The number one question people ask us at Fine Line Builders is “What is your cost per square foot?” Because we are true custom home builders, our answer depends entirely on the choices you make. A lot of the customers we serve are looking for the next step up in their mountain home. A lot of people have had to settle for home plans that “weren’t exactly what they wanted” but close enough. Maybe they had an opportunity to make a few changes or choices but didn’t actually get exactly what they wanted.
Imagine seeing an idea you fall in love with, or dream up an entry or room that maybe you have never seen but want to integrate. We are the company that can make that happen. We will dream with you, formulate a plan to execute, and have the experience to accomplish it in the most cost-effective manner. Yes, that takes passion, skill, and resources. We want to please you!
It doesn’t come easy. Custom, truly custom, takes more time and effort but in the end separates our company from everyone else. We are a business, and businesses have to make a profit to live a long, healthy life, but what we really want is for you to show off your home and be proud of it as the quality takes you into an equitable home investment.
We build using a transparent cost-plus model designed to give homeowners complete confidence, clarity, and control over the homebuilding process.
Our company invites your ideas and selections, and the cost plus a fee format eliminates change orders and allows maximum flexibility in the home build. The key to staying within our extremely detailed budget is to do a thorough job from the beginning of talking about and considering all aspects of the job in the design phase. Design is very important. The “fits and finishes” meeting that we perform after the plans are ready is where we really run through the creative side of your new home. We like to use our experience and creativity here to open your eyes and ears to the possibilities.
What is Cost-Plus Construction and how does it differ from Fixed-Price Building?
In a cost-plus construction model, the price of your home is the total cost of the labor and materials required to hand you a set of keys, plus our builder’s fee. Fixed-price building works differently. The home, labor, materials, and a defined set of selections are bundled into one predetermined price. If you decide to change something later, that can sometimes open a can of worms involving change orders, added costs, and potential delays.
One of the biggest differences is the contract itself. Our contract is often nearly two dozen pages long and contains a tremendous amount of detail because transparency matters. There is no hidden padding in grading costs. We don’t mark up the electrician’s bill, and we don’t charge you $27 for a light switch cover unless you actually picked out a $27 light switch cover. You see real costs, your specific selections, and real numbers. In our opinion, cost-plus is the most transparent way to build a custom home, bar none.
Why Cost Per Square Foot Is Not the Whole Story
When we tell you people obsess over cost per square foot, we mean it. We’ve seen folks latch onto that number with a level of devotion usually reserved for college football teams and family recipes. The problem is, using cost per square foot for a custom home is a little like calling a diner and asking what breakfast costs. Well… are you ordering toast or the whole menu?
A truly custom home has too many moving parts for a simple cost-per-square-foot formula. When you get to decide where walls go, how large the windows are, whether your deck runs the full length of the house, or if you’re putting a widow’s walk on top of a three-story mountain home (hello, daredevil), every decision changes materials, labor, engineering, and cost.
That’s custom.
Fixed-price building absolutely has its place. If you’ve driven through neighborhoods where every third or fourth house looks familiar, maybe the garage moved, maybe the shutters changed color, maybe somebody got brave with the stone. You’ve seen where that model works really well. Builders can price those homes efficiently because they have built that floor plan over and over again. They know the process, the materials, the labor, and the numbers with a high degree of confidence.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that approach. It works well for a lot of families. It just isn’t custom. At Fine Line Builders, we’ve never built the same home twice, and we don’t plan to start now.
Why Flexibility Matters When Building a Truly Custom Home
People do not start building a custom home with plans to change their minds. Then they walk into a showroom.
Suddenly, the cabinet color that looked perfect on Pinterest starts looking a little different in real life. The windows get bigger because there happens to be a mountain view worth looking at. A small porch becomes a larger porch because somebody starts imagining coffee in a rocking chair at sunrise. Sometimes a home office appears. Sometimes a pantry grows. Sometimes a widow’s walk ends up on top of a three-story mountain house because, apparently, some folks enjoy making us nervous.
That is not indecisiveness. That is custom.
When you’re building a home designed around how you actually live, flexibility matters. Your home should evolve as ideas become real, not force you into decisions you made six months earlier while staring at samples and floor plans.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Custom Home Builder
Before you sign anything, ask questions. Ask a lot of questions. You’re building a home, not ordering lunch at a drive-thru. The answers matter, and a good builder should not get nervous when you ask them.
- How are change orders handled?
- Can I see a sample contract?
- How often will I receive cost updates?
- What costs are allowances, and what costs are actual numbers?
- Do you mark up subcontractor invoices?
- Have you built homes similar to what I want?
- What happens if site conditions change?
- Who will I communicate with throughout the process?
- How much flexibility do I really have during selections?
- What costs are allowances, and what costs are actual numbers?
If the contract fits on the front and back of a single sheet of paper and somehow promises every dream you’ve ever had, ask a few more questions.
Get to know us at Fine Line Builders
There is nothing wrong with fixed-price building. For the right projects and the right homes, it works exactly as intended. But if you’re building in Towns or Union County, chances are you want picture-frame views of the mountains or lake. You want screened porches that become seasonal living spaces. You may want walls moved, windows expanded, or a soundproof music studio in the basement because this is finally the year you’re going to learn guitar. That is the beauty of custom. You’re not building around a package. You’re building around your life.
At Fine Line Builders, we believe building a custom home should feel exciting, transparent, and collaborative. We have spent more than twenty years helping families in Hiawassee, Young Harris, and Blairsville build homes designed around how they actually live.
If you’re ready to have a conversation about your future home, we’d love to sit down, answer your questions, and talk through what custom really means.
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