There is much at stake and the risks are high if proper procedures are not followed. “A custom home should make your dreams come true and not turn into a nightmare,” says Mike Blake, President of Mike Blake Custom Homes.

The most crucial aspect of the custom home builder's relationship with their customer is trust. The customer must rightly feel that the custom home builder understands their needs and desires for their home and will carry out the building operation to the highest standards. The best way to ensure this will happen is by hiring a custom home builder with a solid track record and reputation.

“Mike Blake Custom Homes has been in the business of building dream homes for over fifty years,” says Mike Blake, “We pride ourselves not only on a track record and reputation, but also on our integrity in ensuring customers get what they want built to specification on time and within budget.”

One of the most challenging aspects of designing a custom home is finding out how much it will cost. Often, home owners will try a number of architects and quantity surveyors to get an estimate. This is often an expensive process. Mike Blake Custom Homes offers a free estimate service known as the Plan Concierge Service.

“The Plan Concierge Service is a free estimate service where you specify your custom home wish list and we search our extensive plan database from three contributing architects to find a close match,” explains Mike Blake. “We then take the closest match and work out an estimate on how much you will need to budget for the home of your dreams.”

Once an estimate has been obtained, it's time to start with planning and design. A good custom home builder is also an advocate for the home owner. They will work with the home owner and design team to establish a realistic line by line budget for the project, and then monitor the cost as well as adherence to standards throughout the design and construction process.

“We manage subcontractors during the process so that all key building systems are coordinated and executed according to plan,” says Mike Blake. “We contract with the owner for the cost of the project and submit pay requests to the lender as key stages are reached. We also do all the liaison between building inspectors, governing jurisdictions and the design team to obtain approvals.”

Another crucial aspect that is often overlooked is quality control on the building material. Mike Blake Custom Homes checks all building material and components prior to installation to ensure quality standards are met. They also check all work completed by subcontractors along with the building designers to ensure specifications have been met and there are no deficiencies.

“One of the great advantages of the hiring a custom home builder is that the stress and worry is taken out of the process,” says Mike Blake. “When you hire a reputable and reliable custom home builder, you can rest assured you are receiving a top notch home that is free of any defects and built according to your exact specifications and high expectations.”

The most exciting part of a custom home is of course taking occupancy. A custom home builder will arrange for final inspections by the relevant authorities and obtain a certificate of occupancy. On or just before occupation, the custom home builder will give the customer a final walk through, explaining the operation and maintenance of the house so that the family can settle in happily.

“Hiring a reliable custom home builder significantly eases the process of building your dream home.” says Mike Blake. “We pride ourselves on our integrity, track record and reputation, and there's nothing we love more than delivering ideal homes to happy families.”

Mike Blake Custom Homes is northern East Texas' premier design and custom home builder, specialising in stylishly designed, beautifully crafted homes built for living. Mike Blake Custom Homes was founded over 50 years ago and has more than 1000 new builds to their name. They maintain active relationships with industry experts on everything from trending design ideas to advances in energy efficient construction. Mike Blake Custom Homes assigns an expert construction manager to every project to keep clients updated and informed at all stages of the building process. They also provide a custom concierge service for browsing plans or obtaining estimates on custom plans. Mike Blake Custom Homes delivers skill, experience, passion and commitment to each new project and is the only 100% Energy Star Builder in East Texas. For more information, please visit: https://mikeblakehomes.com/