Questions to Ask a Builder's References

Reference calls usually go the same way. You ask if they were happy with the builder, they say yes, you thank them, and you've learned almost nothing. That's not the reference's fault. A builder hands you the people who had good projects, and "were you happy" is a question that only has one polite answer.

Good reference calls get specific. The questions below are built to get past the polite answer to what the job was actually like.

Go beyond the list

The reference list is a start, not the whole picture. Ask the builder for their last several finished projects, not just their favorites. Drive past their active jobsites and look at how the site is kept. If you're looking in a subdivision where they've built before, the people living in those houses are worth a knock on the door. You love the lot, but you're not sure about the builder has more on this.

Recent projects matter most. A builder's crew, superintendent, and office change over time. A great project from eight years ago tells you less than a decent one from last year.

Money

• How close was your final cost to the contract amount? What made up the difference?
• Were the allowances realistic for what you ended up choosing?
• How were change orders priced, and did you get the price before the work was done?
• Were there any surprises on the final bill?

A final cost well over contract isn't automatically a bad sign. If most of it was the client's own changes, that's a different story from overruns nobody saw coming. Listen for which one it was.

Schedule

• Did the job finish when the contract said it would? If not, how far off was it?
• When the schedule slipped, how did you find out, and how was it explained?
• Were you ever waiting on the builder, or was the builder waiting on you?

Communication

• Who did you talk to day to day, and how often?
• When you asked a question, how long did an answer take?
• Did you get straight answers when the news wasn't good?
• Was there a regular meeting or update, or did you have to go looking?

Problems

• What went wrong on your project? (Something always does.)
• How did the builder handle it?
• Was there anything you had to push for that you felt should have been handled without asking?

The answer to "what went wrong" tells you more than anything else on the call. Every custom home has problems. What you're learning is how this builder deals with them.

After move-in

• How did the builder respond to warranty calls?
• How does the house perform? Does it hold heat on a cold night, and are any rooms noticeably colder than others?
• Is there anything you'd have them do differently?

Built to code vs. above code has more on what to ask about performance.

The last question

"Would you build with them again?" It's the closest thing to a summary, and it's worth asking last, after they've thought through the rest. Then ask the follow-up: "Is there anything you'd do differently on your side?" That one often tells you what the builder needs from a client to do their best work.

How to read the answers

Pay attention to how people answer as much as what they say. A long pause, a "mostly," or an answer to a different question than the one you asked usually means there's more there. You don't need to push. A quiet "is there anything else I should know?" often does it.

And keep perspective. One unhappy reference out of several isn't necessarily a pattern. Two or three saying the same thing about the same issue probably is.

If you can, see a finished house in person and walk an active jobsite. Ten minutes on a site shows you how a builder runs a job better than any phone call.