Western Michigan is renowned for many things, but may be most famous for Lake Michigan. The cities and towns along Lake Michigan offer an idyllic place to spend a summer vacation. This includes the beautiful small town of Grand Haven.
Grand Haven is known for its pristine natural beauty and ample access to outdoor recreation activities, whether you prefer to bike, fish, boat, hike, ski, or swim. This small town is an ideal place to build a custom home, whether you want a vacation getaway or to live in Grand Haven year-round. If you are considering building a custom house in Grand Haven, Snowden Builders can help.
For three generations, our construction company has built luxury custom homes for homeowners in Western Michigan. Snowden Builders takes a different approach to custom home building, focusing on our clients’ desires and needs while making the process as smooth as possible. Reach out to our team to learn more about our design and building process for your Grand Haven custom home.
Why Snowden Builders?
For almost 30 years, Snowden Builders has crafted luxurious custom homes in Western Michigan. We work with the top designers and craftsmen in the region to help our clients realize their goal of a custom home that will last for generations. Our focus on customer service, high-quality building, and timeless beauty makes our work unparalleled in the region.
Unmatched Craftsmanship
The defining feature of our custom homes is outstanding craftsmanship. It starts with sourcing the highest-quality materials available within your budget. We firmly believe that when you start with great products, the result will be that much better.
Our commitment to quality extends to who we work with when building homes. We select tradespeople with care, making sure that we only hire people with a reputation for fantastic work and trustworthiness. We hold ourselves and our contractors (many of whom we’ve worked with for over 25 years) to the highest possible standards because, in our line of work, quality matters. Never taking shortcuts, we use time-honored traditions to build a house that will stand the test of time.
A Client-Focused Experience
When it comes to building homes, we take an approach that could best be described as…customized! To us, you aren’t just another contract – you become part of our family. We offer open lines of communication, fantastic customer service, clear guidance, and a commitment to support. We know that building a home can be stressful, but our goal is to flip that narrative on its head by making the process of building a home just as fabulous as living in it.
A Team Approach
When you hire Snowden Builders, you aren’t just paying us to build a house for you – you’re becoming part of our team. We pride ourselves on our collaborative approach to custom home building.
Our first meeting will involve a lot of questions. We want to get to know you, not just a list of things that you want in a house. We want to know what you like to do, what is most important to you, and what your dreams are for your house. Understanding where our clients are coming from allows us to design and build a home that exceeds their wildest expectations.
Our personalized approach also means that every detail will be exactly what you want. We know that building a custom home in an idyllic location like Grand Haven is usually a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We want to make sure that we get it right, from the big picture design to the smallest of details inside and outside of your house.
We certainly aren’t the only custom home builders in Grand Haven. However, we do believe that we offer something different and special for our clients. If you’re thinking about building a custom home in Grand Haven, we’d love to chat with you about why we are the best choice for luxury custom homes in Western Michigan.
Building a Custom Home in Grand Haven
If you have built a custom home before, you might think that you already know what to expect. And while many of the aspects might be the same (there are only so many ways to build a house, after all), our approach is a bit different. When you work with Snowden Builders, you become part of our family. Our collaborative approach makes the whole process more fun, less stressful, and just so happens to lead to absolutely stunning custom homes.
First Consultation
We always start with a consultation. This meeting has one purpose: to find out more about you and what you want when it comes to your Grand Haven Custom House. We typically ask a bunch of questions to learn as much as we can about what you want in your home. In fact, by the end of this conversation, we might even be able to suggest some things that you never considered, but definitely want in your new home.
Each consultation is a bit different, but we may ask you:
- Why Grand Haven? Are you thinking of moving to Grand Haven full-time? Will this be a vacation home? Will you rent out your home?
- What are some of your favorite things to do? Do you need space for lots of sporting equipment or a place to store a boat? Do you plan to host a lot of family and friends?
- What location sounds best to you – a lot in town or something more secluded? Do you have a property in mind?
Of course, conservation is a two-way street, and we are happy to answer your questions as well. If you have questions about anything from the construction timeline to potential costs, we can offer estimates. We can also talk more about how the process works and what you can expect along the way.
Property Inspection
If you decide that you want to hire us, we will move forward with a homesite inspection. If you have already purchased property for your house, then we will analyze it to determine what might need to be done (such as clearing trees or grading the land) before we can break ground. If you haven’t purchased a plot yet, we can help you with that as well.
Home Design
After the homesite inspection, we will have a better idea of what is possible when it comes to home design. We will work with you to help you design the home of your dreams. You can start by looking at our work for home design inspiration. We work with some of the best architects and interior designers in Western Michigan to make sure that your final design is better than you could have imagined.
Contract Review
With a design finalized, we can start to talk numbers. We will draft a contract that includes the material terms, estimated cost, and projected completion date. Of course, with any construction project, things can change both in terms of cost and timing. We will communicate with you about any delays, additional expenses, or other changes.
Finishing Touches
After the contract is signed, you can obtain financing (if necessary). Then comes the fun part: picking out all of the little details that make a house a home. Before we start construction, you can sit down with our designers to pick out everything from paint colors for the walls to the style of windows that you want. While you are doing that, we’ll secure the necessary permits.
Construction
With the permits in place and the design finalized, construction can begin. After preparing the land, we will dig and pour the foundation. Construction will proceed in phases, from framing the house and putting on a roof to roughing in the electrical and plumbing. We will get your approval and make changes as needed before moving forward to the next stage of construction.
We are also happy to show you around the construction site to check on the construction progress. Your dedicated project manager can schedule a tour for you at any point. These tours are a great way to see what is happening with your house and decide if you want any changes before we move to the next step.
A typical construction timeline for a custom home is 7 to 9 months. Of course, this can change based on the size of your house, the complexity of the design, supply chain issues, and the weather. We know that it can be hard to be patient when you’re looking forward to getting the keys to your new home. We’ll keep you updated at every stage of construction about any changes in the schedule or costs.
Final Walkthrough
Once construction is complete and we have installed every finishing touch, we will do a final walkthrough of the house with you. We will show you how various features work and how to best maintain your house. You can also ask us to complete any punch-list items.
Closing
When your Grand Haven custom home has your final approval, we’ll schedule a closing to transfer title to you. We’ll sign a lot of paperwork, and that will be it: you can move into your beautiful new home!
About Grand Haven
Located at the mouth of the Grand River and alongside Lake Michigan, Grand Haven is a small town in Ottawa County, Michigan. With a population of just over 11,000 people, Grand Haven is a quick 34-mile drive from Grand Rapids.
Grand Haven is known as a tourist destination for Michiganders and out-of-state visitors. It has miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan and beautiful soft-sand beaches. It also has easy access to the Grand River, along with inland lakes such as Spring Lakes. That makes Grand Haven a perfect place for anyone who loves the water, whether you’re into fishing, boating, swimming, or simply enjoying a day on the beach.
Grand Haven is known as a beach resort, with a boardwalk, picturesque lighthouses, and plenty of campgrounds and recreational areas. There are more than 100 miles of bike trails in the city, plus the Grand Haven State Park, which is incredibly popular as a place to visit in the summer with gorgeous beaches and warm water. Duncan Woods is a great place to hike in Grand Haven, with one of the largest sections of unspoiled forest in the lower peninsula.
With its location along the water, it isn’t surprising that the Coast Guard has a presence in Grand Haven. The Coast Guard maintains a field office here, and the city hosts an annual Coast Guard Festival, drawing vessels from both Canada and the U.S. and more than 300,000 attendees annually.
While Grand Haven is popular among tourists, it also has other industries as a port city. A Great Lakes port allows the city to export sand and import limestone, slag, cement, and coal. It is also considered a technology leader, as the first city in the country to have universal wireless internet service, going up to 15 miles offshore for boaters.
There is plenty to do in Grand Haven. Depending on your interests, you could bike, hike, swim, or fish. In the winter, many residents enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, and snowboarding (with ski slopes at Mulligan’s Hollow located directly in the city). Popular attractions in Grand Haven include the musical fountain, the Tri-Cities Historical Museum, the Midwest Miniatures Museum, and the Harbor Trolley. Grand Haven is also home to plenty of charming locally-owned stores, plus restaurants like the Unicorn Tavern, the Paisley Grille, and Snug Harbor.
While many beach communities empty out in the winter, Grand Haven maintains its population year-round. It has a great school system, including options for both public and private schools. It also has a great library, the Loutit District Library.
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Build a Luxury Grand Haven Custom Home with Snowden Builders
Located along the shores of Lake Michigan, Grand Haven is a true “haven” for anyone who loves the outdoors. It offers all the best that Western Michigan has to offer and is close enough to Grand Rapids to be an easy commute. If you want a custom home of your own in Grand Haven, you can rely on Snowden Builders.
From our offices in Grandville, Snowden Builders constructs high-end custom homes in Western Michigan. Our focus on customer service, combined with our outstanding craftsmanship, makes us the ideal choice for anyone looking to build a beautiful new home in Grand Haven.
To schedule a free consultation with a member of our team about your Grand Haven custom home, give us a call at 616-532-1800 or fill out our online contact form.
