Builders in houston that allow structural changes (Cove: custom home, buy)

[Waytoodeep03]

I dont understand the problem here. I have talked to quite a few builders in Houston (westin, dr Horton, jkyle, megatel, greeneco) they all have said they do not allow any structural changes to their floor plans. I just want maybe a bigger closet here in exchange for less living room or garage there.

They all get attitudes when I ask like I am insulting them.

Are there any decent builders at all in Houston that really WORK with the customer and aren't caught up on just building a house and getting paid?

[huma281]

When you do a structural change, it goes through a process. I forgot what the whole process was, but basically it costs time and money. On top of that, those changes could potentially cause other problems and that's why homes that are more affordable aren't offered the flexibility of structural changes.

What is your budget? I'm pretty sure if you're shelling out $400k+, the builder should let you make some changes. If you're looking at $200k, not many builders will give you this option. I think Gehan or was it Beazar? and Travis homes are around that price point and allow structural changes.

[Waytoodeep03]

Budget is 450k. So a simple modification to make the laundry room bigger while making the garage smaller is a huge process?

[Rycy]

Did you try Highland? We had some friends that are building a house with them that said they were pretty good with changes, but I'm not sure if they were structural or not.

[Keyan]

Originally Posted by Waytoodeep03

I dont understand the problem here. I have talked to quite a few builders in Houston (westin, dr Horton, jkyle, megatel, greeneco) they all have said they do not allow any structural changes to their floor plans. I just want maybe a bigger closet here in exchange for less living room or garage there.

They all get attitudes when I ask like I am insulting them.

Are there any decent builders at all in Houston that really WORK with the customer and aren't caught up on just building a house and getting paid?

Because when you want to make any adjustments or structural changes, you are setting them back 3 - 4 weeks.. in builder time thats alot of time. they have to get their drawings and permits approved by the city, plus the $$$ that you won't pay them

on top, most of these home designs are bought from previous builders, whether its from builders out of state or even in the city. these builders would need to pay a seperate architect additional money to change someone else's drawings. might as well custom build a home if your gonna spend the money

[gsmj]

There is also no guarantee that you will buy the home once completed. If you can't/won't close for whatever reason they're left on the hook with both the cost of the changes and the changes themselves. To them that's a sellers risk they would rather not take.

[dd1153]

In this market its something builders plain and simply just do not have to do to sell homes. If you want a custom home pay the custom price tag.. however the builders aforementioned are known to not make structural changes.

Typically with builders who will make structural changes, they will charge you a 100% non-refundable deposit for the cost of the change.. so if you do not close for any reason, they have the cost covered to make the change back to normal if need be.

Also, this was previously mentioned, but redrawing blueprints, pulling new building permits, etc for a production home is time consuming. It may seem like a simple change to you, however there are resources and people involved in making this change.. that it is simply not worth the builder doing (in most cases).

With that being said, there are production builders who offer structural changes.

[Oildog]

It is a big deal. One crew usually puts up the same model. If changes are needed another crew does that. Let alone all the paperwork that needs to be done.

[drzae2000]

At that price-point, Coventry will allow structural changes...though if its too complex (i.e. involving load bearing walls, etc), they will charge a one-time redraw fee. Highland will do the same

[haudi]

David Weekley, Trendmaker, Newmark, Highland, Coventry will all let you do structural changes. Prices/deposits will vary. Get your estimates before you sign any contracts.