Excellence or Perfection?

Manage the Balance Between Expectations and Reality

People build custom homes. People are not perfect. It doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t expect excellence.

Reality Check

A prospective homeowner once asked me, “Will my new home be perfect?” I told him there are two kinds of perfectionists: one who asks for perfection but realizes life is not perfect and is very pleased with 95 to 98 percent. The other type expects perfection and is never happy, no matter how well a job is done.

If you are the latter, please don’t build a custom home. Life is too short and too wonderful to take two years—or more—out of your life only to be disappointed in people and processes that are not perfect.

Excellence Vs Perfection

People build custom homes. People are not perfect. It doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t expect excellence.

Here are a few ways that excellence differs from perfection:

• Excellence is taking people and materials that are imperfect and executing a process to its very highest level.
• Excellence is a home that’s done timely. Excellence is what happens when something goes wrong and it’s quickly recognized and corrected. (Trust me, when you build a custom home, things will go wrong.)
• Excellence is when your builder acknowledges if there is a mistake and promptly corrects it without pointing fingers.
• Excellence is clear communication.
• Excellence is a quality home built with straight walls, functioning doors, and overall good quality.
• Excellence is moving into your home and having your dishwasher, garbage disposal, and gas grill all operational on move-in day.
• Excellence is a prompt phone call from your builder if something unexpected comes up and the schedule needs to be modified.

• Excellence is having a homeowner so pleased that when the topic of homebuilding comes up he says, “Let me tell you about my builder, we have no regrets.”

Planning, designing, and building a new custom home for you and your family can be an exciting, rewarding experience if you select a competent builder who is committed to excellence and you have a clear understanding of each other’s expectations. Homebuilding can be a miserable experience if you are a perfectionist who is unhappy even if your builder builds to excellent standards.

Conclusion

It is important to choose a competent builder committed to excellence and managing expectations to ensure a positive homebuilding experience. But if you require perfection, don’t build a custom home.

-Sean Sullivan