Custom Home Building
Custom homes built around how you actually live
Skycrest builds ground-up homes on your lot or one of ours, across Barrington and the northwest suburbs. We are at the table before the plans are final, which is where the money is really spent.
Most of the cost is decided before anyone digs
Most builders quote a house off a plan nobody has pressure-tested. The footings go in, the framing goes up, and then the change orders start. By the time you see the real number, the only options left are expensive ones.
We spend the time at the drawing instead. Every room, every window, every finish gets priced while it is still a line on paper. Changing your mind there costs an eraser. Changing it after the drywall is up costs a great deal more.
Still lot hunting
Call (847) 380-8212 and talk to Skycrest directly. If you are weighing two lots, we will review both and give you feedback, including what the ground is likely to cost.
Call (847) 380-8212What's included
What a Skycrest build covers
One contract, one builder, one schedule. Here is what sits inside a ground-up project from the first site walk to the day you get the keys.
-
Lot review
We read the survey plat, the setbacks and the local code before you commit, so the site tells you what it will allow.
-
Plan development
Start from one of our floor plans or from nothing with an architect. We red-line the drawing with you until the layout stops changing.
-
Selections and allowances
We help you choose your finishes and set clear allowances, so you know what is included before construction starts.
-
Permits and approvals
We handle the village submittal, the engineering and the inspections. You are not the one on the phone with the building department.
-
Site supervision
Dedicated project managers run each site day to day. Dan is not in the field every day, but he visits the homes often.
-
Closeout and warranty
Every home goes through a comprehensive quality review before closing. Warranty items get handled by the same crew that built them.
On your lot
The ground decides more than the floor plan does
Two lots on the same street can carry very different numbers. Water table, soil, tree removal, how far the sewer run is, whether the village wants a detention basin. None of that shows up in the asking price. Dan is a licensed Illinois real estate agent, so he can read a lot and a listing at the same time.
- We review the site and give you feedback before you make an offer
- Setbacks, grade and orientation get checked against the plan early
- Site costs are quoted as line items, not buried in a lump
How it runs
How a ground-up build runs
Seven steps run the full process, and these four are the ones that decide whether the house comes in where you expected it to.
-
01
Tour finished homes
Before anything is drawn we walk you through houses we have already built. You see the framing standard and the trim detail first-hand, and we learn what you are actually after.
-
02
Walk the property
The second meeting usually happens on the lot. We talk through placement, orientation and the height the house sits at, then research the plat and code before you commit.
-
03
Price the specification
The specification meeting is deliberately exhaustive. We quote the house off that document, review the number with you, and adjust the plan and the pricing together until it works.
-
04
Build and hand over
With a signed contract we set a start date and publish the full schedule. Every task and pending decision has an owner and a date, and you can read it any day.
Questions
Before you call
If yours is not here, ask it on the phone. Skycrest Homes would rather answer it now than after the contract.
Call (847) 380-8212Can you build on a lot I already own?
Yes. Most of our homes go up on a lot the client already owns. We will review the property, pull the survey plat and check the setbacks, grade and utility runs against the plan you have in mind. If something on the site is going to drive cost, you hear it before you are committed.
How much does a custom home cost to build?
There is no honest answer to that until the specification exists. Two houses of the same square footage can be very far apart depending on the site, the roof, the window package and the finish level. What we can tell you early is the range your plan sits in, and then we price the actual document you sign.
How long does it take to build a custom home?
Longer than most people expect, and the honest answer depends on the village, the size of the house and the winter. What we will not do is give you a number at the first meeting. Once the specification is signed we build a full schedule with every task dated, and you can read it any day of the build.
What usually goes wrong on a custom build?
Decisions made late. A client picks a different tub, a wider opening or a changed stair after the framing is set, and the fix touches four trades instead of one. That is why the specification meeting is as long as it is. We also price every change before it gets built, never after.
Which towns do you build in?
Barrington and the surrounding villages are home base, including South Barrington, North Barrington, Barrington Hills, Long Grove, Hawthorn Woods and Kildeer. We also build across the north and west suburbs, from Libertyville and Park Ridge out to Hinsdale, Naperville and St. Charles. If your town is not listed, ask.
What people usually look at next
Remodeling & Additions
Whole-house remodels and additions that read as though the house was always this way.
Remodeling
Basement Remodeling
Lower levels that earn their square footage instead of storing boxes.
Basements
Decks & Sunrooms
Covered outdoor rooms built to hold up to Illinois winters.
Decks & Sunrooms
Tell us about the house
One call with Skycrest is usually enough to tell you whether the idea works on that lot, roughly what it costs and what comes first.