Design/Build

Building a custom home is a complex undertaking — one that doesn’t become routine, no matter how many times you’ve been through it. At Lockie Homes, we understand that every client and project is unique. Our streamlined seven-step process ensures a smooth, tailored, and transparent building experience, with clear communication at every stage. As our priority one, you’ll have a dedicated project manager who maintains close, personal, and proactive communication, ensuring you are supported and informed throughout. We also proactively manage risks, such as delays or unforeseen costs, by maintaining open dialogue, providing detailed updates, and building contingencies into our planning.

Step 1: Initial Contact

Your journey begins simply — a phone call or a quick message on our Contact page. Within 24 hours, we’ll contact you to schedule a no-obligation meeting at your convenience. We’ll also send you a questionnaire to complete, which will help us understand your vision, budget, and project goals. This ensures our first meeting is efficient and focused, covering all key aspects of your custom home project.

Step 2: Site Meeting

We’ll meet you at your property to discuss your project in detail and review your complete questionnaire. This meeting allows us to assess the site, understand your specific needs, and define the project’s scope. You’re welcome to bring ideas, house plans, or site information. If you don’t have concept plans, we can recommend an experienced architect we’ve worked with successfully. If you already have concept plans, you may proceed to Step 4 after a brief review of permitting requirements in

Step 3: Design and Permitting

We collaborate with your chosen architect (or one of our recommended professionals) to translate your vision into initial concept plans. These plans reflect your input, enhanced by our expertise in custom home construction. Our team-based approach ensures we work closely alongside the architect, providing hands-on support to align design with practical construction realities. This dynamic creates an important layer of security for you, ensuring your vision is feasible, cost-effective, and compliant with regulations, while minimizing risks like design errors or delays. This is also when we execute our Feasibility and Construction Agreement (FCA) — the document that governs both this planning phase and, if you move forward, the full construction. Before you sign it, we share it with your architect first, so all three parties are aligned on roles, responsibilities, and how decisions get made. The FCA covers how costs are tracked and disclosed, how change orders are handled, how the final budget is confirmed, and what warranties you receive at completion. Your project manager walks you through every section before you sign anything. From there, we maintain clear and consistent communication with all parties to keep everyone on the same page. Lockie Homes (or the architect) will oversee the permitting process, submit plans to your local building department, and manage follow-ups. This phase typically takes 4–12 weeks, depending on local regulations. We will keep you informed of progress to avoid any delays.

Step 4: Cost Estimation

To ensure your design aligns with your budget, we conduct a detailed cost estimation. Working with the architect, we develop a preliminary budget and timeline, factoring in materials, labor, and permits. We use an Open Book Cost-Plus model. That means you pay the actual, documented costs of construction — labor, materials, subcontractors, consultants — plus our overhead and profit, both disclosed as separate line items. Nothing is buried in inflated material costs or padded into a lump-sum estimate you can’t see behind.

The number we work toward is your Bid-Backed Budget — a line-item budget built from real bids by our licensed subcontractors and suppliers, not general estimates. You review and approve it before we break ground. If the final build comes in under, you keep the savings. If scope changes, we talk about it openly before anything moves.

For clients financing their build — as most do — the Bid-Backed Budget is also exactly what your lender will require for construction loan approval. Banks need specifications, a detailed budget, and a construction schedule. Your client portal keeps all of it organized and accessible, so when your lender asks, everything is ready.

Step 5: Pre-Construction Planning

Once plans are submitted for permitting, we begin pre-construction planning. With your FCA in place, you’ll have access to our secure Online Client Portal, a user-friendly tool designed to keep you organized and informed. The portal sends updates via email, text, or both, based on your preference, ensuring you stay connected to your project. Your dedicated project manager will personally guide you through the process, maintaining open communication via in-person meetings, phone calls, or the portal, treating your project as our top priority. Through the portal, you can review or refine plans, select materials (e.g., fixtures, finishes), track project milestones, and provide input from anywhere. The portal helps define detailed Custom Home Specifications, which, paired with construction drawings, form the basis of your project’s scope: Construction Drawings (Quantity) × Custom Home Specifications (Quality) = Line-Item Construction Budget (Cost). If you prefer alternative communication methods (e.g., email or phone), our team is happy to accommodate. The portal ensures timely decision-making to maintain the project schedule.

Step 6: Quotation and Approval

We prepare a detailed Open Book Cost-Plus quotation, outlining all costs (materials, labor, permits, and contingencies) and a project timeline. You’ll review:

• Itemized costs and our disclosed overhead and profit.
• Payment schedule tied to milestones (e.g., monthly or upon completion of key phases).
• Allowances for items like fixtures and contingencies for unforeseen issues (e.g., soil conditions).
• Project timeline for completion.

Your project manager will personally walk you through the quotation, answering questions via phone, in-person meetings, or the portal to ensure clarity and confidence. The portal provides easy access to the quotation and related documents, sending updates via email, text, or both, so you’re always in the loop. You’ll approve the specifications, schedule, and quotation, asking questions to clarify details. We then finalize all documentation, including an action plan for regular updates (e.g., weekly emails, texts, or site visits). If changes arise during construction (e.g., upgraded finishes or site issues), your project manager will promptly provide written change orders via the portal, email, or text, detailing cost and schedule impacts, giving you time to make informed decisions.

Step 7: Construction and Handover

With the contract signed and a start date confirmed, we begin building your custom home. Your project manager will maintain close, personal communication, providing updates via in-person meetings, phone calls, or the Online Client Portal (with notifications sent via email, text, or both), ensuring you feel prioritized and informed. We monitor progress against the action plan to stay on track. Upon completion, we conduct a thorough cleaning, perform a final walkthrough, and hand over the keys. The portal provides access to final documentation, such as warranties and completion reports, for your convenience. Upon receiving your Certificate of Occupancy, your 2-10 Home Warranty activates — one year of workmanship coverage, two years on mechanical and distribution systems, and ten years on structural integrity. It’s backed by a third-party warranty provider and transfers with the home. Your project manager will follow up personally to confirm your satisfaction post-handover.

How Our Agreement Works

What is the Feasibility and Construction Agreement?
The FCA is our core project document — it covers both the feasibility and planning phase and the full construction if you choose to proceed. Before you sign, your architect reviews it too, so everyone is aligned from day one. Learn more →

What does cost-plus mean for me?
You pay actual, documented construction costs. Our overhead and profit are separate, disclosed line items — not hidden in marked-up materials or buried in a price you can’t verify. This structure means our financial interests are aligned with yours: we have no incentive to cut corners or use cheaper materials.

What is the Bid-Backed Budget?
Before construction begins, we build a final budget from actual bids by our licensed subcontractors and suppliers. You review every line, ask questions, and approve it before we break ground. It’s not an estimate — it’s a real number backed by real quotes.

What if I want to change something during the build?
Every change goes through a written change order — reviewed and signed before any work starts — so there are no surprise costs or schedule impacts. We walk you through exactly what a change will cost and how it affects your timeline.

Client Decision Points

To keep you informed and involved, here are key moments where your input is critical:

• Step 1: Complete the questionnaire to share your vision.
• Step 2: Provide ideas or plans during the site meeting.
• Step 3: Review and sign the FCA; approve concept plans with the architect.
• Step 4: Confirm the preliminary budget and timeline.
• Step 5: Select materials and finalize specifications via the client portal.
• Step 6: Approve the Bid-Backed Budget, schedule, and contract.
• Step 7: Participate in the final walkthrough and raise any concerns.

Risk Management

We prioritize transparency and preparedness to address potential challenges, such as construction delays or unforeseen site conditions. As our priority one, you’ll have direct access to your project manager, who ensures proactive communication through in-person meetings, phone calls, or the Online Client Portal (with updates via email, text, or both). Our team mitigates risks by:

• Building contingencies into budgets and timelines.
• Maintaining open communication with you and the architect through multiple channels.
• Promptly addressing changes with written change orders and updated schedules.

For any questions, your dedicated project manager is always available to make your custom home-building experience seamless and rewarding.