Does anyone have a suggestion on where to get custom made fireplace doors online? I understand our measurements need to be as accurate as possible ... we just have not found anywhere locally we like. Casey "http://www.driverdb.com/Sean McDonagh"

For a spec home, the builder/developer typically writes their own generic list of specs and allowances for the project to build a plan that they have selected. This helps ensure they are able to control the building costs and process through their chosen team with as little input from the client as possible. A spec house builder proposes what they think you will want in the home and will usually make simple change order adjustments up or down based on your selections during the project. As a custom builder, I can tell you that simple process doesn’t cut it for most custom home building projects. Custom homes begin with the vision of the client and architect as a collaborative effort. The architect usually provides an extremely detailed set of building plans and an accompanying set of building specifications for each project. It’s best for the Owner to have selected their Builder early in the design process so that we may review the evolution of the project and suggest ways to control the budget. We have had a number of clients over the years who called in a panic after the plans were complete and they began receiving their first bids on the project from other builders that far exceeded the budget. They were painted into a corner without knowing how much the project would cost. Good architects help eliminate that problem early. Anyway, our job as a custom builder is to review all the plans and specs and develop a list of any problems we see that need to be addressed as well as evaluate the allowance values that are sometimes established by the architect during the bid process. Our job is to evaluate someone’s vision and assemble all of the details to make it happen. After a series of lengthy planning meetings between Owner and Builder before the contract is signed, we hash out as many potential selections, upgrades, value savings deducts as possible and then use the architects specs as a guideline to create our own contract set of specs for the owner. This process of getting to know the client is what defines most custom builders. The more we know about the client, what inspires them, their trigger points which may affect the project, the better. And when it comes time to build the home, every detail has to be perfect and the client owns your schedule until the home is done. We charge more because custom homes take up way more time than spec homes. As for allowances, we provide allowances for things like tile, flooring, cabinetry, countertops, appliances, water wells, etc. The appliance allowance includes a quote from our preferred vendor with all model numbers. When the time comes for the client to pick out certain products, they know the budget, and they are welcome to shop as many vendors as they wish. My time is included to help with coordination if they chose my preferred vendor. I charge extra for additional coordination time to evaluate multiple vendors because that process requires much more time. I hope this helps. Every builder has their own method that works for them. This is just how we approach the process. Best of luck!

The question is...does it matter? I think it does, because words matter. We throw around words on this board constantly when we really mean other things, and I too am guilty of this. Custom really doesn't mean custom when used on this board, it means architect. So someone who maybe isn't experienced on this board may see the word "custom" and think they designed their house from the ground up, therefore it is very custom. When most posters really mean the house needs someone with professional design experience and some measure of talent to guide you through the design process or actually design the home. ----------- Also a better understanding of the differentiation can lead to better advice. In the area I was born in (an area that I still own land in), the major tract builder can build a 4,000 square foot house for under $280,000. If you can't differentiate between a tract and production builder, it is hard to understand how that is possible. ----------- Finally, I am not sure this board does a great job these days of helping people build a home. I might be alone in this, but I would prefer a well built, poorly designed home over a poorly built, well designed home. We focus so much on the design process and the freedom you have to make selections that we sometimes miss the real tragedy of production and tract builders, the shortcuts they take in construction in order to deliver those appealing prices. While I agree custom homes are better than semi-custom and semi-custom is better than production, etc., the real quality cutoff for me is control of the how the walls are built rather than where they are built. For me this is the biggest draw for an architect and the thing rarely touched on, but may actually pay dividends far into the future that make architects not only affordable, but profitable for those value conscious consumers. Again, this is just my opinion.

OMG! Don't ever place a comparatively tiny painting on the top of a "floating" fireplace! The fireplace is a sculptural object in a transparent glass wall, and the mass-space composition is what's important. Might as well hang a macrame plant holder there. If the painting is favored and important, find a proper place to display and illuminate it respectfully. Let the fireplace and the glass wall alone.