Doors: Ideas to Improve a House's Quality Perception

Quality is the linchpin for a custom builder or remodeler’s competitive advantage. Here Custom Builder Dennis Dixon zeros in on increasing a house’s quality perception with doors. Dixon believes quality pays, quality gets results, quality sells, quality increases profits, quality translates into value in the minds of homebuyers.

"It is a lame excuse when a builder uses poorer quality materials and says: ‘That’s all the owner can afford.’ He would be better off modifying the floor plan to use fewer doors, but higher quality doors," contends Dixon. "Sure, upgrading may cost more initially, but the savings in productivity, plus no repairs and no callbacks are worth the quality upgrade. More and more homeowners are finding that a house’s price does not necessarily serve as a barometer of quality control."

In Professional Builder magazine’s recent 2000 New Home Buyer Survey: 63.4% of non-first time buyers cited quality as one of their top considerations: 52.2% of first-time home buyers also listed ‘quality’ as one of their top l0 concerns.

Important to both buying groups is the opportunity to customize their new home. That’s what options and upgrades are all about. Remember: buyers select builders based on trust, quality and perceived value. Here are ideas you can use to improve a house’s quality perception using doors.

Dixon door suggestions: