We have been helping home buyers get into new homes in Pocatello's Highland area for four generations. This guide is designed to answer the most common questions customers have about building or buying in our hillside subdivisions.
Buying or building a new home is a viable option for many people. To get an idea on price, browse Pocatello MLS for homes built in the last fives years in the Highland Area. You may even find a home that interests you.
Like most large purchases, a house has many upgradeable features that can quickly increase the overall price of the home. The best approach is to stay within a budget you set for yourself, ensuring you can comfortably afford your home.
In addition to the lot and structure (house), the purchase price generally includes the following features:
The purchase price generally does NOT include the following features, which you may install yourself, hire out, or negotiate into the contract with your builder:
Below is a general cost guide for the excluded features noted above. Please note that these dollar amounts are estimates and that actual costs may be higher depending on your circumstances.
It usually takes four to seven months to build a custom home depending on the following factors:
It usually takes four to seven months to build a custom home depending on the following factors:
Your home is framed using 2x6-inch pine studs for exterior walls and 2x4-inch pine studs for interior walls. Main level studs are framed on 16-inch centers (spaced 16 inches apart). Along foundation walls in the basement, studs are framed on either 24-inch centers to accommodate for extra insulation or 16-inch centers for added wall strength.
PEX plumbing is installed in nearly all new homes today. PEX is a cross-linked Polyethylene product superior to copper in several aspects: less noisy, flexible for adapting to temperature, and smoother interior for resistance to scale buildup and corrosion. Since PEX plumbing lines do not converge like copper, they are often installed in a manifold system similar to a circuit breaker panel, giving you the convenience to turn water off or on to any sink, tub, or toilet in the house.
Your home is insulated to different levels of heat-flow resistance, defined by an R-value. A higher R-value means higher resistance to temperature change. Insulation is generally installed as follows:
Most are homes are finished with vinyl or steel siding on the back and sides. The front is often a siding-and-brick or a synthetic-stucco-and-brick combination. Rock has become a popular alternative to brick in these combinations.
Requirements: At minimum, a wainscot of brick or rock is required unless the entire front is finished in synthetic stucco. Vinyl and steel siding are the most accepted exteriors in this part of the country due to their affordability and energy benefits. Higher maintenance products such as masonite, hardboard, and wood are not allowed in our new subdivisions.
Every new home built in the Highland area (and in most of the region) includes a gas-forced air furnace. The minimum efficiency rating is 80 percent, but most have a 93 percent or greater efficiency rating. All water heaters are also powered by natural gas.
Most homes are wired for ceiling fans in the great room and master bedroom. Central air conditioning is also available at an additional charge and is highly recommended for Pocatello's hot summer climate.
Yes. All of our builders provide a standard 1-year Building Contractors Association of Southeastern Idaho (BCASEI) Builders Limited Warranty with Arbitration. Consult the Statement of Non-Warranted Conditions for a list of imperfections that are not covered.
Yes. Although staying closely involved is clearly easier when you live in town, you can manage the project remotely. Once the floor plan has been designed, the only decisions left to make are the colors, fixtures, finishes, and so on. Plan on making a trip to Pocatello for a couple of days. Although they are a busy two days, making those decisions keeps the builder on schedule. If traveling is not an option, the best approach is to make selections from major chains with Pocatello outlets like Home Depot and Lowe's, which will even ship products among their stores.
Below is a list of customizations you can make depending on the home's stage of construction.
Please keep the following guiding factors in mind when selecting customizations for your home:
The more customizations you request, the more earnest money the builder will require from you up front. Earnest money is applied to the purchase price at closing, but it becomes non-refundable in the event you decide not to purchase the home because the builder is left to sell the home with customizations that were not his choice.
The builder has a budget for each home to cover the costs of appliances, carpet, tile, countertops, and so forth. At the time the purchase and sale agreement is drawn up (or prior to), you will be presented with the list of the budget allowances. If your customizations exceed the budget, you are responsible to pay the difference either up front or through the loan. If your customizations fall below the budget, the money acts as credit toward another customization or as a price reduction at closing.
To have the best chance of completing construction on time, all of your interior and exterior selections must be made ahead of their scheduled installations. For example, granite countertops can take up to six weeks to be delivered, so it is critical that they are ordered well before installation time.
Both steel and vinyl siding provide a durable exterior for your home. Although vinyl siding has been known to warp with long intense exposure to the sun, the high-quality vinyl required in our subdivisions (minimum of 0.44 mm thickness) has proven much more resistant.
A major difference between steel and vinyl siding is the seaming. Steel siding is cut to custom lengths to achieve a seamless exterior. Vinyl, on the other hand, comes in pre-cut lengths. So, long stretches require one piece to be tucked under an adjoining piece to span the distance. Following is a summary of differences:
| Steel Siding | Vinyl Siding | |
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Ceramic tile and cultured marble are both great choices for a shower that cost about the same. Cultured marble is a man-made product manufactured from crushed lime stone (or real marble dust) and a polyester resin. It is poured into a custom mold to fit the specific shower or countertop. Following is a summary of differences:
| Ceramic Tile | Cultured Marble | |
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The two main categories of countertops are laminate (Formica) and solid surface. The solid surface category includes acrylics (Corian®-type products), engineered stone (Silestone), granite, and tile. Following is a summary of differences:
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
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| Laminate (Formica®) |
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| Solid Surface (Corian®, Hi-Macs) |
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| Engineered Stone (Silestone) |
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| Granite |
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| Ceramic or Porcelain Tile |
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Electric-powered kitchen appliances are still the most common in Pocatello. The kitchen and laundry area both feature 220V outlets for an electric ranges/ovens and clothes dryers. As gas appliances grow in popularity, some builders are going to the added expense of running both electricity and gas to the kitchen and laundry area because adding gas lines after the home is built can be difficult and expensive.
Yes. To help retain the value of your home and to protect the attractive look and residential feel of the neighborhood, all houses must follow the guidelines set out in the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) for your subdivision. To obtain a copy of the CC&Rs, please locate your subdivision on our Subdivisions page, follow the link, and scroll down to the Protective Covenants section where a PDF version of the document is available. Following are some of the most commonly violated covenants:
A good place to start is the Subdivisions section of this Web site where you can read about our developments, browse the lots and homes available, and even look over floor plans.
When you are ready for your new home, please call Billy Satterfield at (208) 221-3400 or (208) 234-4444. He can answer any questions you have and guide you through the rest of the process including pairing you with a top-notch builder.
The information contained in this guide is considered reliable, but it does not constitute a guarantee. Descriptions are the opinion of the author and should not be construed as the fact or opinion of a professional building contractor.
