We hope you had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends! Whether you were able to celebrate with family and friends in your beautiful, custom built Cottonwood Canyon home in Lenexa KS or you are looking forward to the holidays in a Cottonwood Canyon home in the future; it’s always a great time of year to reflect back on all we have to be thankful for as well as a time to look forward to the future.
As we look ahead to the future of Cottonwood Canyon, we see new builds on the horizon and a building momentum to this up and coming golf course community in Lenexa! In fact, if you’ve been considering building a custom home on one of our stunning 125 lots located on the Golf Club of Kansas; now is the perfect time to do so!
We recently spent time talking with one of Lenexa’s most reputable builders, Bruce Rieke of B.L. Rieke Custom Home Builders, regarding the current state of custom home building and what the future holds for creating the home of your dreams. As one of the most active builders in Cottonwood Canyon, we’ve seen first hand how Bruce works with clients and proceeds through the entire home building process.
With his reputation preceding his outstanding work, we wanted to share with those of you considering a custom home build his perspective on the market, why now is the time to build and a few tips from a trusted source about the home building process.
When asked about the possibility of construction costs rising, Bruce jumped right in with his answer. “No question about it,’ noted Bruce, ‘construction costs are already going up.” He continued by talking about the shortage of experienced labor, which means all facets of the building process are rising in cost.
Manufacturers also play a part as supplies are by order only and there’s limited inventory. Lumber mills and other suppliers have closed down plants to cut down on their costs and to be able to raise prices on installation, drywall, etc... It’s a game of supply and demand. For example, there’s a current drywall allocation which allows drywall companies to only make a certain amount, which forces prices up.
“In the next year, 2013-2014 and for sure by the end of 2015, we’ll see an increase in home building by 20-30 percent,” said Bruce. “Because companies are working to stay open right now and not really making a profit, along with the rising costs of supplies, builders will have to continue to raise their prices.” Even within the next six months, new codes will be put into affect which will raise prices anywhere from $6-10K per home. As you can see, now is the time to build in Cottonwood Canyon!
The good news? Mortgage rates are currently at an all time low and costs are still fairly low.
If you are considering building your custom dream home in Cottonwood Canyon, we wanted to share with you these four tips that Bruce provided about finding the right builder... they’re worth repeating!
1. Reputation- A good reputation is imperative when it comes to a builder. Ask around and find reviews to ensure their work is solid and other clients have been pleased with their home building process.
2. Relationship- You’ll be spending a lot of time with your builder as they work with you to make your dream home a reality. Make sure your personalities fit and they’re someone you could work with.
3. References- Don’t be afraid to ask a potential builder for references, and make sure to follow through with checking them!
4. Review- Take time to review their work. Whether you spend time on their website to view homes they’ve built, or you take the opportunity to drive by the homes; seeing the finished result will give you a good idea on if they’ll fit your needs and style. Here at Cottonwood Canyon, we have a few model homes open that we invite you to come by and tour! You’ll be able to see the ins and outs of the craftsmanship and attention to detail that goes into our homes.
We hope this has been helpful and has provided you with the boost needed to take the next step in designing and building your custom home at Cottonwood Canyon! Please feel free to contact us anytime to get started!
Cottonwood Canyon Community Team
