Nov 17 2007
Selecting a Builder
Selecting a builder was a lot easier for us than finding an architect. Our same criteria applied – we wanted to find a builder who had experience with EarthCraft houses/renovations, since we didn’t want someone cutting their teeth on our project, and we also wanted the benefit of their experience as we thought through the design.
Back when we started thinking about renovating our house, I did a quick search on Southface’s website for EarthCraft builders. Renewal Construction popped up as having been selected as the 2005 EarthCraft Renovator of the Year. They also happen to be based in Decatur, just down the road from our house. So I picked up the phone, and ended up having an hour-long conversation with Peter Michelson (left), Renewal’s CEO.
So, when we got this project underway in earnest, we did do some shopping around for builders, but the choice was Renewal by a long shot because:
- They not only had experience with green building, but they are deeply passionate about it. They were very excited about working on our project and helping achieve our goal of reducing our environmental impact.
- They were the only builder who reliably returned calls and e-mails (apparently, “customer service” is a foreign concept to most builders!)
- They offer The Guaranteed Renovation, a guaranteed fixed-price and fixed-timeframe renovation. This was a huge factor in increasing our comfort level around the renovation – we don’t have to worry about the project dragging on for years (like some homeowners we spoke with), nor do we have to worry about escalation or contingency.
Renewal is a bit more expensive than a lot of other builders…but, as the saying goes, “you get what you pay for”, and we’ve been incredibly impressed with Renewal so far. They’ve been absolutely, no doubt, 100% worth the cost!
One additional comment on choosing a builder: one of the smartest things we’ve done so far is bring on Renewal early in the design process. Our first meeting with them was when we had gotten Rawlings Design’s initial concepts. Peter mentioned that most people bring in the builder once the design is fully-baked, which limits the ability to think through issues and come up with a design that addresses environmental, aesthetic and cost issues in a holistic way. Indeed, I think that our project is much better because of the interaction we’ve had between us, Rawlings Design, Renewal, and Southface.
