• The Interview – An initial meeting between the client and Frontier is set up for the client to determine if Frontier is a company they are comfortable working with. Designing and building a house will typically take six to twelve months. To ensure this is a fun experience, it is very important that our clients are comfortable with us on both a professional and personal level. During the initial meeting, clients will usually ask general questions about pricing, quality, amenties, and other items important to them. This meeting usually takes one to two hours, and there is no cost involved.
  
  
• The Design – Once our clients decide they want Frontier to build their home, we start our step-by-step design process. During this process, we gather all of the information our clients have about what they want in their new custom home. We then work on the plans until our clients are completely satisfied with their new custom home design. The design process can take anywhere from one week to six months, depending on how quickly you want to get started. To start the design process, the design deposit discussed in “How Frontier’s Free Design Service Works” is deposited with Frontier.
  
  
• Pricing and Allowances – Once the plans are finalized, a detailed cost of the house is reviewed with the client, including a detailed list of specifications and allowances for the home. At this time, the plans and allowances are incorporated into a contract to build your custom home.
  
  
• The Construction Contract and Financing – After the pricing and allowances are finalized, a construction contract is signed. There are two basic ways to do the financing:
  
  
  Frontier Interim Financed - The first way, which is more commonly used when building inside of developed subdivisions, is where Frontier does the interim financing on the construction loan. Frontier will get the construction loan and pay the interest cost during construction. When the construction is done, the client then gets their permanent mortgage and starts making their monthly payments. When using this method of financing, Frontier is usually paid a down payment equal to 10% of the purchase price. This is part of the down payment your mortgage company will require. The 10% is a flexible number that can be adjusted to be paid at various times during the construction process. It can also be adjusted for special situations. For more information on this, please call us.
  
  
  Client Interim Financed - The second way, which is more commonly used when clients are building on there own property, is where the client does the interim financing on the construction loan. When doing this type of loan, the client pays for the interim construction interest accrued during construction. When the construction is done, the client then gets their permanent mortgage and starts making their monthly payments. The down payment when using this method is equal to the balance of the loan being obtained. For example, if you are getting an 80% loan, the down payment would be 20%, or if you are getting an 85% loan, the down payment would be 15%. This down payment can also be paid at various times during the construction process.
  
  
  There are pros and cons to using either method. For more details on what would work best for you, please call us. We also have several mortgage companies that have a wide variety of loans to choose from and are easy to work with. Some of the products include nine-month locks on rates, three- and five-year adjustable mortgages, various fixed-term mortgages, and 80, 10, 10 products to avoid PMI insurance. The companies we refer have been chosen based on prior customer ratings for competitive rates, customer service, and how easy they were to work with. Unlike other builders’ “preferred lenders,” the lenders we recommend are not affiliated with Frontier, which means there are no hidden costs that are paid back to Frontier.
  
  
• The Construction Process – At the onset of construction, the client is presented with a construction manual tailored specifically to their home. This manual assists our clients throughout the building process in making selections, knowing what to expect, and knowing whether the project is on schedule. The manual, among other things, makes the construction experience more efficient and fun. The construction time for homes between 3,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet is six months. Homes ranging from 5,000 square feet and larger take longer, depending on the size and complexities of the custom home.
  
  
• Closing and Moving In – Closing on your new custom home can be the most challenging time, as well as the most exciting. To remove the stress and keep it exciting, we have developed a closing process that ensures your house is completed and ready for you to move in when it is supposed to be. The final phases of construction include two home orientation walks. The first walk is typically done one week prior to closing and usually takes four to six hours to complete. During this walk, we check all mechanicals with you, we show you all emergency shut-off switches, and we inspect all cosmetic items, including flooring, counters, lights, paint, and exterior items. Any exceptions found are noted and corrected prior to the second walk. The second walk is usually done the day before closing and usually takes 30 minutes to an hour. During this walk, any exceptions noted on the previous walk are inspected to ensure they have been corrected, and a quick final check is done on the home. We have found our processes take a little time to complete, but they ensure our clients are kept informed and the house is ready for you to move into when planned.
  
  
• One-Year Follow-Up – During the course of one year, some settling and shrinkage cracks often appear in new homes. To keep our clients’ homes looking new, Frontier will come back at the end of one year and touch up these cracks.
  
  

Our construction program is an ongoing set of methodical processes that we have continually improved for over a decade to create the most enjoyable, fun, and rewarding experience for each of our homeowners.