Below is a short comment from one homeowner explaining why he recommends one of our builders "all day long." (In fact, you can hear him say it himself by clicking this link: "my favorite general contractor."
"I have dealt extensively with contractors (for big projects and small projects). A re-occuring theme or issue with contractors in general is a lack of accountability. The one thing I really I can say about David: you know the guy would always pick up the phone and call me back. So, he didn't play any games, which I loved...."
Maybe you are a busy person with a busy life (with kids or work commitments or whatever it may be). In that case, you already may greatly value people being consistently reliable (plus respecting your time enough to give you plenty of warning if there is need to revise a schedule).
Imagine a working mother who manages multiple projects within the construction industry (involving a variety of different builders). She's responsible for building a new school in time for the fall semester... plus things like getting urgent repairs to the leaky roof of her own home. After 25 years in the construction industry, here is what she said (which you can hear at this link: "the best contractor BY FAR").
"I have a lot of experience with a lot of contractors. I had worked with many contractors over the years- for new construction and also renovations. Dave was BY FAR the best.
I really like Dave. I love the honesty. I trust him... enough that he has the key to my house for when we do another project. He still has a key to my home!"
In many interviews with homeowners, the thing that we hear about the most is their value of honest, efficient communication. You could even call it "character" or "integrity."
They usually do not go on and on about the quality of the work. They just emphasized they were delighted with it and moved on.
They usually do not go on and on about competitive pricing. They just say that they are very satisfied with the value and that they recommend this builder to everyone (or repeatedly hire him themselves over the years).
Over and over, what we repeatedly hear is that past clients so strongly recommend our builders because of high-quality communication. Considering the typical length of time that it will take to plan, design, and build a custom home (or other major project), wouldn't it be nice to really like communicating with the person that you are trusting with making your dream come true?