Every builder has three clients who’ll say nice things. Handing you that list costs nothing and proves nothing.
A reference check that actually tells you something takes about 90 minutes and four phone calls. Here’s how to run it.
Ask for the list the right way
Don’t say “can I get some references.” Say this instead:
“I’d like to talk to the owners of your last three finished projects — chronologically, not your three favorites. Plus one project that didn’t go smoothly.”
Three things happen. You get past the curated list. You find out whether the builder tracks their own completions. And the reaction to “one that didn’t go smoothly” tells you more than the reference calls will — every builder has one, and the ones who say otherwise are either new or not being straight with you.
Also ask for three subcontractors and two suppliers. Those calls are the ones most owners skip and the ones with the highest signal.
The eleven questions for past clients
Open-ended, in this order. Let silences sit — the useful material comes after the pause.
- What did the project finish at versus the original contract? The single most informative question. Ask for a number, not a characterization.
- How long did it take versus what you were told at the start?
- What surprised you about the cost? Better than “were there overruns” — it invites the story instead of a yes/no.
- How did change orders work? Were they written and priced before the work?
- How often did you hear from them, and did you have to chase it?
- When something went wrong, how did they handle it? Everything goes wrong somewhere. This question is about recovery, not perfection.
- Who was actually on your site day to day? Confirms whether the person selling you the job is the person running it.
- How was the punch list and the first year after move-in? Many builders are great until the check clears. What a warranty should cover in Idaho.
- Did any subcontractor or supplier ever contact you about payment? A yes is disqualifying. Here’s why.
- Would you hire them again for the same project?
- What do you wish you’d known before you signed? Usually the most valuable answer in the call.
How to read the answers
References rarely say “don’t hire him.” They signal.
- Enthusiastic about the finished house, vague about the process. The house is nice and the 16 months were rough.
- “Well, every build has issues” with no example. They’re being polite. Ask once more, specifically: “what was the worst week?”
- Praise aimed at one person who isn’t the owner. Ask whether that person still works there.
- Can’t remember the final number. Common and fine on its own; combined with a fuzzy timeline it suggests nobody was tracking anything.
- A long pause before “would you hire them again.” That pause is the answer. Ask what’s behind it.
- Unprompted defensiveness on the builder’s behalf. Sometimes genuine loyalty. Sometimes a reference who was asked to make a call.
The calls nobody makes
Subcontractors. Ask one question: how fast does he pay you? Then: would you work for him again, and does he run an organized site? In a valley this small, subs know everything and will tell you.
Suppliers. The lumberyard and window rep know exactly who’s on credit hold and who isn’t.
The building department. Inspectors won’t editorialize, but you can ask whether a builder’s permits typically pass inspection first time. County contacts here.
The county recorder. Not a call — a lien search. One dispute happens to everyone; a pattern is your answer.
Then go stand in a finished house
Ask to walk a completed project, ideally one that’s two or three years old rather than freshly finished. New construction always photographs well. What you’re looking for is how it aged:
- Trim joints and miters — have they opened up?
- Drywall corners and seams after two heating seasons
- Tile layout at transitions and in corners, where shortcuts hide
- Door and cabinet reveals — consistent, or eyeballed?
- How the roof sheds snow relative to doors, walkways, and the driveway
- Whether the mechanical room is organized or a nest
That last one is my personal tell. Nobody photographs the mechanical room, so it shows you how the builder works when nobody’s watching.
Frequently asked questions
How do you check a custom home builder’s references?
Ask for the owners of the last three finished projects chronologically rather than the builder’s three favorites, plus one project that did not go smoothly. Also request three subcontractors and two suppliers. Call all of them, ask open-ended questions about final cost versus contract, schedule, change orders, communication, and how problems were handled, then run a county lien search and walk a finished home that is two or three years old.
What questions should you ask a builder’s past clients?
What the project finished at versus the original contract, how long it took versus what was promised, what surprised them about cost, whether change orders were written and priced before work, how often they heard from the builder, how problems were handled, who was on site daily, how the punch list and first year went, whether any subcontractor contacted them about payment, whether they would hire again, and what they wish they had known before signing.
Should you call a builder’s subcontractors?
Yes — it is the highest-signal call and the one most owners skip. Ask how fast the builder pays, whether they would work for him again, and whether he runs an organized site. Payment speed predicts which subcontractors will show up on your job, because the best trades work for builders who pay on time.
What are warning signs in a builder reference call?
Enthusiasm about the finished house paired with vagueness about the process, no specific example when asked what went wrong, praise aimed at an employee rather than the owner, inability to recall the final number alongside a fuzzy timeline, and a long pause before answering whether they would hire the builder again.
What should you look for when touring a builder’s finished home?
Visit a home that is two or three years old rather than newly finished, because new construction always photographs well. Check trim joints and miters for opening, drywall corners after two heating seasons, tile layout at transitions and corners, consistency of door and cabinet reveals, how the roof sheds snow relative to doors and the driveway, and whether the mechanical room is organized.
Ask me for the list
Last three finished owners, three subs, two suppliers, and the job that didn’t go smoothly. Book a 15-minute planning call and I’ll hand them over.
— Bryce Swager, owner and lead builder, SwagerBuilds. See reviews and the portfolio.