Your guide to building a home

The manufacturer’s warranty is a good way to understand how long they’re willing to stand behind their product, but it’s not like an expiration date. Although our limited warranties are for 20 years on standard glass and 10 years on non-glass components (with exact details varying by product line), windows can and do last for longer. In fact, we’re still manufacturing replacement parts for windows originally manufactured many decades ago.

Ideally, you’ll hire your builder at the same time you hire your architect. The three-legged stool of homeowner, architect, and builder is the gold standard. With this team, you’ll have everything needed to execute the project: a vision, a design, and the expertise to build it.

The person best equipped to tell you the cost of your new construction home is your builder. However, if you’re early in the process and looking for the information needed to understand whether you can afford to build, here are some ideas:

• Look at the national average for building a home. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is a good resource. While a national average won’t be specific to your market, it’ll give you a baseline. You’re likely aware of whether you live in an area where the cost of living is higher or lower, so consider the national average a preliminary input.
• Observe your local market. You could do this by watching the real estate listings in your area and getting as specific as possible. Look at the neighborhood where you actually want to live or as near to it as you can find listings. Reach out to a real estate agent who specializes in new construction for more information.
• As you interview builders, ask them the cost per square foot they’re seeing. Remember this is again an average. It’s not a guarantee the cost of building your custom-designed home will match the average cost per square foot, but it can help you form a big-picture idea.

None of these inputs will give you an exact cost, but they could help you begin to realize a range you could compare to your budget in order to understand if building a home is feasible.

Yes, high-performing windows are a key part of an energy-efficient building envelope. They can help prevent conditioned air from escaping and outside temperatures from affecting your home’s comfort. This can help reduce your heating and cooling costs.

Absolutely! Windows are a part of your home’s building envelope, which includes roof and wall assemblies, foundation and all the components that protect it from the elements. High-quality windows make your home more comfortable by keeping conditioned air inside and the elements outside. They’re one of the most important components in your home for this reason and lots of others. Windows connect us to nature by framing views, bringing in fresh air, and filling our homes with feel-good natural light. They’re also not as easy to replace as lighting, countertops, paint and other finishes. Investing from the start in good windows pays off long-term. It's the enduring truth in one of our most famous taglines of old, “Only the rich can afford poor windows.”