Design-Build Custom Homes
Design-Build Custom Homes
Since 1995, Falcon Alaska (Formerly Wirtanen Homes.) has been building low-maintenance, energy efficient homes throughout the Mat-Su Valley and surrounding areas. From the initial spark of inspiration to the final finish, our team excels at working directly with clients to provide them a truly hassle-free building experience.
By using the Falcon Framework, we guide each client through the design-build process:
The Falcon Framework
- Meet and greet: This initial consultation is a relaxed way for us to get to know you and your project goals. It’s an opportunity to find out if we are a good fit for each other. We talk about home designs, discuss expected timelines, financing options, and build costs. Extra time is spent discussing approximate build costs, using our 5-part cost analysis tool.
- Drafting and Design: If we both feel it’s a great fit, we collect an initial drafting fee and explore your goals and vision more deeply. We use our curated interview process to ask the right questions at the right time. We then create an initial design concept with 3D renderings that bring your ideas to life. This is where our 30 years of experience is invaluable as we clarify your current and future needs, the appropriate phasing of the project, and offer suggestions on the ideal house orientation, the “best” floor plan and overall design aesthetic. All with a targeted budget in mind. This single step is probably the most critical (and the most often missed in the traditional build process).
- Proposal and Review: Throughout the Design process we slowly drop from high level questions to fine detail questions. When the Concept is eventually complete, we have all the information needed to provide an accurate estimate on your project. We provide an estimate with applicable cost options to help prioritize the “wish list.” We then fine-tune the selections and assemble the final contract packet for review. We take our time to review the final contract packet, making any final edits and adjustments as needed. The goal here is to accurately communicate and understand everything the price includes or excludes.
- Pre-Construction: After the contract is signed, we proceed with things like banking, appraisals, lot line surveys, permitting and a host of other preliminary items to get things started. We get your job set up in our project management software, and provide you online access for project review, photos, tracking and scheduling. We finalize the plans for construction including shop drawings, detail drawings, and final selections with our in-house designer. The stress of bringing together a beautiful, cohesive style is gone as our designer provides options and suggestions for the entire home aesthetic. This is VERY helpful for most folks, and makes the selections process a pleasure!
- Construction: Once we have the preliminary work completed and the paperwork in order, we officially begin construction! This is where the onsite fun begins. If we’ve done our job well, this is you simply watching the project come to life, knowing all the important decisions have already been made. We monitor everything via our online software. We do project site-walks for critical things like exact home location, a walk through with mechanical trades to confirm plumbing, heating, and electrical details, and an interior walk through to refresh or clarify all the finish details.
- Project delivery: The completion of the project and official handover includes a blue-tape walk-through and a tutorial on your new home’s mechanical systems and maintenance requirements. We also schedule a 60-day walk-through to answer questions and address any issues or details as you settle into your new home. Our 10-year structural warranty and one-year craftsmanship warranty ensures peace of mind and long-term confidence with your home for generations to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the typical timeline for a custom home?
Timelines can vary widely based on factors like design complexity, permitting processes, weather conditions, backlog, etc., however, general estimates for timelines are as follows:
- Meet and Greet: 1 hour.
- Drafting and Design: 1-6 months.
- Proposal and Review: 3-4 weeks.
- Pre-Construction: 2-6 weeks.
- Construction: 6 months to a year or more.
What are the costs of a custom home?
Costs vary even more than timelines, but for these purposes we can use average historical data to provide the following metrics:
(Updated Nov 2024)
House costs: $300 per square foot
Garage or shop costs: $150 per square foot
Expansive decks or outdoor living spaces, exterior concrete/sidewalks/patios, landscaping or other specialty items, generally in addition to the above.
These square foot costs are all inclusive, reflecting the Falcon Building Standard.
Further Reading: What Are the Out-of-Pocket Costs Associated With Building a Custom Home?
Can I make changes during construction?
The goal is to have everything lined out by the Pre-Construction Phase, with few changes made during construction. This is possible at Falcon due to modern design tools that provide high level 3D modeling, and talented designers that can bring a complete design aesthetic together as a wholistic package. But we also recognize that it’s nearly impossible to have every obscure detail 100% known, and our construction process certainly allows for changes during construction. We recognize that for most folks they have one opportunity at building their dream home, and Falcon’s unique process is ideally suited for precisely that!
