Model Home vs. Custom Home Builders
Rob King: Alright, Rob King here and Matt Groff with Groff homes, back to our lunchtime conversation. Today, I'd like to touch base on what’s the difference between a model home and a custom home is, I see model homes everywhere and I see model home people say they build custom homes. How do I know what I'm not looking at and talking about?
Matt Groff: As of current, there is over 70 licensed general contractors, most are residential here in Cape Coral. I would say of those builders, 80% of them are your standard model home builders, which means they have engineered plans that you pretty much have to stick to what those are, and then your custom guys will allow you to kind of carte blanche, design, pick, but of course pricing structures do kind of adjust quite a bit higher when you do get to do those, because it's a lot more engineering fees, cost, it's more tedious with the subs and the general contractor.
One of the things that separates us, as far as a model home builder and a custom home builder is we kind of fit both molds, our pricing is always structured based on a model home, but the general contractor here, what he is allowed to do is he's an old school master drafts and believe it or not. So, we will actually allow you to take a red marker and you can fabricate any floor plan we do, we don't charge you for that, unless you add square footage per say, then of course adjust-- the price will adjust that way and of course if we take things away, then we will also lessen the price.
But we are one of the few guys that basically will take even a floor plan you bring in to us and we will bid it out to your specifications, but we will also let you fabricate off of any design that we have and we do not charge for those fabrications for those design changes, it's just simply what features are added or subtracted we'll make the price fluctuate from that point.
Rob King: So, if I wanted my counter moved in a different direction or if I wanted my pantry a little bit larger, those things aren't really a big issue?
Matt Groff: Not a big issue, what we like to do up front and is make all of these changes, we will have you sit down with the general contractor, we will take out that blueprint and we will make the fabrications accordingly. Once we get through the plate that-- the stages where you get your trust is ordered and prior to submitting your full set of blueprints, we actually sit down with you, email them to you if you're out of state or will sit down with a full set here in the office. We want full transparency, we never want anyone guessing what outlets are coming, can we move that, could we move this.
So, you will actually improve your full set of plans whether there are a straight design of our models or if we have customized it, but you will actually approve everything that is done change wise to your model home prior to submitting. And it just takes all the guesswork out, for both the Builder and also for the client.
Rob King: It sounds great, now, you say you've fully customized, so, you know I'm not above this, if I'm sitting out at dinner one night and I start sketching on my napkin, is that something I can bring to you, say this is kind of my idea, where do we go from here, can you make this happen-- everybody's got a dream.
Matt Groff: As funny as that sounds, I have had folks come in, whether it's a napkin, whether it's a 8 by 11, a scratch on a paper with a design and it's a general square footage that they want to go within. What we do of course, with my father is he will draw it to scale and we will give you that initial draft based on what you have provided us, may not quite be what you're looking for, but that's the beauty of what we do, is we will go back and forth until that plan fits exactly what you are looking for in a home.
Rob King: So, with your experience to be able to tell me listen, your lot, for example, that's north and south and this house would be best if we was setting east and west with the way you had the windows laid out in the plan on your napkin, maybe we should do this a different way.
Matt Groff: That's correct, typically in Cape Coral, we have over overhead electric, which means if a home is existing next to your lot and the power pole is a certain way, then your garage is going to set that way, because it's-- you can't loop lines over the over the home. However, what's great about our area is if you do want your home orientated a certain way because you like the view out of your master bath or the canal or the or the water, then we can run underground electric, it's a direct fee we pay right to LCEC, but then we can orientate your home any way you would like to have it set on that lot, of course abiding by all the county codes with setbacks and so forth and so on.
Rob King: Well, that’s pretty spectacular, maybe we got some great views here, you know…
Matt Groff: Absolutely!
Rob King: … to be able to take advantage-- full advantage of what Southwest Florida has to offer, I mean we appreciate you doing that for us that's…
Matt Groff: Absolutely, absolutely.
Rob King: Can't be better, much appreciate it.
Matt Groff: Absolutely!
Rob King: Well, thank you for your time Matt.
Matt Groff: Thank you as well Rob.
Rob King: We will see you again next week, you all have a good day.
Matt Groff: Thank you guys!