Zion, okay, question and answers.

Do we build semi-custom homes?

Do you have standard plans that you build that we can choose upgrades from?

The short answer is no.

The reason is when you really design a home, it’s so lot specific.

If it’s well done, you’re designing that layout and that footprint around how the lot sits, and that’s really important to do.

I mean, there’s so many websites you could go on, and there’s menus and menus of different floor plans to get ideas and inspiration.

But ultimately, you’re gonna want a team that nips and tucks that in just the right way.

As far as when it comes to semi-custom homes, there are a lot of homes that we work with that were previously semi-custom homes that we’re renovating.

To build them from ground up, yeah, if you had a lot and you wanted to come to us and you had a set of plans and you just wanted to do some minor modifications, yeah, we could work with that.

You know, there’s a way to do that.

Would you suggest building a new home or remodeling the current home that you’re in?

Oof, that totally depends on what your options are, I think, and what area you need to be in, how much space you need.

Like, if you’re an RV, boat, toy kind of person, I think you could probably, there’s certain properties you can get, you know, you don’t wanna be in an HOA, things like that.

There’s options for you to go by and renovate something.

But if you can’t find what you want, then yeah, getting a piece of dirt and custom building something is the answer.

Right, and we have a client right now who loves the neighborhood they’re in, loves the lot that they have.

They had the choice to either basically go to a new build or just remodel the whole thing, but do a major remodel.

And they decided to do a remodel because they love the neighborhood so much.

It’s a very unique historical neighborhood.

And so, I mean, the amount of remodel that we’re doing right now is equivalent to a new build.

But at the end of the day, it pretty much is a new build on the lot that they’re in.

And it’s gonna be incredible, but I can see their perspective, because they’re like, well, if we’re gonna sell and then go try to find a lot, well, there’s no lots available that have this historical neighborhood in mind.

There’s just so many things that go into it.

So I can see why they spent a lot of money on the remodel, because to them, the neighborhood was so important.

There was something in that neighborhood that you can’t just go and replace.

Right.

So if that’s the case, then yeah, get creative and work with a design build company to still check all those boxes that you want in the areas that you wanna be.

But if there’s a place where you can start ground up, ultimately a ground up product, it’s a blank canvas and you have a lot more options.

How do timelines differ between custom homes and a remodel?

Good question.

Custom homes take longer generally, but I don’t know, a full top to bottom remodel on a big home, it can take just as long as a new build.

Right.

Peeling back the onion, discovering all the stuff that you didn’t know was behind the walls, that can get really challenging.

But yeah, generally the timeline for a new build is I’d say longer.

Typically between 30 to 40% longer, typically, not all the time.

If you’re doing a 3,000 to 4,000 square foot home, once you break ground, you can get that done in eight to nine months.

Start getting up into four, five, six, then you’re gonna be a year once you start tying up all the loose ends.

You get north of that and you’re 14, 15, 16 months.

Right, yeah.

And then if the details are intense, they can always go high.

Yes, you could go two and three years.

There was a home we walked through last week that, what was that, a four or five year process?

Right.

I mean, but just the craftsmanship was next level.

It was unbelievable, yeah.

All right, can you explain more about the app you use to track projects for clients, the Job Tread app?

Yeah, so we use Job Tread.

Job Tread is something we’re working on internally.

It helps keep us organized.

So we have an internal dashboard that we’re using and we’re sharing plans, details, specifications.

So that helps keep us organized.

And then there’s a back door, or I call it a side door, for the customer to log in.

Helps you keep track of the financials of the job so you know what’s coming, schedules, things like that.

Daily updates, too.

Daily updates, yeah.

So for the customer, being able to just log in and see daily progress has been, it feels good to know that there’s traction on your job and that things are moving.

And communication, right?

Like when we update the schedule, that updates within Job Tread until they can see if the schedule gets pushed forward or backwards.

It’s just nice to be able to have that portal to be able to see what’s going on with your project.

Can you build a custom home in the ridges?

Yeah, if you can get the dirt.

Or if you buy something and you want to tear it down and start over, like yeah, absolutely.

Do you work with financing for your home renovations?

We can make recommendations, but that’s all handled outside of the Keenum & Co. umbrella.

Relationships with local credit unions and other banks to make that happen.

Right, this takes a little bit more effort.

But at the end of the day, yes, we have one going on right now that’s being financed.

Why build a custom home?

Oof, I dropped the mic, okay.

Why, why, Zion?

Why not?

Don’t do it if you’re gonna half-ass it, I’ll say that.

Like if you have the right team and you’re willing to go through that process to slow down, to speed up, you’re gonna get a better product.

Right.

You’re gonna get something that’s tailor-fitted to you.

You know, there’s a difference between living in a home that is renovated and you’re, if you did it, you know, top to bottom, that’s great, but the components of the home, the water heaters, the mechanical systems, the, it’s nice to be in something that, where if anything, you have trouble with something, there’s always a warranty to rely on.

Right.

You know, in older homes, even homes that are remodeled, there’s always little odds and ends that aren’t fully new and that you’re gonna have to repair and replace.

Right, and I think that new build, the beauty of a new build, like you talked about earlier, is a blank canvas, and I really believe that if you get the right design team, the right architect, the right builder, and we always will pat ourselves on the shoulders, like we have all that in-house, but regardless, if you can get the right team in play, the project becomes, it becomes almost like art.

It becomes something unique, different, has a story to it, and I really love the idea of the new build just because it is dynamic and it’s based upon you and your story, and typically, we can do higher-end finishes in it because, you know, we don’t have the cost of riving down things and removing things because that stuff becomes very expensive in a remodel, so to me, a new build, the advantages are, you can usually pick higher-end finishes because it stays within the budget, and it’s a piece of art.

It’s something that is unique and wonderful, and it’s easier to design, and it’s still hard, but at the same time, it’s beautiful, it’s amazing.

I’ll say this, there is a freshness to a new home that even a fully-renovated home just doesn’t quite get.

You can go all out on a remodel, and it just, a new build still feels fresher.

Right.

Now, with that said, there’s also well-executed remodels in those special neighborhoods that we talked about, those- That were done, yeah.

There’s something that they have that, you know, they have a special feeling to them that a fresh new build doesn’t have.

Right.

And it has a lot to do, I think, with how the landscape ties in and just the sentiment of the community.

Absolutely.

That you just don’t get in a fresh build.

That’s true.

So there’s advantages to both, but I think new build is, it’s exciting, and it’s fun, and like you said, it’s fresh, and I don’t know.

To me, all of it’s, I love all of it, mainly because the transformations and the beauty is amazing.

Okay, so that’s the questions for this month.

Is there anything else you could think of that would be helpful for our clients or people who are just looking for information on remodeling or new builds?

Even if you’re not ready, you know, even if now’s not the time you wanna do it, but you have questions or it’s something you’re considering to do in the future, like, you know, I just got on the phone with a guy last week, and he was like, I don’t know if I wanna put it on the market or not, you know, and do I renovate it?

And given our skillset and our background with the years we spent, you know, flipping homes and just our knowledge in the market, combined with our knowledge we put into the construction industry, like, there’s just a, there’s a wealth of information we can offer people that are just trying to navigate and make the best decision for them.

So I guess the answer to that question that I would say is just call, and, you know, we’re happy to help you through and navigate those decisions.

And to piggyback off of that, I really do believe that we can offer that help to the people.

We really want people to make the best decision for themselves, and so lots of times, we talk about this all the time, but we talk people out of doing certain type of remodel stuff in their homes because we don’t want them to waste their money and lose value in their homes.

And same with new builds.

Like, there’s certain things that we’ll talk clients out of, or like, hey, that’s a really good idea, but it’s not gonna give you a lot of value and it’s gonna cost an extra 100 grand.

Like, I wouldn’t do that.

And so it’s important for us to make sure that we’re giving our clients that advice and expertise that they just might not know about.

And so it’s important to us.