5 months. That's what it costs to miss the fall excavation window in Park City. Frozen ground at 7,200 ft means if you don't break ground by mid-October, you're waiting until April. The carrying cost on a $5M build is brutal. Schedule is the budget here. #ParkCity
Most custom home problems aren't built into the house. They're built into the design — months before the foundation is poured.
The builder usually shows up too late to prevent them.
The truth is the builder isn't there to execute the plan. The builder is there to help shape a plan that's worth executing. Hire one early or pay for it later.
What's the one question that exposes a custom builder fastest? "Do you run WIP reports? Show me a draw request." Real draws are itemized - % complete, lien waivers, line items. Not 'pay $80K.' If they hesitate, you have your answer. All 5 on our IG. #CustomHomes
I walked a flex space with a client last week in park city
He’s a big customer home builder
He bought the property and didn’t start using it right away
Instead did a complete rebuild, then moved in
He called me up to cost seg the whole property afterwards
This is a great opportunity to save on taxes as a business
Here’s a slightly more effective version of this if possible:
Buy the property
Place it in-service and begin using it in the current condition
Then later down the road, complete your overhaul and buildout and capture QIP
This will typically 2-3x your tax benefit compared to a regular cost seg scenario
Just by shifting the timeline you can create a massive increase in benefit
Doing this allows the tax payer to capture accelerated depreciation on items that a normal cost seg wouldn’t
Things like drywall, plumbing, framing, tile, etc.
Most people don't realize how Park City's $15M+ market actually works. ~70 homes listed above $10M on MLS. Above $15M? Many never list — pre-market intros, off-book deals, no sign in the yard. The MLS shows the floor, not the ceiling. #ParkCity
Most custom home projects go sideways for the same reason. The builder gets handed finished plans and asked for a price. By then, half the problems are already baked in.
Here's the thing: the cheapest moment to change a design decision is when it's still on paper. The most expensive moment is when foundations are poured. Builder-in-early just moves the conversation to the cheap end.
Code minimum window in Malibu: U-0.30. Code minimum in Park City: U-0.27. What we spec at 7,000 ft: U-0.18 triple-pane low-E argon. The third pane = 40% less heat loss + dry glass at -10°F. Code is the floor, not the build. #BuildingScience#ParkCity
What's the #1 thing LA buyers don't plan for when they build in Park City? Snow load. Summit County: 90 psf ground / 128 psf design. LA: zero. NYC: 25. Steel beams the size of telephone poles in your great room. The roof structure alone hits six figures. #ParkCity