Choosing to remodel or build a Cape Cod home is an incredibly personal decision. In addition to it being one of the largest purchases you’ll make, the choices you make throughout the build process will affect your life in ways you may not even consider at the beginning of the process.
Do you consider yourself an expert? Maybe you’ve binged several seasons of home design programs or spent hours online choosing all the little details that make your dream home. However, have you considered things like budget, schedule, zoning, and flood areas?
Hiring a reputable builder to take care of the ins and outs of your home project can be daunting. We’ve all heard horror stories of people who handed over money to have a second home built only to find the project wasn’t going as expected or worse the cost had spiraled out of control.
Barnes Custom Builders is owned and operated by a Cape Codder who knows and understands the landscape, weather conditions, and style of home build projects on the Cape.
Charlie Barnes grew up working in construction. In fact, he paid his way through college working under contractors on the Cape. After finishing school in 2008, Barnes decided to follow his love for Cape Cod and building homes.
He opened Barnes Custom Builders.
Due to his unique path to running a custom homebuilding company, Barnes understands the Cape Cod customer. Whether that’s a second home owner who will only be here during summers or weekends, a retiree who is now full time on the Cape or a younger family who stays year round. He knows they are all looking for the same thing, a builder they can trust.
Dave Medeiros and Charlie Barnes
Barnes Custom Builders believes that happens through communication.
Every customer who walks in has a different story. We understand that building or remodeling a home is an emotional decision,” said Dave Medeiros, partner and account manager. At Barnes Custom Builders, the design team takes a large amount of time discussing with the customer the core desires of the project. “The design process often takes a similar amount of time to the build process. You have to get that right. Communication is key,” said Barnes, “For some, budget is more important than schedule. For others time is key and they are willing to forgo other things. Every project is unique.”
Barnes Custom Builders believes in old world craftsmanship and creating builds and remodels with products and practices that stand the test of time.
They also understand that technology can add a new layer to the build process. “We have a system that allows our customers to check in on the build from anywhere in the world,” said Barnes.
“They see a daily progress report with pictures that includes a checklist of what’s being done and what questions need to be answered.” Customers are able to access this system via a secure website anywhere at any time from a laptop, tablet, or even their smartphone.
In addition to the daily progress report, a homeowner is also able to view all of the documents related to the build. “It’s a great addition to our service,” said Medeiros. “Whether its permits or records of communication, if someone has a question or concern it means they can have a look at it anytime they want.”
Homeowners working with Barnes Custom Builders receive weekly progress reports, including on-site photos of their current project.
Barnes agrees that it has helped communication on both sides. “People have very busy lives. Sometimes our customers aren’t on the Cape. They can’t drive past the build site. Or they only have time to review things after they finish working for the day. This portal gives them the ability to see the day to day activity on the project as well as contact us on their time with any follow up information.”
Customers also receive a weekly progress report which includes updates on the schedule and any requests needed of the customer. “We’ve gotten such great feedback from this system,” said Barnes, “We had a client who lived in Alabama and was of course a bit nervous about handing over money to people thousands of miles away and trusting us with his dream. He loved being able to see everything day by day. Having this level of communication not only adds to the trust customers place in us, but also ensures that things are going as they’ve predicted as well.”
The Barnes team, hard at work building another dream home.
If you’ve been considering building your second home on Cape Cod or you’ve decided it’s time to have an Instagram worthy interior overhaul, there’s no one better to contact than Barnes Custom Builder. They have extensive experience and knowledge of building on Cape Cod, but it’s their dedication to communication with customers which sets them apart from competitors. They are willing to invest the time at the beginning of the project to ensure that plans are exactly what you want. Then they’ll follow up throughout the build to give you unprecedented access to the building site, the progression of work, and all of the documents and communication related to your vision.
Check out their work at Barnes Custom Builders and contact them today to discuss how you see yourself living on Cape Cod. At Barnes Custom Builders it all starts with a conversation, one that doesn’t stop until your dream is realized.
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