stated allowance, the overage will be assessed 15% for overhead and profit.

The first step in the selection process is to meet with the Interior Designer. We will provide you with an allowance for the interior design work itself. We suggest that you use our Interior Designer since she is intimately familiar with our process. Our recommended Interior Designer works on an hourly basis, and she will spend as much time as you need to make your selections. Our standard allowance is sufficient to cover the basic color selections; however, if you would like her help in visiting all the vendors such as lighting and appliances, there will be additional costs.

The timing of making your selections is extremely important so that the construction process is not disrupted. The selections are divided up into four stages, and each stage must be completed prior to commencing a particular stage of the construction process. Keep in mind that even after you have made your selections, the process of pricing, ordering, and shipping the items can take a considerable amount of time. Once you have made your selection, some vendors will give you a price right on the spot, and you can compare it to your allowance. Other selections have to be priced out, which we will do, and get your signature on the variance between the allowance and the actual cost. The items will not be ordered until you approve them.

For an overview of the selection process and how you fit into it, please see “Exhibit B” of this document.

Change Orders

Just the mention of the term “change order” makes most clients cringe. We go to great lengths in the design process to understand our clients’ needs and make sure they know what they are getting in order to minimize the amount of change orders. Change orders are inefficient, and they don’t benefit us or the client. Having said that, please be aware that we have never built a home without a change order.

We are a custom home builder. We will make any change a client desires as long as it doesn’t jeopardize the integrity of the home, violate any building codes, or compromise safety in any way. Each change order is in itself a new contract. They will be priced out at cost plus overhead and profit. The overhead will be determined by the amount of risk involved and the time to complete the change. One of the biggest problems with changes is that it is very difficult to assess the impact of each change on the overall project schedule. One small change may not impact the job at all; however, ten small changes will easily add ten days to the process since it disrupts the flow of work. For this reason there will be a minimum of one day added to the contract completion date for every change made.

Changes should be originated through your Construction Manager or Paige Shoberg if the change is associated with a selection item. Small items can be priced by the Construction Manager in the field and signed off there. Any expensive changes will be priced in the office and may take a few days for pricing. No work will be done until the change order has been signed.

You will be billed on a monthly basis for any balance owed relating to change orders. The balance must be paid by check unless you have an arrangement with your lender to fund these overages as they occur. If the balance exceeds $5,000 before the next billing cycle, then payment must be made at that time.

Construction Process

Most of our clients enjoy being involved in the construction process. We try to plan the process well enough up front so that we are not constantly asking you questions. However, there are numerous times throughout the project that we will need your approval or clarification.

Once we start construction on your home, your Construction Manager should be your main contact. We want the Construction Manager to be aware of every detail on the job, and if he is not the appropriate contact for your request, then he will direct you to the appropriate contact. Please do not contact our subcontractors directly except for the ones specified in this document or if directed by your Construction Manager.

The most convenient way to communicate with your Construction Manager is obviously in person, on the job, or by phone. However, many of our clients enjoy working on-line, so all of our Construction Managers have e-mail capability via palm pilots in the field which are synchronized daily with our website. Our website will have a web page set up just for you. Only you and authorized individuals will have access to your page. There is a place on the site where you can enter all of your action items such as originating change orders, concerns, etc. I want to stress here that we are not expecting you to manage your own home. This is what you pay us to do, and we expect our Construction Managers to keep a continuous list of all action items on the job.

To see the detailed construction schedule, please look at the example of a project schedule on our website. Your schedule will be online and updated on a daily basis so that you know exactly where we are in the process at all times. Keep in mind that the schedule we use is a best case schedule of the way things will happen if everything were to go perfectly. Unfortunately, things never do go perfectly, so when one schedule item slips the rest of the items which are dependent upon that item slip automatically and therefore change the completion date.

For an overview of our construction process and how you fit into it please see “Exhibit C” of this document.

Warranty

Your new home comes with an ACES Builder Limited Warranty, which includes a one year “bumper to bumper” coverage for specific defects in workmanship and materials and ten year structural coverage.  Please review the ACES Builder Limited Warranty and Performance Standards provided by Russell Eppright Custom Homes for specific details of this coverage included in the purchase price of your new home.

Notification – When you have a warranty issue, all you have to do is go to the warranty section of your page in our website and input your items. We will then call you to set up an appointment to review the defects unless they are self explanatory and we can just send a contractor directly out to correct the problem.  At the closing, we will provide you with a list of most of the subcontractors that worked on your home. We provide this list only as an aid to you in setting up the appointments and in the event of an emergency. We want to be in the loop for all warranty issues. So even if you deal directly with a contractor and they take care of the problem, please notify us anyway. This gives us leverage with the contractor in case the same problem occurs again after the warranty period.

We have provided our Design Questionnaire in a printable PDF document. In order to view and print it, you will need Adobe Reader.

 Design Questionnaire

(Download the free Acrobat reader to view the design questionnaire .)

EXHIBIT B
Selection Process

This document is provided to you to help streamline the selection process. Our interior designer, Susan Kinard of Brownstone Designs (619-8259), or a designer of your choosing will coordinate this process with you. Your Interior Designer keeps a number of the selection items that you can choose from; however, many of our clients like to see all the possible selections for each item. For this reason, we have provided you with all of our vendor contacts so that you can visit them and see just about every selection available. When you do visit our vendors, it is important that you make an appointment so that they can give you their undivided attention. If you will follow this outline, we believe you will find the selection process quite enjoyable.

Only the subcontractors and vendors listed below can be used during the construction process of the home.  If the below subcontractors and vendors cannot provide services you require, we will work to find a source from additional specialty subcontractors that are not listed below.  Please work through your construction manager to find a source that is approved by us for those specialty items.

Pricing: Each selection phase is not complete until you have signed off on the pricing with Russell Eppright Homes. Please allow one week after you sign your selection sheet for us to complete the pricing. Any delays in making or approving your selections will automatically extend the contract completion date. We will compare the cost of each selection with your allowance, and in most cases we will not order anything until we get your authorization. So please remember once again that time is of the essence. If a cost surprises you and you wish to make a change, it could delay the overall schedule. 

Phase I: PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION START (To Be Completed within 30 Days of the Execution of the Construction Contract)

First Appointment: This appointment is to be scheduled with your designer after signing the construction contract and prior to start of construction. Throughout the selection process, your Interior Designer will help guide you to the appropriate vendors and accompany you to the meetings if you desire. The following items are to be addressed and need to be selected:

• Stained and Scored Concrete and Wood Flooring: Floor areas that will be stained and scored concrete must be identified before the slab is formed.
  • For scored concrete, some patterns and finishes require a special "burning" prior to the concrete hardening. Please contact Jagger Scored & Stained Concrete w/ Brian Jagger 512-288-8378 or 512-443-8010
  • For wood floors, floor areas that will be job site sand and finish wood floors must be identified prior to the foundation design, so that those areas can be dropped 1 1/2" to allow for sub-flooring and hardwood placement. Actual selection of sand and finish wood flooring type and stain will be selected during Phase II . Selection of glue down wood flooring will be selected during Phase III.
• Exterior Masonry:
  It is a good idea to pre-select your masonry with an address or picture of a home with a similar exterior masonry that you would like for your home.  See specifications for the exact selection.  Any change will be priced through Russell Eppright Homes on an individual basis.  A sample will be provided at the jobsite for your approval.
• Roof Selection:
  Your roof type is specified per the contract. It is extremely helpful if you again have an address or a photograph of the roof color you would like to have. Our office will have most roof samples but it can be very difficult to visualize from small samples what your roof will look like. This is why we recommend looking at other houses ahead of time.
• Exterior Door & Window Color:
  Window color is specified in the contract but it is a good idea to confirm this with the interior designer. If you wish to make a change, please speak to your Construction Manager immediately since it is one of the first things ordered. Some colors require an additional charge.
• Entry Door:
  Our clients typically select either wood or iron front doors. If you are selecting an iron door, it can be custom designed by your interior designer or at Durango Doors w/Jennifer Paschall 2112 Rutland Drive Ste 178 (512) 563-1670 (by appointment only) or on the web at www.durangodoors.comor at Cantera Doors w/ Sara Jackson 3698 RR 620 South Ste 101 (512) 263-8881 x108 (by appointment only) or on the web at www.canteradoors.com.  You will need to select the style, glass type, color of the door, and the hardware.  Door hardware is to be selected at Builder’s Display with Rosa 2111 Braker Lane @ 453-7303 (by appointment only). This particular type of door takes at least 6-8 weeks for production, and the manufacturer will hold producing the door if they do not have all the information needed.  When selecting a wood door, please schedule an appointment at Doors and Co. 6409 Burnet Rd. with Rodney Duffin at (512) 454-3303 or The Grand Door Company on the web at www.granddoorcompany.com. Some door hardware requires special mortising and will need to be made known to Russell Eppright Homes at time of ordering.
• Exterior Paint Color:
  Exterior Paint will be chosen with your designer from Kelly Moore or Sherwin Williams. We will provide you with up to three samples of each color selection on the job for your approval. If you need more than these three samples to make your selection, there will be an extra charge.
• Plumbing Fixtures: 
  Ferguson Plumbing Supply – Cathy Shockey – 700 E. St. Elmo, 464-9828
  Moore Supply Company - Mike Hickman - 8740 Shoal Creek, 454-4616

Phase II: DUE AT DRY-IN STAGE (To Be Completed within 30 Days of the Contract Start Date)

Please make an appointment and make selections with one vendor for each of the following items before your next appointment with the designer. Please note that in order to take advantage of our pricing and the best possible service, our vendors are BY APPOINTMENT ONLY:

• Appliances:
  Kiva Kitchen & Bath – Steve Garrett - 6225 Burnet Road,  454-4040
  Harway Supply – Mike Mocniak - 2209-B Rutland Dr. Ste.100, (512) 491-7600 (office) (512) 844-4868 (cell)
  
• Lighting:
  Lighting, Inc. - Traci Vickers - 10401 Burnet Road @ 491-6444; Visit www.lightinginc.com to preview lights.
  
  • When you are pricing out lighting, keep in mind that the recessed cans shown on your plans will be charged against your lighting allowance. Refer to Paige Shoberg in our office for the amount. You will also be selecting any dimmers with your light fixtures, which also will be charged against your allowance.
• Architectural Stone Items (fireplace surrounds, mantles, hearths, columns, etc.):
  Webco (cast stone) – Hank Howe – 12012 N. Lamar Blvd.,  836-8476
  Materials Marketing – Nicki Taylor – 115 Wild Basin Rd., 328-7682
  Tileworks of Texas – Debi Parker - 10001 Metric Blvd.,  845-6538
• Hardwood Floors (sand & finish):
  Kristynik Hardwood Flooring – Cash or Eric Kristynik – 1300 Clark Street, Round Rock,  238-8035
• Drywall – Your wall texture is specified in your specifications. Please confirm areas that will have hand trowel. It is also important to make location decisions on wallpaper and faux finish before final approval of drywall and paint in case a special finish is necessary. You can view different styles of Hand Trowel finishes at Rivercity Drywall with Mike Stratton; 502-0222; 2007 Windy Terrace Ste A, Cedar Park.

Second Appointment with your Interior Designer: The purpose of this appointment is to compile all of your above Phase II selections and familiarize you with all of the Phase III selections. You may also want to discuss cabinetry before meeting with your cabinet professional or have the Interior Designer accompany you to the meeting.

• Cabinets:
  Cabinets Deluxe – Mark Moore – 259-2531 ext 216; Office/fabrication shop – 9450 E. RR 2243 in Leander
  • It is imperative that the cabinets are approved as quickly as possible since they can take a month to build and are scheduled to be installed immediately after the drywall.
• Low voltage & security systems, Central Vacuum & Intercom: (security, phone, TV, whole house stereo, computer networking, central vacuum & intercom)
  Saber Security – Matt Barber – 341-8700, 15 Texas Avenue #105
• Pools: Paradise Pools – Timothy Nash – 836-0161
  If you are having a pool installed, you will probably want to start talking with the pool builder once the home is framed. The pool builder will meet you onsite, discuss designs and pricing, and show you examples on his computer. Once you have contracted with the pool builder, your Construction Manager will coordinate the process with the pool builder.

Phase III: DUE AT INSULATION PRIOR TO SHEETROCK (To Be Completed within 80 Days of the Contract Start Date)

• Granite Slab Countertops:
  Architectural Tile & Stone – Stephanie Martensen – 5605 Burnet Rd - Austin, Texas 78756,  420-9989
  Southwest Marble and Granite – Christy Smeltzer – 13240 Pond springs Rd.,  918-9111
  Tileworks of Texas – Debi Parker - 10001 Metric Blvd.,  845-6538
• Tile: countertops, backsplashes, shower/tub surrounds, flooring
  Austin Fine Floors – Dale Miller – 10321 Burnet Rd., Austin, TX  78758,  339-9590
  Leon’s Carpet & Tile – Louis El-Deir – 9909 Research Blvd. Austin, TX 78758, 834-9811 x34

• Other Solid Surface Countertops:
  Custom Quality Marble – Terri Davis – 303 FM 1626 East,  282-5680
  JV Marble – Britt York – 444-3246
  Laminate – Austin Fine Floors – Dale Miller – 10321 Burnet Rd., 339-9590
• Pre-finished wood flooring
  Austin Fine Floors – Dale Miller – 10321 Burnet Rd., Austin, TX  78758,  339-9590
  Kristynik Hardwood Flooring – Cash or Eric Kristynik – 1300 Clark Street, Round Rock,  238-8035
  Leon’s Carpet & Tile – Louis El-Deir – 9909 Research Blvd. Austin, TX 78758, 834-9811 x34

• Fireplace Surrounds (wood or masonry):
  Cabinets Deluxe (wood mantles) – Mark Moore 9450 E. RR 2243 in Leander – 259-2531 ext 211
  Trim Ron (wood mantles) – Randy – 260-6767
  Masonry – designed in the field with your Construction Manager
• Garage Doors:
  You will select your garage doors with your Interior Designer and Paige in our office by taking a photograph of garage doors you like, discussing the design with your Interior Designer or browsing doors on Kelly Kraft Custom Doors’ website at www.kellykraftcustomdoors.com or www.gsdofusa.com.   If your specifications call for wood clad doors, most designs are within your budget.  Windows and/or hardware will result in an additional charge unless otherwise stated in the plans or specifications. Please contact Paige for pricing.
• Interior & Exterior Railings:
  Steelworks by Virgil Moore (iron railings) - 243-3357,  www.virgilmooresteel.com 
  Trim Ron (wood railings) – Randy – 260-6767
  • Railings can be selected from the vendor or custom designed by your interior designer and made by the vendor

Third Appointment with your Interior Designer: The purpose of this appointment is to compile all of your Phase III selections and familiarize you with all of the Phase IV selections.

Phase IV: DUE AT SHEETROCK PRIOR TO TRIM (To Be Completed within 100 Days of the Contract Start Date)

• Carpet:
  Austin Fine Floors – Dale Miller – 10321 Burnet Rd., Austin, TX  78758,  339-9590
  Leon’s Carpet & Tile – Louis El-Deir – 9909 Research Blvd. Austin, TX 78758, 834-9811 x34
  
• Shower Door Metal, Glass, & Mirrors:
  Anchor Ventana – Karen Johnson – 251-3456 x316, www.ventanaman.com
  • Shower door colors and glass as well as mirrors are specified in the contract. If you desire something different from the specifications, make an appointment at Anchor Ventana. Any change, including adding mirror surrounds, must be communicated to your Construction Manager.
• Interior Paint and Stain Colors:
  Your Interior Designer will assist you in selecting paint and stain colors from Kelly Moore or Sherwin Williams paint decks. We will provide you with up to three samples of each color selection on the job for your approval. If you need more than these three samples to make your selection, there will be an extra charge. The number of color selections to be used is specified in your contract. Additional colors will require a change order.

• Hardware:
  Builder’s Display – Rosa Perlinger – 2111 Braker Lane Ste. 600,  453-7303.
  When you select your hardware, they can give you a budget price within a couple of weeks based on the architectural plans. However, they will walk the home once all the cabinets and doors are installed to get an exact count and revise the price at that time.
  • If you use cabinet pulls or any other specialty hardware, there will also be an extra charge for the labor to install it. Refer to Paige Shoberg for the most current labor charge.
  • Door hinge colors are already specified in the contract. If you want to change them you must notify your Construction Manager before the doors are ordered.      
• Faux Finishes:
  Red Start Paint Design – Rachel – 743-3385
  Zita Designs – Zita Raymond – 440-8191

• Wallpaper – you will make the selection for all wallpaper with your Interior Designer.
• Rain Gutters:
  Seamless Gutters – Mike Hefley – 451-2007
• Landscaping:
  Landscape Architect – Kerry Blackmon – 258-8753
  Landscape Installer –Denman Landscape & Sprinkler – Chad Denman – 291-5285
  Landscape Installer – Perfect Lawns – Brent Wiltshire – 263-5638 ext 207
  • Kerry Blackmon will meet you on the jobsite to go over your landscaping needs and design a plan to fit your budget. The design expense will be charged to the landscape allowance. Once the design is complete, we need a couple of weeks for the landscape installers to bid the plan. Changes to the plan to fit your budget can usually be accomplished with the landscape installer.

Final Appointment with your Interior Designer: At this meeting, your Interior Designer will compile all of your Phase IV selections and help you with any decisions that still need to be made.

Lot clear stage

Plan on meeting with the Construction Manager on the lot prior to clearing. You will want to discuss trees to be saved, excavation, slab height, dropped brick ledges, etc.

Foundation stage

Set forms

Fill with dirt

Plumbing rough-in (pvc drain pipe)

Inspection

Final grade dirt (this makes the forms for the concrete beams)

Plumbing

Inspection

Slab steel

Inspection

Complete forms

Pour slab

Not much client interaction is required at this stage. This is one of slowest parts of the project since multiple contractors are needed, most activities only take a day or two, and they are all dependent on the one before them. On the inspection days, nothing happens because we must wait until the inspection clears before we can proceed to the next task.

Framing stage
This is the most exciting stage of the process.

When the framing is complete, the cabinet supplier will measure the framing and design the cabinets to fit. At this time you will need to meet with the cabinet designer and go over all the details of the cabinets. For this reason, we do not detail out the cabinets on the architectural plans. The contract price includes standard cabinets and any specialties we note on the floor plans. If you know you will want some cabinet upgrades then we can give you an allowance for those at the contract stage. It is imperative that you finalize the cabinet details as quickly as possible. They typically take three to four weeks to build and they need to be installed immediately after drywall.

Mechanical rough stage

Plumbing topout (piping installed in the frame)

HVAC rough (installation of furnaces and ductwork) - We go to great lengths in the design stage to make sure there are adequate spaces to run the ductwork for the HVAC system. However, we occasionally have to add a fur down or blockout to accommodate a duct when there is no other possible alternative. If this is the case, we will consult with you on possible solutions.

Electrical rough - You should coordinate with your Construction Manager and do a thorough walk-through of the electrical fixture locations as soon as the electrician installs the electrical boxes in the framing. If you see a location of an electrical box that you don't like, we can usually move them for a minimal charge as long as we don't disrupt the electricians work flow and we can notify them before they pull the wires to the boxes. As with the HVAC, sometimes the electrical just won't work as it is shown on the plan, and in that instance, we will coordinate with you to come up with a solution.

Low voltage (phone, TV, & stereo) & security wiring - Prior to the installation of low voltage wiring, the contractor will be glad to meet you on the job to go over you needs room by room.

Framing & mechanical inspections - This is a critical and time consuming part of the process. The government or third party inspector will inspect the home and note any deficient items or items that don't meet code. Most of our homes are very complicated, and there are always items to correct. At the same time, your Construction Manager will be inspecting the home for accuracy to the plans and specifications and quality issues. It is imperative that we get everything right before we go on to the drywall stage. This process takes some time, and it will seem as if nothing is happening since we have multiple contractors coming to the job to correct small items. Once all items are corrected, the inspector will re-inspect (if required by government authority) to verify compliance.

Exterior Paint - We will want you to approve a paint sample before we paint the exterior.

Roof installation

Masonry installation - If you are using any special stone colors or patterns, we will want you to approve a sample before we start the work. If you are using stucco, we will need to get the paint color approved prior to painting.

Drywall stage

Insulation

Insulation inspection (if required by government authority)

Hang drywall

Drywall inspection (if required by government authority)

Tape & float drywall

Texture - If there are any special textures, we will want you to approve a sample before we start the work.

Trim stage

Set Cabinets

Install doors & trim - It is a good idea to meet with your Construction Manager and the trim carpenter at this stage to go over closet layouts and any specialty trim work.

Install wood floors (if applicable)

Paint stage

Interior paint - We will provide a sample of the paint and stain you have selected on the job for your approval prior to painting. The purpose of this is to make sure that the color you selected looks the way you expected it to. We will make up to two samples of each selection. If more samples are needed, the painter will assess a charge of $30 per sample to cover his expenses.

Install septic system (if applicable)

Install driveways and walks - It is a good idea to meet with your Construction Manager when we layout the driveways and walks. It always looks different on the lot than it does on the plan.

Tile stage (some of the items may occur during the trim stage)

Tub & shower surrounds

Tile floors

Countertops

Backsplashes

Fireplace surrounds

Setout stage

Install Plumbing fixtures

Install electrical fixtures

Install HVAC condensers & grilles

Install mirrors & shower doors

Sand, stain & seal wood floors (if applicable)

Install landscaping

Carpet stage

Install carpet

Install pre-finished wood floors (if applicable)

Punch out Stage

The term "punch out" is used in our industry to describe the process of correcting all the deficient items in the home. Actually, punch out will occur on your home throughout the construction project. The reason we call this stage punch out is because everything is basically done at this point, but the home is obviously not ready to move into. As a home builder, keeping this punch out stage to a minimum is one of our biggest challenges.

Final inspections

Closing stage

Final walk-through - Once the home is 99% complete, your Construction Manager will schedule a final walk-through with you. The purpose of this walk through is to demonstrate all the systems of the home to you (though by now you are probably already familiar with most of them) and identify any items that still need to be corrected. This walk-through should occur a few days before closing, which will give us the time to correct the deficiencies. Our goal is to have zero defects at the time of closing. It doesn't benefit either of us to close on a home with a large punch list since the items only get more difficult to correct once the home is occupied. However, due to the complexity of our homes, there are typically a few incomplete items at closing due to backorders or other unforeseen circumstances. In this instance, we will make a list of the remaining items that we both agree on, sign it, and make it a part of the closing documents.

Top