You don’t necessarily have to own a lot, because we work with local Realtors who keep us informed about local properties with potential. We sometimes offer lot-home packages in key communities where we already have a presence. However, it is key to have a lot in mind so the we can help you with your due diligence. For instance, we can help you find out if the house you like will fit or if there are extra costs associated with building on that lot. Once you have determined the location, you can begin meeting with our in-house designer to start refining your ideas.

We typically do not offer lot/home packages, but we currently have two lots available in:

• OLDE TOWN AT LEWES, DE

When you build with Canalfront Builders, owners may select their lot and work with us to custom design their home or you can bring an architect’s plans to us.

We also will build Spec homes from time to time. We will be glad to meet with you to go over any current offerings.

There are a lot of factors that go into a square foot price. It all hinges on size, complexity and the level of finishes. For example, some homes are inherently more cost efficient due to the simplicity of the design. A 3,000 square foot two-story home is more cost effective than a 3,000 square foot one level home. The level of finishes can change the equation tremendously. If we are working with vinyl siding, cement siding or cedar shake, the pricing difference can be significant.

In brief, custom is custom – the per-square-foot price of your home will be determined by the size of the home you have us design and the level of finishes you select to put in your home. 

We suggest you make a list of the important things you want in your home. You should also talk with your banker about your budget and find out if the financing terms and options work for you. When you start working with us, we do an interview to determine the level of finishes you are interested in. We can use that information to come up with a preliminary estimate so you can see if working with Canalfront Builders is a good fit for you. If we agree to move forward, we then fully develop the plans and get bids on all the work to be performed.

Other things you can do are to talk with your banker about your budget and make a list of the important things you want in your home.

In the preliminary budget, we will have to include allowances, but we are very astute at figuring out what level of finishes you want and gearing the allowance to be as realistic as possible.

Some builders are guilty of making the allowance the minimum number it would take to get the item bought. For instance, in the past we have designed beautiful kitchens with a more basic appliance package, but the same kitchen can be elevated by the addition of wine cellars, warming drawers and more. The number and brand of the appliances raises the price point accordingly.

If we can tell through our initial meetings that you are a customer who is only going to be happy with a kitchen fit for a professional chef, your allowance will be created to reflect that. Also, the earlier in the process you can make your final selections, the better able we will be to have the final contract reflect actual choices rather than allowances.

Obviously, more square footage is going to cost more, but all square footage in a bedroom won’t cost the same as more square footage in the kitchen where we are adding cabinets, counters, plumbing, appliances and more.

Where you locate the house on the lot will affect cost. If you site the house toward the rear of the lot, you are increasing your driveway costs. Likewise, if your lot is flat toward the front, but slopes in the rear, you may need to add retaining walls or other landscaping features to deal with the slope.

To stay on budget, you need to balance your wants, needs and desires with a realistic budget. When making your selections, it’s important to realize that saying “yes” over and over to those items that “are only” a little bit more expensive, can really add up when the final tally comes in. Make sure the finishes you desire match your budget and let your Canalfront team steer you to keep tightly to your budget.

Your desired finishes are going to affect your budget a lot. Tile costs more than hardwood, hardwood costs more than carpet, marble costs more than granite and so on. If you tell us the look you want, we are savvy about getting you the look for less. If you are forthcoming with us about your budget, we will work with you as diligently as we can to steer you to products that are good price performers.

We are a custom design-build firm, so we typically build each house only once.

However, there are some great designers who have plans online that we have customized to meet our customers needs. If you tell us what you are looking for, we are familiar with so many plans, that we can quickly help direct you to the right plan for you and then make any needed adjustments in-house.

While most builders work with plans from independent architects, we have our own in-house designer who is part of the Canalfront team who will meet with you in our office to refine your ideas and make them reality.

We can start with a concept you’ve drawn or once we’ve consulted with you about the look you are after, we can source a plan from an online resource and tweak it to suit you perfectly.

In addition, we have great relationships with a number of local designers and architects.

The term “green building” focuses on a number of factors that can range from tightening the envelope to making the home produce its own power.

At Canalfront Builders, our primary focus is on balancing the cost of the improvement with the return on the investment. We do that by taking a systematic approach to create a cost affordable package of framing, air sealing, crawl space construction, insulation, and HVAC design that will cost you less to operate and have a much smaller energy footprint. We design conditioned crawl spaces with R-10 rigid insulation on the walls and dehumidifiers, we foam seal the rim boards, we use Energy Star appliances and tankless hot water heaters, and we include a blower-door pressure test on every home.

Consequently, our houses are routinely getting HERS Index scores in the low 50s. This outperforms almost 50% of the homes that are being built today.  All homes are third-party certified Energy Star and Indoor airPLUS.

The amount of time it takes to get from your initial meeting to having keys in your hand will to some degree depend upon your availability as you will be an integral part of the team during the design and selections phases. However, construction can take anywhere from 7 to 12 months depending on the size and complexity of the design.

For a better understanding of the design process, CLICK HERE.

Yes! We offer the 2-10 HOME BUYERS WARRANTY. This protects your systems and appliances for two years and the structural components are covered for ten years.

• AT THE COMPLETION OF YOUR HOME, you will have a walk-through with the Mike, the superintendent and Mark, the owner, to identify any items that need to be adjusted.

• AT 45 DAYS, there will be another walk-through to proactively ensure that everything is performing as promised.

• AT 11 MONTHS, the final walk-through allows us to evaluate the home for any operational or finish items that may need attention.

• DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF YOUR HOME, we keep in touch with you to make sure that you are completely satisfied.

In addition, components in your home, such as appliances, furnaces, light fixtures and more are covered by manufacturers warranties. The warranty binder you receive at move-in neatly captures all this information for ready reference.