Q: What is an allowance?

A: An allowance is a budget item for certain products and finishes, such as appliances or flooring. It allows a homeowner to select any product that is within the allowance amount, whether offered by the builder or another source. Often, the builder will suggest local retailers or showrooms for clients, and may even accompany them on their visits to confirm costs and lead times for delivery.

The Professional Builder walks a fine line. It is our job to balance a new home's cost and construction efficiencies while customizing our home design and specifications. We work closely with our clients to develop the ultimate look and feel of their new home so that it meets their needs and reflects their unique taste.

To that end, we encourage and enable new-home buyers to select from an increasingly diverse list of products and finishes before we begin construction. Most often, these selections are from the catalogs or websites of our trusted suppliers and feature familiar brand names with rock-solid warranties. This helps us to build efficiently and keep the budget in check.

Whenever necessary, we accommodate a special request from a homebuyer, assuming the product or system is available and within an agreed budget ... or the budget is revised to include it.

This "customization" process is a two-way street of responsibility and respect. We rely on our clients to make their selections on time to avoid delays in delivery and construction.

We do our part by establishing deadlines and milestones as part of the construction agreement. We identify when materials and finishes need to be ordered so they are on the job site to maintain our construction schedule. Our schedule also confirms "lead times" -- the time between when a product is ordered and when the supplier can deliver it -- so that we can coordinate its installation with the proper contractor.

Every missed deadline almost always results in a delay in construction ... which invariably translates to additional costs. Worse, it can trigger a domino effect, affecting not just its point in the schedule, but also several others that follow. Homebuilding is a linear process, often requiring one step to be finished before another can start; a glitch can therefore ripple through the schedule, affecting tasks and deadlines that might appear unrelated.

Over the years, we've not only come to expand the choices we allow homebuyers to make -- from minor structural changes to any number of finishes -- but also how to accommodate those choices in the overall scheme and schedule of the project. We leave plenty of leeway for lead times (especially for new or unfamiliar selections) and use technology to find reliable sources for special orders.

Our ultimate goal is to deliver a satisfying experience and exceed our clients' expectations. We coach new-home buyers to understand the building process and the critical role they play in it, and leave ample time to enable comfortable, unrushed decisions. We are here to advise, offer choices, and ultimately fulfill dreams -- as well as build homes that will stand the test of time and evoke memories that span generations.