Valparaiso Home Builders & Subdivision Suggestions (Porter: good schools, subdivisions, square footage)

[ValpoBound13]

My husband and I are moving to Valparaiso from Chicago and we need some help on suggestions for home builders and subdivisions. We are in our early thirties and are looking to start a family soon. So we would like to be near good schools (Thinking just Valpo, not township schools). We would like a friendly subdivision with some young families where there is a good sized yard (around .5, no more than an acre) We would like a subdivision that has some kind of trees or natural beauty, not just a flat field wth no trees or anything. But still a sense of community with sidewalks, etc. We are looking to spend no more than $350,000 on a home. We don't need a huge house, would rather have some character and charm and smaller square footage than larger blah builder grade. There are so many builders and subdivisions we could use some suggestions fom people more familiar with the area... or at the very least the ones to avoid! Thanks so much for your input. It is very much appreciated!

[richb]

Your right about there being plenty of options when it comes to homebuilders in Northwest Indiana. We have quite a few top notch builders. Most are smaller companies (in some cases the owner will be pounding in nails in your new house, some are that small). You should check out most of them, even though its a big job. You may be surprised that it may be the easiest to just go through them all to find the right one. Most people seem to know they found their home builder by walking in one of their houses, checking it out and talking with the builder.

You may want to check out Steiner Homes. They build in just about any subdivision in Valpo. One of their things is the more "character" in their designs.

Another is Henderlong Builders. They aren't in Valpo as much as Steiner, but they will build anywhere in NW Indiana.

Probably the biggest builder in the area is Olthoff Homes. They have recently set up shop in Porter County in a big way. But since you don't want builder grade, they are probably not for you (though I would still check them out, just to see what they do). They try to be affordable as much as they can, you can get a lot of house but they tend to use lower end materials.

Well, that is just a few to start off with. Keep in mind that getting a half acre lot may not be the easiest thing in a new house in the price range your in. Most will likely be closer to the quarter acre size range. Land is fairly expensive due to the costs of developing it here. Generally lots start at 40k. Most seem to be in the 70k range, so it can be a big chunk of your budget.

Good luck.

[TalkisCheap]

Klomp Custom Homes is a quality custom home builder.