A good team

By Jay Dedrick, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 8, 2005 at midnight

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Christopher Herr designed his house with architect, partner and friend Brad Tomecek. And Christopher recruited his friend James Casanova as builder. What if you want to build a custom home, but don't have architects and builders in your circle of friends? Here's advice from Mike Powell, president of Pinnacle Peak Homes, a Castle Rock-based builder specializing in custom homes.

* Choose a builder. "Do a background check by talking to homeowners they've built for," Powell says. "Find out how their company is set up: Is it a one-man show, or do they have superintendents? How many homes do they build?"

* Choose an architect. "Find somebody who will do the right style home for you," Powell says. "If an open-floor plan is important to you, don't choose an architect who doesn't design homes like that." And don't get talked into something you don't want.

Powell suggests having your chosen builder with you when interviewing architects. "A lot of people can draw up plans, but it doesn't mean they're going to work," Powell says. "There's common sense to it, so have your builder be part of the discussion."

* Talk to their past customers. "If somebody's interested in having me build them a home, I give them a list of homes I've built with the homeowners' names," Powell says.

* Get comfortable with your team. "It's very important that you all get along with each other," Powell says. "It's a year-and-a-half relationship."

* Get on the same page. "Make sure everyone on the team understands the impact of the land — on construction logistics, on views from the finished home — and the limits of the budget."

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