Inside the 12-Step Process that Brings Our Custom Homes to Life

HERE AT R. FLEMING CONSTRUCTION, WE’VE SPENT OVER 30 YEARS BUILDING HOMES WITH PASSION AND CARE. 

That same passion goes into everything we do at Engel & Völkers, but we’re able to combine our expertise in construction and real estate to give you an all-encompassing home-building experience. Through our collective decades on the job, we’ve boiled down the key discussions and crossroads that lead us from the first ideation session to a finished house — and put them into twelve simple steps. 

Before you work with us, take a look at how we’ll work with you.

#1: DISCOVERY SESSION; #2: INSPIRATION; #3: BUDGET

It’s about hearing your ideas, your dreams, and your financial situation. These are casual, no-pressure conversations — just for us to find out how we can best help you. The most rewarding work in building a home, says our owner Bob Fleming, is done before a shovel ever hits the ground.

“We’ll sit with you and work through the process,” says Fleming. “We can come up with ideas that, maybe, neither one of us started out with, but it works out. That happens a lot, actually — we bounce ideas off of each other in these meetings, and that’s why it’s so important.”

What features does your dream home have?

#4: LOT SELECTION

A lot of lots (get it?) aren’t made public. Instead, they’re kept private, only viewed by real estate companies and construction firms. If you can’t find the perfect place to build your next home, we’ve got the connections and expertise to solve that problem for you.

#5: DESIGN AGREEMENT; #6: DESIGN PHASE

This is the first point where any financial commitment is required — the conversation phase is free of charge. 

Once we enter into a formal agreement, Jason Halverson and the team gets to work designing your home. It’s where ideas start to take shape, and Jason loves to keep the homeowners right by his side as he leads the process.

“I like showing people the details of what we do,” says Halverson. “Sometimes, people don’t realize how much planning needs to go into projects like these. It’s so important to go over what people want vs what they need, and to recognize the difference between the two.

#7: BIDDING PROCESS; #8: BUILDING; #9: CONSTRUCTION COLLABORATION

Since Bob founded R. Fleming Construction, we’ve worked with the same team of contractors to provide everything from flooring to plumbing. Once we figure out what your home will look like, we reach out to these partners and get bids for the project. When we’ve come to agreements and you approve the final cost, shovels can — at last! — dig in the ground.

If you’ve built in the past (or have heard horror stories from others) about the lack of communication during the building process, you will truly appreciate the Buildertrend app. It’s a construction collaboration app that details exactly what the contractors do each day – so you always know what’s going on at the job site. 

“It’s changed the game,” Jason says. “There’s 100 percent transparency through the whole process… it’s just very refreshing for everybody.”

#10: HOME WALK-THROUGH

At this point, your custom home — once just an idea, or a few lines in a computer program — stands tall and proud. Just building the home, though, isn’t enough for us: we need to make sure everything is right for you.

Before we hand over the keys, we’ll search for imperfections throughout the entire house. If we find something that’s off, we’ll fix it. It’s that simple.

#11: WELCOME HOME; #12: HOME WARRANTY WALK-THROUGH

Now, finally, we hand over the keys and wish you well. It’s yours now… but that’s only eleven steps.

The twelfth step happens after you’ve settled in. We’ll check in a few weeks after move-in day, just to make sure everything is going well inside the house. If there’s an issue with the house, say no more — we’ll fix it. Again, it’s that simple.

“We’re not just in the business of designing houses,” says Halverson. “We’re in this to create beautiful homes, and make sure the people that live in those homes are happy with their investment.”