A Custom builder works with you to ensure that all aspects of your build, from the site selection to the design, to the interior and exterior product selections, are fulfilling your expectations. At Due North Custom Homes, we specialize in “high touch” customer service, ensuring that your desires are being met.  Contrast this with a “Production” builder, who will limit your choices and may or may not be able to provide timely communication.   

Due North Custom Homes specializes in turnkey single-family Custom Homes.  We also offer Multi-family homes, Additions, Decks, Porches, Garages and Outbuildings.   

Our custom–building process usually starts with a site visit.  If you don’t have a lot or land, then Due North Custom Homes can show you several lots in our area which you won’t find in the MLS. From there, we listen to your desires for your custom home, and will provide you with a ballpark estimate tailored to fit your budget.  If we are in the same ballpark, for a nominal, non-refundable down payment, we will produce custom drawings and a cost statement that you can use to either obtain financing or begin the building phase.  The building phase typically takes from 4-6 months, depending on the time of year and other factors.  We leverage our panelized building process to get your home built with great speed and efficiency! 

As a custom builder, we can tailor the floor plan to suit your new home to the way you live!  And increasingly, the way you work (or school) from home!  Additionally, we offer all the greenest options, to maximize energy efficiency and sustainability.  Lastly, we offer a wide range of selections, on the interior and the exterior, so that we can get the look and feel you have been dreaming about (or have been seeing on Pinterest!) 

In the present market conditions in our area, the availability (or lack thereof) of existing homes has driven prices higher.  Inflation has also increased the cost of new construction, but the gap between new and used is not always as big as one might think.  If you can find a buildable lot that you like (and we have several for you to consider) you may just find that new construction is your best option. Especially when you consider that your new home will be tailored to the way you live! 

Choosing the right custom builder for your project is a monumental decision.  We have all heard horror stories of contractors who could not deliver.  So, start with evaluating a potential builder’s track record. What do past clients say about that builder?  What has been their history of delivering on time and on budget?  After verifying that your builder has a track record of delivering for their clients, then consider the builder’s point of contact.  Will you be working with the owner of the company, or will it be a project manager employee? Spend time with this person and learn their preferred communication style.  Will they communicate with you in the way that you prefer? (Do you prefer email, phone, or text?)  Realize that your project – in the best-case scenario – will take at least 6 months from initial contact to completion.  Personality and communication skills matter over those many months.  In the end, choosing a builder based on cost alone will likely not end in a happy result.  

Yes, Due North Homes can work with plans that you bring to us. However, we respect copyrights!  We can perform a “ballpark estimate” for you based on other plans, but no actual building of outside plans will commence before the plan’s designer is compensated.  As an alternative, don’t forget that Due North Homes, through our supplier-partner Amwood Building Systems, has hundreds of plans at our disposal, all of which can be modified to suit your needs.  

The length of time it takes to complete a custom-built new home is influenced by many factors.  Chief among them is weather, the availability of materials & labor, site prep, permitting, environmental factors, change orders, and the workload of the builder and subcontractors.  Ultimately, our panelized method of building helps reduce time and increases quality over stick-built-on-site.  Our walls are framed in a controlled environment and built on fixtures that keep everything square.  Once delivered to the site, the speed at which we get the walls and trusses erected is unmatched.  While each project is different and will be laid out in its own timeline, we are confident that we will save time when compared with stick-built builders.  And as we all know, time is money!  In non-pandemic times, from first shovel in the ground to final inspection, our projects have been completed in 5-7 months. 

With Due North Custom Homes, the design phase of the project is highly collaborative.  From the first meeting, and throughout the process, we listen.  We listen to what the client wants, needs, and dreams about, for their custom home. This helps us to formulate our “ballpark estimate.”  Once we know we are in the same ballpark on costs, we can begin designing for a nominal fee. We synthesize your inputs to become design outputs.  At this point, typically our process becomes iterative.  We may knock the design out of the park on the first attempt, but there are hundreds if not thousands of details which need attention.  We won’t stop iterating until the design is worthy of your enthusiastic signature, and then and only then, do we move the design into production. 

Yes, Due North Custom Homes will handle every aspect of the project!  Our specialty is what we call a “turnkey” build.  Expect very personal service from Due North’s owner, Paul Smith.  Paul is involved with every aspect of the project. We strive to provide “high touch” customer service, which to us means that we communicate very personally and in the way you want to communicate.  If you prefer to text, we will text.  If you hate texting, we will talk on the phone or meet in person.  If you prefer email, no problem, we will email.  As the Due North name has gained recognition in the St. Croix Valley, the business has begun to grow.  Paul has been adding trusted and capable members to the Due North Team.  These team members will help Paul manage the execution of projects, but only so that Paul can continue to serve clients to the fullest.  Paul continues to be available and responsive, with the stated goal of becoming known as “the nicest builder in the St. Croix Valley.”