Clients Justin & Kristen Share Their Experience Building a True Custom Home
"Two years ago, my wife Kristen and I found out we were going to have our second child. We were living in a nice startup home, a small 1400 ft ranch home in Fairview Heights, IL., and we knew we would need more room for our kids to play and grow together. We had built the home with a 'big box' style builder commonly known in the area with multiple neighborhood communities.
When building this home we had very few options to choose from. I remember basically only being able to pick out a few color options such as: floor, cabinets, roof, siding etc. We didn’t get to choose types or style as those were preselected by the builder. It was a great home to us but we wanted our next home to be “our home”, and to do that we would have to build custom and choose everything. We began research on how to embark on this big venture.
First, we had to find the land that we wanted to build on. We liked the Wildwood, MO area because it offers beautiful outdoor life/views, great school districts, and privacy all while still being close to shopping and amenities. We came across multiple lots that we liked but didn’t know how well suited they were to build a house on while considering slopes, sewers, rockiness, well water, electric, etc.
Next we began to research custom home builders, calling on a dozen to get ball park figures and how the process would work. Many of these builders were very hard to get ahold of and some didn’t even respond at all. Then the realtor we were working with for the lots referred us to Hibbs Homes! I spoke with the Owner, Kim Hibbs and Matt Belcher the Building Consultant who helped walk me through the steps to begin building our dream home. Matt drove to several lots we were looking at and gave us advice on which would be the best to build on.
They were great to work with from the start. We chose the land we wanted to build on, got a lot loan and purchased the lot. Next, Kim referred us to an architect and construction loan banking specialist. We discussed our house plan layout wishes with the architect and began to budget and design our house with Martha and Melissa at Hibbs. They helped us choose EVERYTHING and were very kind, responsive and attentive. You literally design every detail of your house when you build a custom home. Following all of our designing and selections, we broke ground and worked with the building Superintendents Neil and Chris who are were highly accessible, helpful and knowledgeable.
They guided us through all the steps of the building process while always keeping us up to date on the progress. I can’t speak highly enough about Hibbs Homes and the custom building process with them. Their communication and accessibility is by far the best I have come across in any business. Building a home is a large scale operation and Hibbs Homes being with you every step of the way makes everything as stress free and smooth as possible."
-Justin & Kristen A. Wildwood Home Building Clients