How To Choose A Custom Home Builder In Lincoln, NE

To choose a custom home builder in Lincoln, check six things before you sign: that they’re registered and licensed, who designs the house, how the price is put together, who handles permits, what their finished work looks like, and who you’ll be talking to during the build. Most of it takes an afternoon and a few direct questions. Here’s what to ask, and how we answer each one ourselves.

Confirm Registration And Licensing

Nebraska requires most contractors doing business in the state to register with the Department of Labor. The department’s registered contractor search is public, and looking a builder up takes a minute. Ask for the number and check it yourself. Den & Burrow builds under Nebraska contractor license #71724-25.

Then ask who pulls the trade permits. In Lincoln, the city issues electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits only to a licensed contractor or to a homeowner working on their own primary residence. Your builder should be able to name the licensed trades who will be on your house.

Ask Who Designs The House

Builders handle design in very different ways. Some adapt plans from a library. Some build from drawings by an architect or designer you hire separately. Some keep design in house, which is usually called design-build. Each can work, and the title “custom home builder” won’t tell you which one you’re getting.

It matters most when the drawings and the job site disagree. If the designer and the builder are separate companies, that question travels between them, often through you. We’re a design-build firm. Alec Calzada leads architectural design and Colten Roth is our licensed contractor, so the people who drew your house are on site to explain it. We cover the differences in custom home builder or general contractor.

You may also wonder whether you need an architect at all. For most homes in Nebraska, you don’t: a single-family home under 10,000 square feet can be designed without a licensed architect.

Understand How The Price Is Built

There are two common ways a builder gets paid. With a fixed price, you agree on one number for a finished set of drawings, and the builder carries the risk of costs moving, usually with a cushion built into the number. With cost-plus, you pay what the work costs plus a markup, and the total moves with real costs.

Ask which one you’re being offered, what the markup is, and what you’ll be able to see. We compare the two in cost-plus or fixed price. We build cost-plus with a standard markup, and it’s open book: when we get an invoice for construction work, you get to see it. If material or labor prices change during the job, the change shows up in the billing where you can follow it.

Ask about planning numbers early, too. We plan construction at $225 per square foot for basic finishes, $250 for mid-tier, and $300 and up for top-tier, with the lot, site work, and fees separate. Our guide to what it costs to build a house in Lincoln walks through the math.

Find Out Who Handles Permits

A new home in Lincoln goes through the city’s Building and Safety office, with full construction drawings and a stack of companion forms. Plan review comments are normal, and slow answers to them are where schedules slip. Ask who prepares the permit set, who answers the reviewer, and who books the inspections. On our projects, we do all three. Our guide to how building permits work in Lincoln shows what the city asks for.

Look At Finished Work And Reviews

Ask to see homes the builder has finished, and look for work close to what you want to build. A builder with a strong record in subdivisions may be a different fit from one who builds one-off houses on the owner’s lot. Read recent reviews for how the builder communicated and handled problems, since every build has a few. You can see our homes, kitchens, and additions on our work.

Know Who You Will Be Talking To

A custom home takes months, and you’ll talk to your builder more than you expect. Ask who your day-to-day contact is, who is on site, and how changes get priced once work has started. On our builds, Colten oversees the site, the subcontractors, and the schedule, and a change is priced and approved before the crew builds it.

Questions To Bring To The First Meeting

What is your contractor registration or license number? Who designs the house, and do they work for you? Is the price fixed or cost-plus, and what is the markup? Will I see the invoices? Who submits the permit and answers the city? Who is on site each day? How do you price a change after construction starts? Which finished homes can I look at?

A builder who answers those plainly in the first meeting is likely to keep doing it during the build.

Where To Start

It helps to know what your budget supports before you meet anyone. Our Estimate Builder turns your income, debts, credit, and savings into a home size, land not included. When you’re ready, book a 30-minute call with Alec. Bring these questions and ask us every one. We design and build custom homes in Lincoln and Seward.