What to Expect When Building a Custom Home in Madison, Wisconsin

You’ve got plans for your new home’s wrap-around porch. You can’t wait to design the perfect kitchen. You’ve been thinking about the custom layout for your dream home for years. If you’re planning and budgeting for a custom home, learning about the steps involved will dissolve some of the mystery and bring you one step closer to that thrilling first trip through your new front door.

What to Expect When Building a Custom Home in Madison, WI

At Conklin Construction Co., we make a habit of exceeding our clients’ expectations by building stunning custom and semi-custom homes for our neighbors in the greater Madison area. Our time-tested process, transparent pricing, and superior craftsmanship have kept our business growing alongside the thriving communities we are helping to create.

What is the process for building a custom home?

We can’t speak about everyone else’s process, but we’re experts on ours. There is usually a great deal of overlap in the design and building steps between firms, so learning about our process can help you know what to expect as you get ready for your own custom home project, no matter where you live. The steps in our tried-and-true design-build process begin when we hear from you. Here are the steps in our custom home-building process:

Phone consultation- This will be our first step after calling us or filling out our online form. Our meetings are most efficient when you give us as much detail as possible about your project, plans, and priorities before we first meet.
Planning meeting- We can meet in your current home or one of our recent unoccupied projects and discuss your goals, vision, and budget for each room in detail. If you need help finding a lot, we will talk about this during your planning meeting. If you do, you’re in good hands; we’re experts on Madison neighborhoods.
Design floor plan- We can help you design a completely new custom floor plan, modify or build one of our existing floor plans, or use a floor plan you bring to us.
Ballpark pricing- Once we have a floor plan, we can create a ballpark price. We narrow the price range once you have selected materials and finishing touches.
Selection of materials- We are happy to use our expertise to assist you in selecting materials throughout your home.
Finalize and sign your contract- Now that we have a budget and design, we iron out the details and finalize your contract.
Help you with financing- If you need financing, we will help you prepare the documents regarding the project details that your lender requires.
Construction begins- Woohoo! It’s time to start building!
Pre-Job walkthrough- We don’t do anything major until we’ve visited your lot together and answered any questions you have now that you can stand in your space and visualize your home-to-be.
Pre-Drywall walkthrough- Now that the house's bones are up and the electrical is in, we walk through together and discuss questions, changes, and concerns you have about the layout.
21-Day walkthrough- We walk through the home together 21 days before we are scheduled to finish. Get ready to create a punch list of anything you want us to add, change, or create before the job is done.
7-Day walkthrough- We will go through the punch list you created two weeks ago, check on our progress, and note what still needs to be done.
1 Day walkthrough- We go through the home again to ensure the punch list is complete and address any final touches.
Move-In- Today’s the day! Welcome home!
60 Day punch list- After you’ve lived in your space for 60 days, you will likely have a list of things you want to be added, changed, or tweaked to perfect the space for how you use it. We’ll create a punch list and get it done.
11 Month follow-up- We want the home we built together to stand the test of time. We have a 12-month warranty on our builds, so we check in with you at month 11 to give us time to address any concerns that have evolved.

What Does a Custom Home Cost in Madison, WI?

We divide our price brackets into three different ranges:

1)Base Home Construction-- $400 thousand Plus

Includes: 1500+ sq ft home with 9’ ceiling, 8’ basement ceilings, laminated floors, stock granite countertops, and stock cabinets. This estimate does not include landscaping or appliances.

2) Average Home Construction-- $490 thousand Plus

Includes: 1800+ sq ft home with 9’ ceilings, living room and master tray ceilings, 9’ basement ceilings, engineered wood floors in common areas, quartz countertops, semi-custom cabinets, stainless steel kitchen appliances, gas fireplace, deck, concrete driveway, and base landscaping.

3) High-End Home Construction-- $675 thousand plus

Includes: 2200+ sq ft home with 10’ ceilings, 9’ basement ceilings, finished in-place hardwood floors in common areas, high-end quartz countertops, custom cabinets, high-end appliances, upgraded landscaping, concrete driveway, screen porch, and accent walls.

How Long Does a Custom Home Take?

Large homes with more customized details and materials take longer to make. Sometimes, supply chain delays or other unforeseen circumstances delay our timelines in unpredictable ways. We usually provide timeline ranges so that you know what to expect and can plan accordingly. New construction takes about a year, give or take a few months. High-end homes can take considerably longer. Your contractor can give you the best idea about your new home construction timeline.

Expert Custom Home Builders in Wisconsin

We love making custom home dreams come true in Madison, Wisconsin. Conklin Construction Co. is a trusted area expert who repeatedly delivers stunning and innovative custom homes. Finding the right contractor makes all the difference before, during, and after your build. We would love to be considered to build your dream home. Reach out today to get started.