There are several ways you can protect yourself against surprise fees when building a new house.
Be prepared to ask the right questions. Keep in mind that most surprise fees come from not being prepared. A design consultant can help you in avoiding unnecessary delays and fees, especially when it comes to construction. When you think about building a custom home, you have to think about every small detail of the project, including the materials that will be used, the drawings and permits, the size of the lot and everything else in between. Dealing with construction can be tricky, because there are many contractors who will use the cheapest materials and do the bare minimum for a ridiculous price. A design consultant will take these worries off your hands because they know what should and should not be used in construction, and they will always work to your benefit.
In order to find the best consultant, you should consider whether they can take on your project in full. That includes everything from construction, complete sets of permit drawings (including mechanical, hvac, electrical, architectural and all other engineering drafts), and design. Not having a complete set of drawings can delay the permit process and push your deadlines back.
At Acadia Drafting, we prepare ahead and we give our client our final quote right at the beginning of the project, but only upon finishing our site inspection. Unless our clients change their mind in terms of design, we do not charge a penny above our quote, because we come prepared with knowledge and experience to confidently determine the scope of the project right on the spot.