Flooring
16 miles from downtown of Olney, MD
Will Shields says: „After three major renovations (exterior, kitchen, and bathrooms) we ran out of options for making more space in our 50 year old home and decided to take the leap of building a new home. We spent several months pre-lockdown visiting open houses from a number of builders, visiting websites, and talking with friends and neighbors about who was a good quality builder and who could also get the job done on time. We've all seen houses that sit partly finished for months on end with mud and debris everywhere and no progress. We were determined not to be one of those projects. We settled on Focal Point and were very fortunate to find a lot available in our neighborhood. Focal Point has many models to choose from. The Clarke fit our personality, lifestyle, and the steep slope of our lot the best. Focal Point put together a fantastic team (Adam, Nate, Shaun, and Christina) that walked us through every aspect of the permitting process, the timing and what to expect during construction, and the finish options available. We spent a lot of time with the team figuring out how to work with a steep slope in the back yard and are very happy with their solution and how the landscaping worked out. Having been through so many renovations on our own we were also very particular about having certain materials and options in the house, and also had some changes to the floor plan. Focal Point was fortunately able to accommodate all the important changes that we wanted. From the start of site prep in mid-October, we moved into a finished house 7 months later--even with all the logistic challenges with materials that every builder faces right now. What makes the difference with Focal Point? Afterall, there are many very good companies in Northern Virginia to choose from. 1) Project Management. Our project manager was extremely well organized and responsive to our many questions. We knew pretty much what was going on at the property every single day of construction. Not just problems that came up, but proactive things like having an opportunity to take pictures during construction and having tours at all significant stages of construction so that we would understand exactly how the house was built. 2) Community Relations. Focal Point does an excellent job communicating with neighboring property owners. What good is a new home if all your new neighbors are upset with you because of the way the builder behaved or a negative impact your property has on everyone else? Our downhill neighbor was very concerned about water runoff. Focal Point worked with the neighbor and even installed extra drainage at no cost to us to avoid runoff problems. 3) Good tradespeople. Knowing a bit about construction I was appreciative of the quality of the different tradespeople that Focal Point uses. 4) Thoughtful designs. Having visited dozens of open houses during our initial research and now living in the house for nearly 6 months we have really come to appreciate the thoughtful design of the interior and exterior as well. All those little things really do add up. Finally, the last bit of advice I would give is to ask questions and visit both new construction and walk past the older houses from the builder you are considering. Lots of both. A new home in Northern Virginia is probably one of the biggest investments you will make in your lifetime. If the builder you are considering can't answer your questions or doesn't have the patience to do so, then keep looking. If a builder's 5 year old home looks dated and shabby, then compare to a Focal Point home of the same age. We think you will find, as we did, that there is a noticeable difference with Focal Point...“ Show more