How to Assess the Financial Strength and Stability of Your Chosen Builder

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When you’re making the dream of owning your own home a reality, it is only natural that you want everything to be perfect.  And when you’re building your home the cornerstone of that perfection begins with a strong builder that has a proven track record and solid reputation within the community. These days, almost everyone prefers to stretch their dollar as far as it will go, and the last thing anyone wants to do is to get involved with a builder that just can’t live up to its financial obligations.

To help guide you through the process of selecting a quality builder that has the financial strength to sustain the entire project of building your home, here are three essential questions to ask before choosing a builder:

What Is the Condition of the Company’s Financial Health?

Since most builders are are privately owned, they are not likely to share financial information such as statements, tax filings or other documentation that will indicate how strong (or weak) they are as a company.  At Charleston Homes, we believe this information is critical in making the decision of whether or not to hire a builder. Charleston Homes works with several banking partners and we invite our existing and potential clients to inquire about our relationships with them.  Our banking partners include Security National Bank, First National Bank and Pinnacle Bank.

Ask your prospective builder to provide as much financial information as possible so you can get a glimpse of their financial health.  A financially weak company is definitely a risk in terms of investment, and best avoided if possible.  Without a solid financial backing, how can you be sure your project will be completed with the best resources possible and how can you be sure it will be finished on time?

How Are The Relationships With Suppliers and Vendors?

The majority of work performed when building a home lies within a set of key suppliers and vendors. Suppliers install the home’s foundation, lumber, siding, heating & cooling, plumbing and electrical systems, windows, cabinets and roofing.  All it takes is for just one component to stall for the rest of the project the slow down.  The most prevalent reason for delays in construction usually amounts to payments made late or none at all to vendors and suppliers.

Check to find out how the builder you are considering relates to their vendors and suppliers.  Ask for a list of their construction partners to find out whether the builder makes payments on time or has a reputation for being late or delinquent on payments.

Our policy at Charleston Homes is one that keeps our partners happy while continuing to run a smooth building process for our clients.  It’s a win-win situation for all and we’re happy to be able to stand behind our word.

What Do Past Clients Have to Say?

Nothing speaks louder than the words spoken by a past client.  The experiences relayed by past clients are a direct reflection on the builder’s financial integrity.  Does the builder respond to concerns in a timely and effective manner?  Are there typically many delays in the process of building the home?  Delays generally translate to unhappy or unpaid suppliers that are unwilling to continue working until payment is current.

The only delays we experience are those that are due to unforeseen weather circumstances.  Other than that, a builder should never deviate from the schedule and all projects should be completed on time and on schedule as they are with Charleston Homes.

As we approach our five-year anniversary, at Charleston Homes we have had nothing but resounding success with our clients.  We pride ourselves in offering the utmost transparency and openness and make sure that we provide our clients with a solid foundation – both literally and financially.  We welcome you to contact any of our vendors, suppliers, partners or past and present clients to learn of their experience while working with us.  Please contact me, Mike Freestone, Finance Director at Charleston Homes if you have any questions and I’d be happy to share our financial information with you.  We are sure you’ll be pleased and look forward to serving your needs!

Introducing The Stunning Jackson Floorplan

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We at Charleston Homes are excited to announce our new Jackson floorplan which is now open at Saddlebrook.  In short, this floorplan rocks! I wanted to give you a quick tour to show you some of the elegant, functional and exciting new features of this floorplan.  Of course, it's always better to see it in person which you can do by coming to see us!

This floor plan is 2486 ft above grade with a base price of $198,000.  You can literally put this floorplan anywhere in Omaha market as it will fit into just about any kind of neighborhood.  Of course, we have different exterior elevations that will really dress up the front of the home.

We've completely redone the kitchen by adding staggered cabinet options and a hidden pantry.  It's very spacious and open to the family room.  In fact, you can see the family room and stone fireplace from the kitchen.

In the family room, we've had customers asking for stone fireplace.  We listened to our customers, and made this very popular addition to the floor plan.  The fireplace adds an extra bit of ambiance and coziness.

The gorgeous two-story entry really gives that wow factor. It offers a stunning look into your home when guests come over for a visit.  In fact, you can greet them at the top of your sweeping staircase!

This is the true four-bedroom home with a large master.  The master bedroom also has a big walk-in bathroom with separate tub and shower.  The walk-in shower is tiled, and there is a huge walk-in closet that comes standard with this floor plan.

The kitchen in this home is absolutely stunning and has its own dining area.  There is also a formal dining room in this floorplan as well.  The Jackson floorplan is perfect for entertaining and family flow.  You won't find anything in this price range with as many amenities and upgrades as this beautiful home.

As always, we'd love to meet you and show you this model in person.  We're open seven days a week, so come on over and visit us anytime! We will take you on a personal walk-through of the Jackson and show you everything it has to offer.

How We Help You Keep Your Heating & Cooling Bills As Low As Possible

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Energy efficiency in your new home is very important during any time of the year as it directly affects your overall utility bills. During both the summer and winter months, we want to ensure we keep as much of that conditioned air, from both the air conditioner and furnace, within the home. Today, we wanted to explain a few of the features we utilize in our new homes that help to keep this conditioned air within the building space and not lost to the outside, which in turn will lower your monthly energy bills.

First of all, for our wall insulation we use a blown-in fiberglass composite material. This insulation is a loose fill product which condenses to fill any voids or air gaps within the wall cavity and also fills around all plumbing and electrical in the wall. We first cover the wall in netting and then fill in between each stud cavity.  Our recent change to 2x6 exterior walls allows us to achieve an R-21 rating because of the depth and overall density in the stud space throughout our exterior walls.  The thicker the insulation you are able to install, the higher the R- value, or the higher thermal resistance of the structure.  Higher thermal resistance equals a more energy efficient home.

Another area of your home where we focus on energy efficiency is the type of windows we install.  We use a true vinyl window made by Andersen. Vinyl is a great building product as it has a very low heat transfer rating.  All of our windows are also Low-E rated.  This Low-E rating means that our windows block around 84% of all ultraviolet light from entering the home through the window.  Each of these two characteristics help minimize heat from penetrating into the home during the summer and escaping the home in the winter.  Again, the more conditioned air you can keep within your home the less your furnace and air conditioner will have to work, thus helping to reduce your monthly energy bills.

A third area where we focus on energy efficiency is our use of Lennox furnaces that are 93% efficient. This means that the  furnace uses 93% of the energy it requires to operate to actually heat the home. 7% of the energy used is lost through the combustion process and not utilized in producing heat for the home. The unit uses two pvc pipes that extend from the unit directly to the outdoors.  One is an intake to bring fresh air in to fuel the combustion process and the other is to remove the by-products created from the furnace during this same process.  This is also another important energy feature in your new home in that the furnace is not using already conditioned air within the home to complete the combustion process, but fresh air from the outside.  The more conditioned air that is kept inside the building envelope and the more efficient the furnace, the less the furnace has to run to replenish that conditioned air.

Above are just a few of the many different energy features we incorporate into our new homes.  All of these features together help create a more comfortable home as well as a home that is very energy efficient.  For more information on our homes, please feel free to call or e-mail us anytime or stop by our models in Saddlebrook or Portal Ridge.