Frequently Asked Questions

The short answer is no…visit with us first.  While all of our homes are truly one-of-a-kind and have been custom designed by talented third-party Architects and Plan Designers, our most successful projects are those in which we’re involved in the plan development from the very beginning.  We’re able to provide valuable information throughout the design process regarding building costs and constructability.  We work with some very talented Architects and Plan Designers, but it truly pays to have a builder in the room making sure you’re designing a home that can and will be built within your stated budget.  We are there to value-engineer the project, quite literally, with every stroke of the Architect’s pen.  This beats designing a home on your own only to find out many months and many thousands of dollars later, that it’s going to cost way more than you wanted to spend.  We’ve seen that happen way too many times.

Alair | Cason Graye never starts with any base, stock or ‘cookie-cutter’ type of floor plans regardless of whether our clients choose to go full or curated custom. We have found that our clients really appreciate having a truly one-of-a-kind custom home tailored for their specific lot and around their unique lifestyle. Being able to start designing on a ‘blank canvas’ allows the architect/plan designer the artistic freedom to accentuate the positives and mitigates whatever negatives there may be in regards to the homesite’s surroundings such as views, streets, neighbors, etc.

While we don't necessarily have a square footage minimum or maximum, most of our homes range between 3000 and 7000 square feet. It is important to talk to your builder about how the size of your home (both living and non-living square feet) will affect your overall cost to build.

We take a true team approach to building our one-of-a-kind homes at Alair | Cason Graye. Each team member plays a very important role in the construction of your new Alair | Cason Graye home. An Alair | Cason Graye client will interact with a handful of our dedicated team members at various stages of your project. Once the project enters the actual construction phase, you will be visiting mostly with one of Alair | Cason Graye’s highly-skilled and experienced Project Managers.

We very well might ask YOU the same question. There are hundreds of variables at play affecting cost when designing and building a new home. Because of this, we don't have a set price per square foot that we charge. Instead, we work closely with you from the start to determined how to get the most out of your budget.

Our highly-skilled and trained team members are taking a value-engineering approach from the onset of the design phase. At any budget level, this approach ensures you are getting the most important features in your new home all while respecting your stated budget goals.

There are several variables affecting the construction timeline when building a new home… weather, material and labor availability, customer changes, geography, etc. In most instances, however, our curated custom homes take an average of eight to ten months to build and our custom homes are in the ten to fourteen-month range.

Please visit our Where We Build page for more information.

Here is the link to our newsletter on this very topic

Value engineering means continuously looking for ways to lower overall project costs while keeping the features our Alair | Cason Graye clients really want. An experienced and professional builder, such as Alair | Cason Graye, who knows how to value engineer may suggest changing the floor plans and elevations, or using different materials in specific areas. It's one of the main reasons why you should choose a builder before starting the design process and have them involved from the very beginning of plan design.

We frankly and intentionally don't have a standard features list. As a genuine custom homebuilder building unique one-of-a-kind homes, we say "everything is on the table." In other words, an Alair | Cason Graye client will have the flexibility and opportunity to make choices not only regarding the design, fixtures, and finishes of their home but also in many other areas throughout the project (i.e. framing specifications, windows, insulation, HVAC specifications, etc.).

We will educate and guide you along the way letting you know the benefits and costs associated with all your available choices. This approach is what allows our delighted clients to truly experience what it means to build a custom home.

While outside designers are certainly always welcome, Alair | Cason Graye provides the guidance and consultation of an experienced Interior Designer to help you make all your design choices from start to finish.

Please visit our Design Center page for more information.