Category: Home Building 101

Looking for information about building a home? Have questions about construction? Get answers here.

Top 10 Reasons Antares Homes Salespeople Are the Best!

Contender for Salesperson of the Year: Monique Tinsley!

1)     We are present at our sales offices during operating hours:

We have heard from our customers that Builder A is never open, or Builder B never has a salesperson at the office even though it is open.  We are in the business of selling homes and that can’t be done without a salesperson to meet with you!

2)   We are excited to see you when you walk in our door:

All of our salespeople will give you a hearty welcome when you come to our offices.  We know that there are many other builders to choose from and we are glad to have the opportunity to serve you!

3)    We want to know what your needs are:

Don’t be taken off guard when you are in one of our sales offices and our salespeople are asking you endless amounts of questions!  It is important for us to make sure we match you to the right home or floor plan.  We are focused on building neighborhoods that are occupied by happy Home Owners just like you!

4)   We know a lot about financing:

In the current financial landscape, lending regulations change very often.  We do our best to prepare for upcoming changes and understand what all the options are.  Each Home Owner has a unique set of circumstances and we need to be able to problem solve on the fly. 

5)    We can help you with your credit:

As lending regulations change, so do credit requirements.  We have experienced several increases to the bottom line credit score requirements and have figured out several ways we can help our customers to increase their scores without enrolling in pricey credit repair programs.

6)   We are knowledgeable about construction:

We have the luxury of working with Certified Graduate Builders who teach us about why we build homes the way we do.  If we don’t know an answer off the top of our heads, an expert is a phone call away!

7)    We are dedicated to customer service:

We want to make sure you have the best home buying experience possible and that starts with good follow up.  We make sure to keep in touch with you even before you buy a home with us.

8)   We are honest:

We offer the best value at the best price.  No bait and switch here!

9)   We are constantly striving to improve:

Our sales people attend weekly training.  We rely on each other for feedback and help.  We have a spirit of service to each other as co-workers that benefits our customers.

10)                       We have fun!

If you only knew…

Shall remain nameless...

Form Boards and Plumbing Rough

How 'bout them pipes?

When you drive by a home site in a neighborhood that has on-going construction you may notice that some of them just have a rough outline of a slab made out of what looks like 2×4’s.  That may stay there for several weeks before anything else happens.  Placing the form boards on the home site often happens before the builder has been issued building permits and that is why it stays there for so long.  The home site is surveyed and the lot dimensions are checked for accuracy.  The home site is “benched” meaning the vegetation is cleaned off the pad site where the forms will be placed.  The form boards are set according to the footprint of the home with 2×12’s.  The form is then surveyed to make sure they are on the property and out of any easements and within the building lines.  The next step is to obtain a permit.  A City Permit is an approval from the city to go ahead with construction.  By obtaining a permit the city has agreed to inspect the home at different stages of the building process.  No builder or remodeler can legally commence work with out a permit.  The next step is a drop of plumbing sand on the building site.  The sand is for bedding the pipes to give them cushion and fall.  The plumber begins digging where all of the plumbing lines will be placed inside and outside of the forms.  The plumbing lines installed in one day.  We install Zurn PEX water supply lines.  They are better than copper lines because they require fewer fittings and are more resistant to mineral lime and scale buildup.  PEX is more energy efficient because it does not dissipate heat as readily and it is better able to withstand freeze and thaw cycles because it can expand with a freeze and work just as well after it has thawed.  Once the lines are run, they are filled with water and we leave them filled to check for leaks.  The City Inspector will come to the site and conduct a Plumbing Rough inspection of all of the plumbing lines that will be concealed in the slab.  The Inspector will also look at the fittings to make sure they are installed correctly and make sure that they align correctly with the fall of the lines that will carry waste to the City Sewer lines.  And that my friend is the process from dirt to the plumbing rough.  Thanks Certified Graduate Builder Brooks Rowe for the consult on this Blog post!

Can I change the Floor Plan?

Yes, but there are limits based on the price of the home.  In the first time or first time move up homes, the limits are more restrictive to keep the price low and the construction time and delivery date fixed.  In custom and higher priced homes, there are sometime no limits because the price includes the right to make large changes and there are very few limits as to the time or delivery schedule.  Make sure to ask the sales person as to what is allowed or not allowed.

-Ron Formby

This is a very frequent topic of conversation in our sales offices.  One of the items we will never change is the elevation–the look of the front of the home–which includes not only brick placement and front porches but also the roof lines.  Something that would seem very simple like adding or removing a window can have a huge ripple effect in the materials needed for the roof line, the framing and the load of the home. One other thing in a home we will not change is the plumbing.  When looking at a floor plan in one of our brochures, you might see a perfect place to bump a bathroom back into an adjoining bedroom or closet and move the sinks or showers around.  Our value pricing is based on building the same home the same way every time.  Plumbing is a major expense in a home and it runs throughout the slab.  To change the plumbing in a home, we have to re-engineer the layout of the plumbing in the slab and this is expensive.  We will, however, exchange a tub for a shower if you choose, since that plumbing is already there.  We do have a few framing changes as options on a few of our plans.  These typically involve changing a bedroom or formal dining room into an office with double doors.  Sometimes our buyers want something a little different that is not requested as often.  These framing changes that we do allow inside the home are called non-standard options.  These items will be discussed with your salesperson and your change requests will be submitted with a signed contract.

Ask the Expert!

As a home building company we have a high volume of experts in our offices.  All of our construction managers are Certified Graduate Builders through the National Association of Builders.  They have taken the courses and passed their exams and are certified experts!  Or maybe just certified 😉  Our Principals are Certified Graduate Builders as well and the icing on the cake is that the owner of our company, Ron Formby is a Certified Master Builder.  He’s had more classes and exams than anyone!  We are going to feature an “Ask the Expert” topic in our Homebuilding 101 section.  Since we have so many experts, we should have lots of good answers to your frequently asked questions!  Send us your questions at [email protected] and maybe yours will be the next featured question.

Ok, so I’m a Nerd.

Can I just say that I love construction?  I mean, I reaaaalllllly love construction.  You may not believe it, but it’s true.  My hubs and I love to walk through homes under construction just to find out what’s on the inside.  Needless to say I always want to know why we do what we do when it comes to construction.  A lot of my buyers consider me to be very well informed because I can answer about 90% of their construction questions and I get super excited when one of my buyers brings a friend or relative who actually builds or remodels homes for a living to check us out.  It’s like getting to be on Construction Jeopardy!  So, that makes me a big nerd.  But, it’s also good for you ‘cause I’m going to explore our construction on this blog.

When I first started thinking about this topic, I thought about my Gramma’s cooking.  She is an excellent cook and any one who’s ever eaten her food will tell you that.  (you know who you are, ahem, Cecil)  The secret to her cooking is that it’s a little different every time.  You can’t ever really re-create any of her dishes because there really isn’t a recipe she follows religiously; it’s just what she does in reaction to how it’s going at the time.  Well, building a home really isn’t like that.  Yes there are ingredients and every buyer has their specific color and carpet choices that are going into the home, but we warranty our structures and guarantee our kilowatt hours on our HVAC and we can’t just wing it every time.  A dash of insulation here or there won’t a guarantee make!  So is there a recipe for building a sound home?  Yes!  What is it?  Well, stick around and find out, ‘cause I’m gonna show you!