Building Process

The process of building your new home may seem daunting when you first begin. It's really just a matter of combining many small tasks and finishing with a new home. Your Zeilman-James Building Consultant will guide you through each step, and if you like, will even handle the items for you. Just ask about our Turn-Key Service. Here is a typical list of items you may experience while going through the building process. Every project is a little different, so don’t be surprised if you don't need all of these items for your new home. Likewise, don't be surprised if you need a few more. Remember, if you ever have a question during the process, just ask.

Builder Selection – in the beginning stages you will likely look at several builders briefly and settle on taking a closer look at 2 or 3. After the closer look, you will choose the builder for your new home. Obviously, we hope you choose Zeilman-James Homes. The following items are how we will handle the process if you decide to build with us. It also offers some guidance if you choose to go with another builder.

Home Selection – now that you have chosen a builder, you can begin looking at home plans. If they offer customization, you can begin thinking about the changes you might want to make. Zeilman-James offers complete customization of every home… yes, even our plan for $79,900 has the opportunity to sit down with our designer, and make whatever changes you want.

Contract and Deposit – this is where the excitement really begins. You are now on your way to building the home you have always dreamed about. During this stage you will want to make sure your builder spells out exactly what they are going to do and what you, as the customer, are expected to do. Our contract is very specific and outlines the Builder and Customer responsibilities. Our deposit is $1,000.00 which will be credited towards the total cost. We offer various programs that start with a lot of customer involvement, (Sweat Equity Program), to programs where the customer does nothing except sign some paperwork and moves in after completion. We also offer everything in between.

Plan Drawings – the blueprints to build your new home are drawn and given to you for review. Final plans are delivered after all the details have been worked out.

Pre-Construction Planning – this a very important step that is necessary to get to the fun part, which is breaking ground and watching your new home be built. Details of Pre-Construction are located on the Pre-Construction page here. A brief overview of this phase is all the paperwork for obtaining necessary permits, zoning issues, surveys, site plans, etc. Again, we will be there to help you with each step, or if you prefer, we can handle part or all of it for you.

Color Selections – now the fun really begins!! Imagine getting to choose the brick, siding, shingles, shutters, carpet, cabinets etc. for your new home. We make this enjoyable time even more enjoyable by offering a single location to pick everything for your new home. You will not have to run to a lighting store, a plumbing store, a lumber company, etc. Everything is available for you to see at our conveniently located main office in downtown Amelia, Ohio.

Pre-Construction Meeting – this marks the end of the planning stage and the beginning of the building stage. During this meeting we will go over all aspects of the building process once more to ensure accuracy. This is the official start date of your new home. You will be given a Hard Hat that we encourage you to wear anytime you visit the site.

Building Your New Home – we break the building process into 5 specific stages that will coincide with the loan payments paid by your lender to the builder. At the end of each stage you will have a “Hard Hat Meeting” with an owner of the company. The stages are: Foundation; Under roof; Drywall; Trim; and Final. During these meetings we will go through your home and make certain that everything meets our strict standards and more importantly, yours.

Site Work Completion – while your new home is being built you will also need to complete work specific to your site. These items can be done by you, the customer, or you can contract us to handle some or all of the work. The items are: utility connections (water, sewage, electric, gas or propane, etc.), driveway, patios, decks, sidewalks, landscaping, grass seed or sod, job site clean-up, final home clean, etc. Depending on your specific site you may have more or less site work to complete.

Pre-Closing List – this is a list that you will create that itemizes any issues with your new home that need addressed prior to our Settlement Statement. These are typically items such as paint touch up, door adjustments, drawers that stick, etc. We will address all items on this list prior to scheduling your final walk through and Settlement Statement.

Final Walk Through and Settlement Statement – this is the final "Hard Hat" meeting where you will go through your new home one more time, with an owner, to ensure your satisfaction. When all the items have been addressed we will have you sign our Settlement Statement which formally ends the production phase of the process and starts the Service and Warranty phase. The Settlement Statement will explain the end of production and list any items that have not been completed to your satisfaction. These items are normally limited to items such as back ordered cabinet doors, the need for a sub-contractor to return at a later date, or an item that can't be corrected right then.

Service and Warranty – this is the phase where your warranty items will be addressed.

Referrals – this is where you can tell your friends and family members what a pleasure it was to build with Zeilman-James Homes. For each customer you refer, you will receive $500.00 when they begin construction. Thank you in advance for your referrals!!