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5 Things to Know about Copper Builders’ Design Process

Building a brand-new home is a process that may feel a little overwhelming at first. At Copper Builders, we’re very conscious of this and we’ve developed and refined our process, giving you, the homeowner, full control over the design of your new home.

An organized, simple, clear process is important even when designing the most detailed and complex home. That mentality is how we keep everything as worry-free as possible.

An important person in our organization is the design concierge. Like a concierge you would find at the Ritz Carlton, they are plugged into the local design community and their role is to guide you. They will help you schedule appointments, find the best selections, stay on track and always have an expert to bounce ideas off of.

Let’s take a closer look at our design process and how it can benefit you when you build your dream home with us.

How Does The Design Process Work?

We’ve worked hard to refine our process to make sure our clients have the best experience, throughout the entire build of their new home. We’ve broken down the details for you below, so let’s get into it!

Getting to Know Each Other

Before we begin designing your home, we’ll first get to know your personal style and your goals for your new home – we’ll go over the budget, financing, features and timeline for your build.

Through scheduled consultations, as well as in-person or virtual tours, we take the time to understand your style, your preferences, and your deal-breakers. We also ask that you bring along any home plans or photos that have inspired you.

Finding the Perfect Homesite

Once we get to know each other a little better, we’ll work together to select the lot on which your home will be constructed. If you already have a homesite, we’ll conduct a complimentary site visit to cover all the essential aspects of building your home, such as:

  • Placement
  • Site restrictions
  • Topography
  • Cost of permits & utilities

We’ll then provide you with a realistic assessment of what’s possible to achieve with your homesite and budget.

If you don’t already have land, we’ll help you select and assess available homesites. Our monthly “Charlotte Homesite Review newsletter will provide you with exclusive deals (including off-market listings) and professional reviews. If you’re still trying to find your perfect spot, sign up today and see what we can do for you!

Creating Your Ideal Floor Plan

At this point, it’s time to consider architecture and the floor plan of your dream home.

You can start with one of our existing plans (saving you time and architect fees!) as a base. To help you visualize your home, we’ll arrange a virtual walk-through or even an in-person tour of a similar home we’ve built.

If you prefer to design your home completely from scratch, you can a) work with our trusted group of architects to design your home or b )if you already have an architect, we can consult with them.

Choosing Finishes

Your interior finishes are an important part of the process, and at this stage, we’ll review your options. You can choose one of our curated selections which contain pre-selected quality finishes and products. If you prefer a bit more personalization, you can make substitutions for specific products with these packages as well.

Alternatively, you can have full control over every detail in your home and select your own finishes and fixtures. You’ll meet with our design team and cover the following areas:

  • Flooring
  • Fixtures
  • Lighting
  • Plumbing
  • Cabinets
  • Countertops
  • Appliance packages

Once you make a ‘wish list’ of your ideal features, we’ll work with you to find the right combination of quality and budget for each area.

Budget and Agreement

After finalizing all of the above information, we’ll put together a budget for your new home with some allowances. We take the time to ensure every price we collect for land, design, construction, and interior features are accurate and include what you are expecting.

Our budgeting process is transparent, and we involve you in discussions so you can be confident you’re receiving the best value for your investment. Then will give you a fixed price for your brand-new home, and at this stage, we’re ready to sign an agreement and begin working on your dream home!

Detailed Design Choices

This is where you’ll put together all the fine details and finishing touches using the budget allowances from your previous design meetings. Working with our design concierge, you’ll make the final choices on your interior features, landscaping options, shelving, bath fittings, grout color, cabinet handles and more!

During this phase, your architectural sketches will also be turned into structural plans and work can then begin.

Building Your Home

For most of our homeowners, the construction timeline is approximately nine months from the date you authorize the purchase agreement, depending on a few factors. We also offer access to our innovative CoConstruct system which keeps you informed with regular construction updates and progress photos.

We’ll arrange for construction reviews so you can see your home in progress at stages where it is safe to do so.

Once your home is complete, you’ll receive 45 days’ notice to plan your move and take possession of your new home!

What Choices or Limitations Are There for the Design of my Home?

Since we’re a custom builder, the sky’s the limit! We have a flexible process that allows you as much or as little control over the design as you’re comfortable with. Choose from existing floor plans or work with us to design a custom plan from scratch. Select one of our curated finish packages or create your dream home by selecting all of your own fixtures and finishes with the help of our trade partners.

If you can imagine it, we can build it!

Why are Design Selections Made so Early in the Process?

In order to ensure your home’s fixed price doesn’t change, we work with you to choose finishes before we start to build your home. In addition, selecting design elements early means there’s ample time to order the product before it’s needed to be installed. Having to select finishes in the middle of construction adds unnecessary stress to both the homeowner and the construction team and can potentially affect timelines and pricing.

Finally, we need to plan for your selections early on so we can build your home right the first time. Oftentimes when selecting your home’s finishes you will come up with new creative ideas that require early planning to execute correctly during construction. Our trade partners and designers are full of great ideas that will inspire you. However, those ideas need to be found and decided upon before we start building.

Even things that may seem simple like adding a second faucet in the kitchen or another light fixture mean we need to alter the plans so that wiring and plumbing are installed where they are needed, electrical panels are sized correctly, and there is adequate wall space to run everything so it is all hidden.

Can I Customize a Floor Plan?

Absolutely! If you prefer to start with one of our popular plans, we encourage you to make the changes you need to make the plan work for your family. If you need to move a wall, add a bedroom, increase storage spaces, or anything that suits your needs, we’re happy to accommodate. We will meet with our design staff, pull out the red markers and design the spaces that work best for your needs.

Starting with one of our floorplans is the way most clients prefer to design their home. However, we are happy to design your home from a blank canvas and we often do.

How do Allowances Work?

Allowances are an estimated budget for a specific item or items in your home where you may not know just yet exactly which item you’re selecting. These allowances are used to determine the fixed price budget for your home and allow you to obtain mortgage pre-approval before having solidified the exact product you’re ordering.

As an example, you may set up an allowance for light fixtures throughout your home, and select your lights at a later date. This ensures they are included in the budget and are not an unexpected added expense later on.

We size allowances to include certain products that most of our clients like to have in their home. At our design center we can show you some of the products that will fit in your budget. However when you meet one of our trade partners you can customize and find the fixtures that perfectly match your vision.

When designing your dream home, we’re here to work with you and make the experience enjoyable and easy. Our process has been refined to ensure we design and build the home you’re looking for without creating stressful or overwhelming situations. We believe in transparency and involving you every step of the way, and our priority is to craft you a home you’ll love building and love living in.

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