Our Process
At Winfrey Design Build, LLC, we understand that the residential construction process needs to be thorough and accommodating for every client. We proudly serve River Oaks, Bellaire, Memorial, Montrose, Tanglewood, Heights, West University and surrounding areas of Houston, Texas with an efficient process that ensures that our mutual creation is truly a collaborative one every step of the way.
Our Custom Building Process
We take the time to walk our customers through the many decisions that go into the building process. We take a very complex process and simplify as many details as possible into an efficient user friendly system.
Bruce uses his experience building custom homes and his own experience living in some of the homes he has built to help you consider the little touches like proper wall space for art you may have or practical features like taking in dead space in the attic for extra storage.
Lot Selection
Whether you already have a lot of your own or are interested in having Bruce help you choose a home site, we will be happy to assist you in narrowing down some of your building options based on location, lot size and price.
If we are building on your existing lot that means working with you on the orientation and size of the home and includes working within zoning ordinances or homeowners association requirements to build a home that fits their requirements for design and aesthetics.
If we are helping you find a lot we will assist you in viewing potential sites you are considering to ensure that the type of home you want fits the surrounding area in terms of size and value plus evaluate if you can feasibly build what you want for the budget you have set forth.
Developing a Plan
If you already have your plans or have identified an architect you would like to work with; great, we will help you evaluate the plan in terms of lot placement and selections and we can get started that much faster.
We also have relationships with several noted architects and we can bridge the gap between you and the architect in transforming your ideas and dreams into a build-able plan. Bruce brings his expertise and experience to all phases of the design process and it helps guide the development of our mutual vision of what the finished project should look like and what it will cost.
Developing a General Finish Out
Most homeowners have usually amassed a wish list of ideas, pictures and articles on how they would like for their home to look and function. We can also take you through different homes we have built and make the rounds of key designer showrooms that our vendors have set up to help you make your general finish out selections.
This will give us the final pieces of the puzzle, so to speak, in providing you with a more accurate cost estimate.
Formulating an Estimate
After our first visit to the architect we are provided a concept sketch and basic layout of your home for your approval. At this time, we are able to use this base plan combined with the selections and finishes you have chosen to determine a preliminary cost estimate. In Bruce’s experience, the estimate that comes out of this exercise is usually within 3% of the eventual contracted price.
Enter into a Construction Contract
Once the final plans are developed and the interior specifications are complete we will be able to provide you with a final guaranteed price. We will enter into an agreement and begin building your custom home.
We realize that changes can occur during the construction process and we have procedures in place to facilitate those changes or additions to your custom home plans including fair deadlines for making certain choices or changing certain elements and all the work will be priced out and agreed upon before those deadlines.
A Word From Bruce
“These are the five broad steps that you will undertake with any builder if you are contracting for a custom home. However, each of these steps can comprise hundreds of other choices and decisions that you will be making and the person guiding you through this process must know what they are doing but they should also have a personality that suits you and be someone you can work with over the 10 to 16 months of this process.
I would certainly welcome the opportunity to visit with you about my philosophy and experience to determine if we are the right fit for your project.”
Contact Us
For more information regarding our process, we invite you to reach our team by filling out our short form. Additionally, feel free to give us a call at 713-443-8269.
We had planned our new home for quite some time and already had the perfect lot and a plan that would give us and our kids the ideal space. Choosing Bruce was the final and most important decision that would shape our plans into the home we enjoy now. He was easy to work with and finished on time but most importantly, he stayed in touch through the warranty process and taking care of the inevitable items that are discovered once a home is lived in. We love our house!”
David and Kim,
custom home on
Acreage
