Frequently Asked Questions
Thoughts and questions you should be asking your home builder
1. I’m concerned about overpaying for my custom home. What steps are you taking to keep costs in check?
We understand that building a custom home is a significant investment, and we take our responsibility to manage costs seriously. As experienced custom home builders in Sun Valley, our goal is to ensure you get the best value without compromising on quality, craftsmanship, or your vision.
A custom home is unique – designed and built around your vision. Because of this, pricing is influenced by material selections, design refinements, and market conditions. Rather than giving you a one-size-fits-all number, we guide you through decisions that align with both your budget and expectations.
Ultimately, we are committed to earning your trust through transparency, quality, and a proven process that ensures your investment is well-managed from start to finish.
2. What is the best way for me to communicate with my contractor during my project?
Clear and consistent communication is essential for a successful custom home-building experience. To keep you informed, you’ll receive weekly project updates from your Project Manager and take part in monthly Owner, Architect, Contractor (OAC) production meetings. These updates and meetings help ensure transparency, accountability, and steady progress on your home.
While these touchpoints are great for staying informed and asking questions, we’re always available to address any concerns as they arise. Our communication style is open, honest, and direct—we want you to feel comfortable reaching out at any time. If you ever have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let us know. We’re here to work through them with you.
3. You seem too big/small for my project, what makes you the right size for us?
Choosing the right custom home builder isn’t just about size, it’s about finding a team with the expertise, resources, and personal attention to bring your vision to life. We’re the right size to offer competitive trade discounts while maintaining strong personal relationships with our trades and vendors.
We’re small enough to stay directly involved, ensuring a personalized building experience without unnecessary middle management. At the same time, we have the resources and flexibility to execute projects smoothly, maintaining efficiency and quality at every stage.
4. Isn’t the cost similar across custom home builders since you typically work with the same trades and vendors?
Not necessarily. While many custom home builders work with the same trades and vendors, costs can vary significantly based on how well the project is managed. Factors such as efficient scheduling, strong trade relationships, proactive project management, and strategic material purchasing all impact the final price.
A well-organized builder brings value through expertise, careful planning, and cost-effective decision-making. This not only helps prevent unexpected expenses but also ensures a smoother, more efficient home-building experience without compromising on quality.
We’re small enough to stay directly involved, ensuring a personalized building experience without unnecessary middle management. At the same time, we have the resources and flexibility to execute projects smoothly, maintaining efficiency and quality at every stage.
5. How do I avoid change orders?
We want to avoid change orders too—they can slow progress and add costs.
Clear communication with your builder and design team, along with a well-defined scope of work, helps minimize the need for changes. That’s why the detailed planning we do at the start of your project is so important. When every detail is carefully considered upfront there’s less chance of surprises down the road.
That said, our goal is to build a home you truly love. While we strive to plan thoroughly and reduce changes during construction, we understand that adjustments may be necessary to achieve your vision, and we’re always open to working through them with you.
6. What happens during preconstruction?
Preconstruction is a critical phase where we lay the groundwork for a successful custom home build.
It starts with initial meetings between the client, the design team and Lloyd Construction to ensure we’re all aligned with the vision for your home. From there, we develop detailed scopes of work for our trade partners and vendors, request and review proposals, and conduct value engineering to find cost-effective solutions without sacrificing quality.
Once the prime contract is finalized, we move forward with submitting permits, securing trade contracts, ensuring that all necessary insurance and liability protections are in place. Before construction officially begins, we also notify your neighbors to promote transparency and minimize disruptions.
Finally, we kick off the project! By taking a strategic and organized approach to preconstruction ensures that when construction begins, we’re fully prepared and all the details are in place.
7. What can I expect from my contractor after I’ve moved into my new home?
Your relationship with your custom home builder doesn’t end the day you move in. We’re committed to ensuring your home remains in top condition long after construction is complete.
As part of our post-construction support, we schedule 6-month and 12-month walkthroughs to check in, address any touch-ups, and resolve any concerns that may arise. These proactive visits help ensure everything is performing as expected, with follow-up services arranged as needed.
Beyond these scheduled visits, we’re always available to answer any questions and help you find solutions should issues arise. You’ll also receive a comprehensive home manual, including a list of the trades that worked on your home should you prefer to reach out to them directly.
Our goal is to provide lasting support and peace of mind, ensuring your home continues to meet your expectations for years to come.
8. What happens during the closeout process and First Day Celebration?
The closeout process is the final step in delivering your custom home, ensuring every detail is complete and ready for move-in.
A couple of weeks before delivering your home, our team conducts an internal walkthrough to identify and address any final details. Our goal is to achieve a “zero-punch” walkthrough with you on your first day, meaning that when you arrive, everything will be in place and ready for you to enjoy.
In addition to the walkthrough, we’ll also conduct a comprehensive systems review to familiarize you with all the essential functions and features of your home, ensuring you feel comfortable and confident moving in.
The First Day Celebration is just that, a celebration of your new home—exciting, joyful, and memorable!
9. I’m ready to engage with a contractor, how soon can I break ground?
At Lloyd Construction, one of our key preconstruction services is developing a collaborative schedule that ensures your project begins on time.
We work closely with the design team, architects, trade partners, and other stakeholders to establish clear milestones and ensure accountability throughout the process. This thorough planning allows us to set a realistic timeline, so you know exactly when we can break ground and keep the project moving forward smoothly.
10. How long will my custom home project take?
The timeline for your project depends on how well we can solidify decisions upfront. The more we have finalized before construction begins, the smoother and quicker the process will be, ultimately saving time, reducing costs, and ensuring a higher-quality result.
As an experienced custom construction company, we understand that changes may arise, and we’re here to support you. However, minimizing unnecessary modifications once the project is underway is crucial to keeping the schedule on track.
Thorough preconstruction planning and having clear, defined design choices and specifications from the start will significantly increase project efficiency and keep things moving forward at a steady pace.
11. What do your jobsites look like throughout the home building process?
At Lloyd Construction, we are committed to maintaining a well-organized and clean job site throughout the building process. This is a core company practice designed to promote worker morale, ensure safety for both the crew and neighbors, and enhance production efficiency.
A tidy site helps reduce construction waste and attracts the attention of skilled trade contractors, who value a professional environment. Additionally, we aim to make a positive first impression on your future neighbors, showing them our commitment to quality and respect for the community.
12. Who are your subcontractors and what makes them the best?
Since 1977, Lloyd Construction has built long-standing relationships with the most skilled tradespeople in the valley. The best in the industry choose to work with us because of the quality of our projects and our commitment to excellence.
In turn, we carefully select subcontractors who meet our high standards for craftsmanship, reliability, and attention to detail. Because we know their capabilities firsthand, we match the right trade contractors to each project, ensuring the highest quality work for your home.
13. What is your subcontract selection process?
Our subcontractor selection process is thorough and ensures we partner with the best trade contractors for every custom home project. For each trade, we solicit a minimum of three bids, inviting only those whose expertise, experience, and quality align with our standards. The selection is based on their professional qualifications, past working relationship with us, and competitive pricing. To maintain consistency and excellence, we provide each bidder with detailed specifications and expectations, ensuring they understand the project’s requirements from the start.
14. Is there anything you wished we knew about your offerings?
At Lloyd Construction, our internal processes are designed to keep your project on track while upholding our core values of professionalism, teamwork, and a solutions-driven mindset.
Your Project Manager will provide detailed weekly updates, ensuring transparency and keeping you informed every step of the way. We also hold monthly Owner-Architect-Contractor (OAC) meetings, offering an opportunity for in-depth check-ins to maintain alignment and project momentum.
Additionally, you will receive comprehensive invoices and an updated Schedule of Values, providing a clear, itemized breakdown of your custom home’s progress.
We believe in open, honest, and direct communication, fostering trust, accountability, and collaboration. This level of organization allows us to proactively address challenges, maintain accountability, and deliver the high-quality craftsmanship our clients expect.
15. Is there anything you wish we understood better about the custom home building process?
Building a custom home is an exciting and deeply personal journey, and we want you to feel confident and informed every step of the way. More than just constructing a house, our purpose is to build lasting relationships, exceed expectations, and create solutions that bring your vision to life.
A well-planned process leads to the best outcomes, which is why clear communication and thoughtful decision-making early on are so important. While changes can happen, making key selections upfront helps keep the project on schedule and within budget. Our team is here to guide you, problem-solve when needed, and ensure that your home is built with craftsmanship, integrity, and a commitment to excellence.
16. What is Value Engineering?
Value Engineering (VE) is a key component of our Proven Process, designed to maximize the value of your custom home without compromising quality or craftsmanship. Once you receive the initial proposal our team collaborates with architects, designers, and trade partners to ensure that every decision aligns with your vision, budget, and long-term goals.
Value engineering involves evaluating materials, methods, and design choices to identify cost-effective solutions that enhance efficiency and longevity. By thoughtfully considering alternatives and optimizing resources, we create smart solutions that maintain the integrity of your custom home while delivering the best possible return on investment.
17. What is included in general conditions, overhead, fees?
General conditions, overhead, and fees cover the essential costs that keep your project running smoothly, ensuring a well-managed, high-quality custom home. These expenses include project management, site supervision, scheduling, permits, insurance, safety measures, and the behind-the-scenes coordination that prevents delays and unexpected issues.
While some contractors choose to hide these costs within other line items, we believe in full transparency. At Lloyd Construction, we value open, honest, and direct communication, ensuring you have a clear understanding of where your investment is going. These necessary costs allow us to maintain the highest level of organization, efficiency, and craftsmanship throughout your home-building journey.
18. What sets your construction company apart?
At Lloyd Construction, what truly sets us apart is our people and the values that drive everything we do. With deep roots in the community, we have built lasting relationships with trusted trade partners, industry professionals, and clients who rely on us for our expertise.
Our commitment to our clients goes beyond building homes—we focus on creating an exceptional experience by communicating openly, staying accountable, and guiding you through every step of the process. Professionalism is at the core of our work, ensuring that every detail is managed with care and precision. Our purpose is simple: to build relationships, exceed expectations, and create solutions that bring your vision to life.
