Clients contact us at various stages in their planning process. We meet with each client to review their current details, intentions and plans. Next, we typically schedule a visit to completed or under construction Cornerstone Construction homes. Then, we encourage each interested client to contact a number of our former clients to hear firsthand of their experience with us.

We especially want each client to “interview” us as well. This is important as we recommend and advocate that the client select the builder as early as possible in the planning stage and assemble all of the “team members” that are planned to contribute to the project. Having your Builder, Architect or Designer, Landscape Architect and Interior designer on board from planning stages forward ensures the greatest efficiency and success in balancing the details of the plans within the confines of your stated budget. This give and take between design, specifications and budget orchestrated during the design process through the interaction of all team members is critical in laying the foundation for a truly successful and enjoyable project.

Once the client confirms that he desires to engage Cornerstone Construction a Pre- Construction Services Agreement is signed that will serve the design and budgeting phases leading up to the final Construction Contract. This also secures a place on Cornerstone’s project schedule.

With Cornerstone Construction on board as Builder, site and house detailed construction plans with specifications are completed, identifying all of the components necessary to accurately budget the cost of your custom home project. The process of providing cost estimating as the design moves forward allows for the plans and specifications to be refined by budget guidelines ultimately achieving that delicate balance of an exciting design that fits within a realistic budget.

House Plans and Specifications for construction typically are completed in one of the following ways:

Architectural / Designer services – the customer has engaged an architect /designer or is referred to an architect or designer by Cornerstone Construction. I along with other identified “team” members such as a landscape architect and interior designer work with the client and the architect / designer during the entire design phase to provide estimated costs for plan details allowing refinement of the design and specifications to meet the client’s budget.

Stock Home Plan Services – the customer has purchased construction plans from a home plan services company.

In house plan collaboration with the client – In some cases the client has fashioned some clear ideas or concepts of how they wish their new home to function and appear. Some may have purchased plans that they now desire to change significantly. In these instances, in collaboration with the client, I undertake production of CAD construction drawings detailing floor plans, elevations, electrical, roof plans etc. We again work through design drawings and specifications in light of periodic pricing of the drawings in order to keep design and details within the scope of the client’s budget.

Project pricing of details and specific client selections from lighting to cabinets to flooring etc. is ongoing through the design phase as we reach for the goal of arriving at the final design within the clients budget. The client works with architect, interior designer and / or Cornerstone to make a host of decisions that define the visual details of the interior and exterior of your home. As we like to say, your home is built on paper first so that our budget is based on specific details and customer selections and not on assumptions or allowances. At the end of the design phase and completion of construction drawings we will have all of the necessary details and specific client selections in hand to conduct final pricing. The Construction Drawings and the Specifications and Details document this information. Pricing from all subcontractors, suppliers and vendors brings us to our final budget figure which we review in detail with the client before the contract is drafted.

Cornerstone Construction prefers to build under a “Cost plus fixed fee” contract. Our detailed and comprehensive budgeting and planning produces a very accurate project raw cost which the client sees in our budget print out. With the raw cost in hand the client and Cornerstone then agree on a fixed fee for the oversight, management and execution of the construction project. I’ve found through the years the fixed fee contract to be fair, equitable and allows for focus on managing the construction budget to the client’s desires and benefit.

A client may prefer a fixed cost contract. Our budgeting process is the same. We work diligently in the design and budgeting phase to produce an accurate project construction cost. The final cost for the construction of the project per the final plan and specifications documents is fixed as the total cost for Cornerstone to build the clients custom home. During construction changes to the construction plans or specifications and the accompanying change in cost is documented and the contract cost adjusted accordingly.

With the clients signing of the contract, it is on to the building site where all of the hard work put into planning begins to unfold.

You will find that the construction phase goes a bit easier as your efforts in making selections and decisions in the planning and budgeting stage are now implemented. We publish a construction project schedule that lists the particular tasks and activities of construction and the timeframe for those tasks. Milestone dates are highlighted throughout the schedule that specify final dates for verification of the decisions and selections that you made during budgeting. We know that you will continue to search and look for just the right selections for your home as it is being built and our schedule gives you ample notification for deadlines on all of your selections.

Cornerstone Construction and all of our tradesmen are committed to providing uncompromising quality in a timely organized fashion. Our experience, expertise, and personal attention to the details that make a difference serves to make the building process a pleasant and rewarding adventure. An enormous amount of information flows back and forth between the client and Cornerstone during construction. All selections and decisions are housed electronically on our web site where the client and the builder can confirm, change and manage all of the project information and communications for the duration of the project. A running historical record is continually available by topic and associated thread.

As the construction of your home unfolds we are convinced that the attributes of a Cornerstone Construction home come into focus –value, quality craftsmanship, technical creativity, organizational excellence, a gentlemanly, courteous client relationship – expectations that every client desires and deserves and expectations that Cornerstone Construction is dedicated to meet.

At Cornerstone our commitment is to satisfied clients. We are diligent to clean, inspect, polish and deliver a completed home to the client’s satisfaction at move in. We return approximately 60 days after a client has moved in to take care of items that need attention. Warranty items that might occur during our One-Year Builder Warranty are promptly attended to and resolved by Cornerstone.

At move-in homeowners are given an orientation to their new home and instructions for the various mechanical components of their home. A home maintenance manual is given to the homeowner at move in as well, as the client is ultimately responsible for the proper, regular upkeep of their new home.

We stand behind our quality construction and warranty and with a good dose of common sense often exceed our written commitments in the name of good service.