Because of that, we put a lot of effort into finding, keeping and using the best subcontractors. After all, our name goes on their work as well as ours.

We constantly review their work and study new trends, materials and techniques in our industry. It’s how we remain at the top of the ladder.

Despite our efforts to maintain our high quality standards, sometimes things go wrong.

When things go wrong, you expect them to get taken care of. You expect your builder to stand behind their work. You expect a guarantee that your builder and their subcontractors will be there to resolve any problems and make you happy.

We agree.

We believe that a guarantee should be simple and not be full of “weasel words” and exclusions for every little thing so that we have a means of avoiding our responsibility to provide a high-quality home.

This is how we stand behind our work:

Steve, Genia and the team at Cornerstone Construction NW, Inc. guarantee to <fill in this space>.

HowToChooseACustomBuilder.pdf (works on Windows, Mac, etc).

To view and print this checklist, you’ll need the Adobe Acrobat PDF viewer (free, click here). If you already have it (most computers do), you don’t need to install anything.

If you would prefer that we faxed, emailed or mailed this document to you, please contact us.

Want someone else’s opinion about how to choose a custom home builder? <- Use this link to find them.

Whoa. That’s a lot of work.

Yes, it is. Given that you will probably be going to the bank for the biggest loan of your life, a little research could save you a lot of pain – and a lot of cash. This is a situation where it pays to do it right the first time – as with brain surgery, the cheapest price is not always the best deal and some damage is impossble to undo.

However, we know there’s a lot to read, so we’ve done two things to make it easier:

1) A checklist (also a pdf, requires the free Adobe Acrobat PDF Viewer).

2) An audio of “How to Choose a Custom Builder”.

If you aren’t quite ready for all that reading, listening to the audio on your iPod is a great way to get you thinking about the process of selecting a builder – without all that reading.

When we get started

We will visit your land with you, help you set a budget, walk hand in hand with you through the decision-making process – while keeping your budget in mind.

We can make suggestions for colors, discuss appliance choices, as well as all of the many choices regarding tile, carpet, stone, brick, etc. We know that you might be overcome with “analysis paralysis” when faced with so many choices – and we’ll help you through it.

After many years of building, we know that one of our most important tasks is to escort you through the many styles and choices facing you during the design phase.

As a result, we’ve designed our building process around making those experiences easier to deal with. We won’t skip any detail, but we also won’t place you in a deluge of paperwork and decision-making all at once, and never by yourself.

We make it easier for you to get started

Because time and money assert their limits upon all of us, we’ve been there. We know how it can become stressful to have all those decisions facing you, along with time pressure, financing questions and everything else on your plate.

One of our most important responsibilities is to provide you and your family with the advice, assistance, experience and tools to build your dream home within those limits.

That starts with site selection, or if you have a piece of land already, helping you understand your options for home styles that best fit the lay of your land.

Next, drawings and design. Budgeting, scheduling, planning as much as we can beforehand, getting bids, firming up the budget and then…

Financing

In most cases, our clients need, or prefer, to finance the construction of their new dream home.

The financing process can be a confusing and sometimes frustration task, particularly if this is your first custom home.

You will need a construction loan. In some cases, the construction loan can be converted into a traditional mortgage loan at closing.

In other cases, you will need to apply and qualify for a separate mortgage that will take effect at closing, paying off the construction loan.

The construction loan is typically a short term loan that allows you to approve payments to suppliers, the general contractor (that’s Cornerstone) and sub-contractors as the construction process moves toward completion. You present the invoices that we gather from material providers, contractors and other to your construction loan officer and they issue a check. This process continues throughout the construction project.

One of the most important parts of the financing process is getting the loan approved. This requires accurate budgeting and cost research on our part and this is a task that we will work on with you.

Once you have financing, unless you already have funds in place, the fun starts!

Site preparation and rough in

During this step, excavation takes place, followed by installing roughed in plumbing and the steps necessary to prepare the foundation site for concrete pouring.

Weather can be a factor in this process, primarily because of the temperatures required to get a quality “cure” on the concrete that is poured to form the foundation and basement-level floors.

We’re very careful to manage the pour based on the forecast, ground temperature and other factors. Exterior coatings to prevent water seepage are applied once the concrete has cured.

There’s a reason it is called the foundation, so we make sure your home starts off right.

Framing

This is the part that will make you think we’re making such rapid progress that we’ll be done well ahead of schedule, when in fact we’ve only gotten started.

The reason for this is that a lot of visual progress occurs at this stage, as the shape of your home rises from the foundation and the vision of the completed dream forms in your mind as you watch it rise each day. 

One of the things that makes this process faster than in years past is access to pre-built wall and truss components.

The quality control of these factory-built components makes your home much more “square” and allows us to make rapid progress even in weather that would make traditional framing difficult, dangerous or almost impossible.

Finally, mold prevention coatings are often applied to the lower level beams during this stage. A proprietary spray-on mold prevention product protects wood components at the ground level. This is critical these days as mold remediation is a costly process when done after the fact, making preventative care essential.

Roofing, doors and windows

Once the framing process is complete, we are ready to “dry in” the home. When a home is “dried in”, it means that we’ve completed the roof, as well as installed doors and windows, making the home weatherproof. 

Ideally, we want to complete this process as quickly as possible, and without having snowfall or rain between the time we start framing and close that last door. It doesn’t always work that way, but we strive to dry-in your home without moisture getting in the way.

One of the nice things about living in Montana is that the low humidity lends itself to quick drying, even after a rain.

A lot of the budget latitude in a custom home occurs at this stage – and it relates directly to the actual (as well as perceived) quality of your home for years to come.

The reason? You can choose inexpensive (and often lower quality) doors, windows and door hardware, or you can select the best available.

The price ranges for window and door components can be astounding, but the difference in how your home feels will be significantly affected by your choice here. This is a major piece of the assistance and counseling we provide when helping you budget the project and select the components and materials used to build your new home.

Doors, windows and door hardware make a big impact on the quality of your home, not only on comfort, but on how solid and well-built your home “feels”.

Electrical, plumbing and insulation

Once the home is dried in, it’s time to complete the plumbing rough-in and run all electrical circuits in your home. This stage must be complete before we can begin the process of applying drywall to walls and ceilings.

Drywall

It’s amazing how quickly this step transforms a construction project into the home you see in your mind’s eye. Once the walls and ceilings come together, the excitement starts to build.

Drywall contractors have this down to an art form these days. An experienced team can complete a large home before you know it, leaving everyone to wait for the drywall “mud” to dry so it can be sanded.

Exterior finish work

Take a look at this photo of an Ashley Lake project that has interior and exterior finish work in progress. Note the difference in appearance of this site vs. that of a typical construction site. You don’t see piles of scrap sitting everywhere. You don’t see wrappers and other trash blown about. This is one of the results of the organization and order we talk about in our process. No one likes seeing those kinds of messes on a site – including your new neighbors. This site wasn’t treated differently than any other site. Our photographer didn’t tell us if or when he was visiting this site. He just showed up, and this is what he found.

Cabinets

Cabinetry is another place where your investment pays off in many ways.

Curb appeal and kitchens sell homes – and a properly designed and organized cabinetry have a lot to do with that fact.

Kitchens are today’s socializing room. Kids are raised, taught and learn responsibility here.

Cabinets are the built-in furniture for your kitchen. Even before your dining or kitchen table arrives, your cabinets stand out and make a statement about your kitchen.

Floors and interior finish work Other than windows, nothing seems to catch a visitor’s eye faster than an amazing floor. Whether the flooring is tile, stone, highly polished wood, carpet or even barn wood – it says a lot about your home. It’s one of the last things we complete so that your new dream home’s flooring is flawless on the day you move in.

Appliances and fixtures

Once the painting and detail trim work is done, the chance of causing damage to appliances, lighting and plumbing fixtures and various wall-mounted hardware is behind us.

In addition to appliances, these finishing touches can add a touch of class to homes in every price range.

Walk through and inspection

The big day for the Cornerstone team comes when we are confident that your new dream home is ready for a walk-through. You can do the walkthrough on your own, but we’d prefer to do it with you so that we can discuss - right then – any problems that you found, or items you have questions about. Once you’re happy with your new home, the only remaining step is the closing.

It’s yours!

Once the walk through and inspection process is complete, all that’s left is closing the loan (making it officially yours – along with the home), and filing deed /mortgage paperwork with the county and state as necessary.

Because our clients have dreams of all sizes, we’ve built custom homes for budgets of all sizes, ranging from the low 100’s to large private estates. No matter how big or small your budget, you get the same quality and care Cornerstone provides to each of our clients.

Contact us for our free “How to choose a custom home builder” checklist.