Weeks 8 and 9 – Final Lot Selection and Advancing the Custom Architecture

We have finally selected the lot on which we will build our custom home.  The lot is in the northern edge of what one might consider Milton, GA or Alpharetta in Cherokee County.  We looked at many lots as well as several tracts of undeveloped land but ultimately decided on a location within a subdivision due to the architectural controls but without lots of amenities due to the high HOA fees that tend to go along with an overly branded mega-subdivision such as White Columns, Blue Valley, Echelon (The Georgia Tech Club), The Manor, Country Club of the South, River Club, etc.  There are a lot of subdivision options in the Milton / Alpharetta area that have done well preserving the natural charm of the area and do not force amenities on the buyer, such as Lake Haven at Crabapple, Six Hills, Blackberry Ridge, The Oaks at Crabapple, etc. 

The rural location is ideal for building a countryesque custom home with a large yard and private outdoor areas as well as the other features we desire in a custom home.  The all-in cost analysis provided by Artisan Custom Estates was invaluable because the list price of the lot we selected compared unfavorably to several other options and we nearly ruled it out, but when the full cost was evaluated (including supplemental dirt, erosion control, landscaping considerations, etc) this lot was not only preferred but also less expensive.

We also had two incremental meetings with our architect from Caldwell Cline in Marietta, both attended by the builder / project manager from Artisan Custom Estates.  The involvement of Artisan Custom Estates throughout each aspect of the planning and lot selection give me confidence that they completely understand our vision as we near the start of construction of our custom home.  The custom architecture has now definitively taken shape and includes a huge wrap around front porch (which suits the hilltop lot especially well), a two-story great room with a stone fireplace from floor to ceiling, an open kitchen / breakfast area / keeping room combination, a mudroom with lockers for each of our children, a second laundry room upstairs, and a separate structure for Bill’s office.  Our custom architecture was certainly expedited by Caldwell Cline due to the general slowdown in the housing market, so this part of the process has likely taken several fewer weeks than under normal circumstances.

We expect that we will have the final version of the custom architecture in a couple more weeks.  The site planners, which are engineering firms that combine the architectural footprint and the lot survey to create the lot configuration, are already beginning to prepare the information we will need to pull construction permits in Alpharetta / Cherokee County.  There is also a final architectural review board signoff that must be obtained from the HOA of our new subdivision.  Artisan Custom Estates has coordinated every technical aspect of preparing the site plan and construction permit application and has served as our advocate with the architectural review board.  We should be ready to begin construction within a few weeks of Caldwell Cline’s completion of the custom architecture.

Weeks 6 and 7 – Lot Selection and Beginning the Architecture

We have further narrowed our lot options in Milton / Alpharetta from three to two, ruling out the third option due the HOA fees at the subdivision for amenities we do not expect to use.  For the final two lot options, Artisan Custom Estates prepared a total cost analysis, which goes beyond the lot listing price, and provides an all-in cost analysis which includes earthwork and site prep costs, drainage and water analysis, and future landscape design, among other technical details.  The costs needed to prepare a subdivision lot for construction can be a very significant consideration and we have already seen that it is important to work with a custom home builder partner with land development experience.

We also had a meeting with the architect from Caldwell Cline and both the client manager and builder / project manager from Artisan Custom Estates at the site of our most likely lot option.  Now that the architect has seen the site we can begin designing the custom architecture.  This meeting prompted a lot of thoughts including a more detailed discussion about which sides of the home will have a daylight basement as well as how the outdoor living spaces might work with the topography.  Our top lot option is situated at the crown of a hill with a great western view of the sunset and the ability to have two sides of daylight basement.  This lot also would be less expensive to landscape and have fewer drainage issues than the other option.

We followed-up the site visit with a meeting at the architect’s offices in Marietta to begin a first draft of the custom architecture.  We were amazed at how well Caldwell Cline was able to bring our ideas together so seamlessly.  There is certainly a lot more planning that needs to be done but now that we have started on an initial draft of the custom architecture I am beginning to feel like the project is really progressing.  This is a large investment of time and money and Artisan Custom Estates has managed the planning part of the project very well thus far.