Our Design & Building Process
Knowledge, experience and collaboration—it all comes together to fulfill your personal vision of your dream home
Our Collaborative Approach
Custom homebuilding is an art, a creative process. It’s a collaboration between you and me—you tell me about your goals for your new home and I use my experience and expertise to turn your dream into reality,” explains Mike Hollaway.
Our team of professionals, artisans, craftspeople and support staff will work with you every step of the way to ensure that your vision is perfectly realized. Each homeowner is unique, so your process will be customized to fit your specific wants and needs.
What Makes Our Process Different
What sets us apart is probably that I work personally with all the clients in the development stage and on the job. I’m very available to my customers throughout the process,” Mike emphasizes. “I started on the sales end, not in construction.
I learned how to listen to people, find out what they wanted, and what their needs were.
Pre-Design - Discovery & Planning
Initial Consultation
We start by listening
What Happens:
- General meeting to discuss floor plan options, budget, and room-by-room wish list
- Site evaluation and property walkthrough to inspect terrain and build site
- Initial architectural consultation for rough plan development
- Financing guidance and pre-approval assistance
Our Personal Touch: I think the best thing that we do at Mike Hollaway Custom Homes is to guide people,” explains Matt. “It’s a very complex process and idea of building a house. So it does take a lot of guiding and leading to make it a smooth process because it can get overwhelming in a hurry.”
What You Can Expect:
- Direct consultation with Mike, Matt, or Patrick—never a junior associate
- Honest discussion about budget realities and possibilities
- Initial timeline and process overview
- Clear next steps and expectations
Phase Duration:
2-4 weeks Your Investment: Time for meetings and site visits Our Commitment: Complete availability for questions and guidance
Pre-Construction - Design Development
Collaborative Design Process
Together we refine your vision
What Happens:
- Second meeting to revise and adopt architect’s rough plan
- Mike Hollaway team develops detailed project cost estimate
- Approval of plan, budget, specifications, and completion of contract with $5,000 deposit
- Interior design consultation with our Hollaway Interiors team
- Permit acquisition and approvals process
- Foundation and structural engineering
Our Personal Involvement: “It’s not just, okay, here you go. Go see this third party outside designer and pick out all your finishes for your home,” Matt explains. “We’re there and part of those meetings. We’re meeting with our in-house design team to make sure that they’re following along with what we discussed and set guidelines for and budgets for.”
Budget Management: “We’re telling you, hey, you know, you are under budget $5,000. Do you want to upgrade something or you want to push those dollars and put it into beams in the kitchen?” Matt continues. “You’re not just a number where you’re picking stuff out and coming back to us. We’re going to go with you throughout the process, hand in hand.”
What You Can Expect:
- Detailed cost breakdowns with no hidden surprises
- Active participation in all design meetings
- Budget optimization suggestions from experienced professionals
- Complete transparency in the approval process
Phase Duration: 4-8 weeks Your Investment: $5,000 design deposit Our Commitment: Personal involvement in every design decision
Construction - Building Your Dream
Quality Construction Management
Your dedicated team in action
What Happens:
- Superintendent assigned to your project as on-site supervisor and trade coordinator
- Your construction superintendent serves as your primary point of contact during construction
- Schedule implementation with regular progress updates
- Final materials selection and installation oversight
- Comprehensive inspections throughout construction
- Final walk-through with any additional repairs addressed
Our Craftsmanship Promise: “All of our guys that are out building these houses and running the jobs are very seasoned and they’re not in it for a paycheck really anymore,” Matt shares. “They’re in it because they love it. They want to do it. They just can’t stop. They’re proud of it when they’re done.”
Long-Standing Relationships: “We use a lot of our same subcontractors that we’ve used for years,” Patrick explains. “I call on them and have them there with us and we can all come up with a game plan right away versus some of our competitors who would have to go in and call in all these other people to come help figure it out.”
Problem-Solving Expertise: “Being able to just walk into an existing home and the clients saying they hate the low ceilings and then us being able to figure out all right we can tear this beam out and these beams out and raise these walls up,” Patrick continues. “That’s our years of experience working for you.”
What You Can Expect:
- Weekly progress reports and scheduled walk-throughs
- Direct access to your dedicated superintendent
- Proactive problem-solving from experienced professionals
- Quality control at every stage of construction
- Regular communication about timeline and any adjustments
Phase Duration: 6-12 months depending on project scope Your Investment: Construction draws based on completion milestones Our Commitment: Daily oversight and quality control
Post-Construction - Welcome Home
Final Steps and Ongoing Support
Your home, our lasting commitment
What Happens:
- Final walk-through with comprehensive inspection
- Addressing any final details or touch-ups
- Closing on your new custom home, about 7 days after final walk-through
- Warranty plan activation: 2-year builder warranty and 10-year limited structural warranty
- Move-in coordination and final systems orientation
Our Ongoing Relationship:“We get a tremendous amount of repeat and referral business from existing clients,” Mike notes. “Typically, because of the quality and our reputation in the community, when they go to sell their house it’s one people are familiar with, and it sells for good money.”
Long-Term Client Relationships: We get a tremendous amount of repeat and referral business from existing clients,” Mike notes. “Typically, because of the quality and our reputation in the community, when they go to sell their house it’s one people are familiar with, and it sells for good money.”
Long-Term Client Relationships: “I think about 6-7 years later we ended up remodeling the entire home after the 2018 flood,” Patrick recalls about one client. “We got in there again, my brother and I were there the day it flooded… and then we ended up building them a new house for a third project with them.”
What You Can Expect:
- Comprehensive warranty protection
- Ongoing availability for questions and minor adjustments
- Priority service for future projects or recommendations
- Lasting relationship beyond project completion
Phase Duration: 2-4 weeks for closing process Your Investment: Final payment and closing costs Our Commitment: Comprehensive warranties and ongoing support
What Makes Our Process Unique
Personal Availability
“I work personally with all the clients in the development stage and on the job. I’m very available to my customers throughout the process.”
—Mike Hollaway
Comprehensive Expertise
“I want it done like you’d do it for your mother. We really take a lot of effort to please and make the customer happy with their end product.”
—Mike Hollaway
Quality Focus
“I want it done like you’d do it for your mother. We really take a lot of effort to please and make the customer happy with their end product.”
—Mike Hollaway
Experienced Team
“Our guys are very seasoned… They’re proud of it when they’re done.” —Matt Hollaway
—Mike Hollawayf
Financing Guidance
Our Unique Advantage
Something that most of my competitors don’t have is the capability or knowledge in contracts and financing,” Mike explains. “They may have been carpenters for years who got into building houses, but I had time in sales, learning financing.
We Help With:
- Construction loan pre-qualification
- Lender relationships and recommendations
- Budget planning and cost management
- Contract terms and protection
Design Team Partnership
Hollaway Interiors Integration
We partner exclusively with Hollaway Interiors, ensuring seamless coordination between construction and design elements.
Benefits of Our Partnership:
- Coordinated timelines between construction and selections
- Budget alignment between building and finishing costs
- Quality consistency in materials and installation
- Single-point responsibility for complete project coordination
Quality Assurance
Our Standards
We try to build a good, high quality home efficiently and as close to budget as possible,” explains Patrick.
We Help With:
- Regular inspections at each construction phase
- Experienced superintendent oversight
- Long-term subcontractor relationships ensuring consistent quality
- Final walk-through with detailed punch list resolution
