Plan on It

Builder Jay Grant says he sits in on all design meetings with his custom home clients. "The process begins by my meeting with the clients and getting a feel for what they want in the house, their lifestyle and even what type of personality they have," he says.

Grant maintains a working relationship with several local and nationally renowned architects and decides which of them will be the best match for a specific project. "I make a recommendation to the client about which architect that I think will best suit their needs," he says. "In every instance so far, they’ve taken my advice and have been very satisfied."

After a project has been built, Grant might use the plan as a marketing tool to demonstrate his work to potential clients. "If someone really loves that specific house, I will build something similar as long as it is not in the same area," he says. Grant is building this custom home for another client on a site 40 miles away. Since he was using the plan for another project, he paid a portion of the architectural fees for the original client.

"I always ask permission from the original client and maintain a good-faith agreement with them not to build the same house anywhere near the original," Grant says. "If a client tells me that he wants exclusivity for a specific project, I always respect that."

He points out that with homes in this price range, no two are ever really alike, even when similar plans are used.