Most of us have lots of experience purchasing tangible products (e.g., cars, stereos, TVs, furniture, clothing, etc.) and less experience purchasing services. When it comes to choosing a custom home builder you're choosing a service provider--not a product. So, think about how you choose other service providers: doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, car mechanics, tailors, dry cleaners, landscapers, etc. Our default mode is to fall back on criteria for selecting products: what kind of tile do you recommend? What kind of windows do you install? Do you use adhesive and nails when installing your subfloors? But such criteria won't get at the key issues. The first meeting shouldn't focus on specifics like I've listed above. Rather, it should be aimed at assessing whether a particular builder is a good fit for your needs. Your goal is to leave the first meeting with enough information for you to want to 1.) come back for more information or 2.) take the particular builder off the list of potential builders for your custom home. Ask open-ended questions. Ask about each builder's processes and controls during construction. How do they ensure you get the home you want in the time frame you want it and for the agreed upon cost? Ask to see samples of how they manage communications with clients, requests for changes, on-site meetings, construction scheduling, warranty service issues, etc. Ask about their experience building homes of similar style and size to what you want. Please don't show them your plans, do an "information dump" (I want granite counters and a tile backsplash, a free standing tub, yadda, yadda, yadda) and and ask them for a price to build it on your lot ("I'm not going to hold to this, but.... " That question takes a lot of time to answer and shouldn't be the key criterion for selecting your builder. Nor should you bother asking it of folks inappropriate for your needs. Best wishes for a successful project.

I wouldn't do gray or off-white with the other colors you have, and especially not with that granite. White looks like it would be OK, but to be honest with you, white kitchens have had a very long run in the design world and are beginning to feel dated to some people. It's a volitile topic, because a lot of people will argue white kitchens will always be classic. I'm not even sure blue would work for you given the warm granite tones. If you wanted to wait five years until the current cabinets get some use, you could save up for a total renovation. The kitchen isn't so large that you couldn't just replace everything with factory-finished cabinets of your choice that come with a lifetime finish warranty and not be out more than $20K if you shopped around.

My new neighbor across the street who purchased a house a few years ago just put a 100k pool in 15 years after I built that house. His loan is manicured with a sprinkler system, etc. Pool guys came in, put the pool in, did concrete around it, touched up the landscaping, put the fence in, and they out of there and you can't tell they were there. A good friend of my digs pools for a few pool companies, he all set up with special mats to protect the lawn, etc. The only landscaping that needs to be fixed up is after concrete or pavers are installed around the pool you touch up around the edges. My other good friend builds only estate homes in one neighborhood 3m+ he never does pools while construction is in progress, anyone homeowner wants to hire to do any work, is after the closing. Period. That said, why would you want your pool done at the same time you have construction going on, you have debris be falling into the pool, etc It seems it creates more work for the pool guys than it is worth and I doubt it will be cheaper because they have to do the pool, I doubt they will put a lining in and all the equipment, so they have to return, finish it and hook everything up, test it, etc IMO the best way to do this is after everyone is out of there and it saves a lot of headaches for everyone. Good luck

Hi @turtlexings24, Thanks for the compliment. I am very happy with my GC. Folks on here probably won't think it was wise but...It was me. I GC'd and designed our bath renovation after striking out with about a dozen others. It was stressful but nothing I couldn't handle. Gannt charts, spreadsheets, and research kept things organized. My job is flexible enough to allow me to wfh and adjust my schedule as needed so I was here for every subcontractor and inspector. We did hire an advisor/project manager who connected us with all the subcontractors we needed, Home Improvement Partners. Troy was great and saved us a ton of time hunting for all the individual professionals we needed.