Frequently Asked Questions

What does Northcote do?

We are a custom home design and build firm that manages both the design and construction of your custom home as one integrated team. From the first concept through final clean, we guide the entire process to ensure your home is personalized, well-built, and delivered efficiently.

Choosing a design-build firm offers one team, one contract and one vision. This allows for faster and more efficient timelines, better cost control, fewer miscommunications and a more personalized final result. With Northcote, all facets of service are integrated; including design, budget planning, engineering & permitting, construction & project management, final walkthrough and post-build support.

How does custom home pricing work?

Building a custom home is exciting—but pricing can be confusing. Our goal is to make it clear, transparent, and predictable, so you understand where your investment goes and make confident decisions.

Unlike a production home, a custom home is priced based on your specific design, your land, and your selections. There isn’t a single “price per square foot” that fits every project. Instead, the final cost is shaped by the size of the home, the complexity of the design, site conditions, and the finishes you choose.

We walk you through every step so there are no surprises.

Things that impact cost per square foot include design choices such as total square footage, ceiling heights, structural complexity, window size and quality, cabinetry and finishes, mechanical systems and custom energy efficiency features.

We can work with you to estimate the costs of your custom home build; offering advice and expertise to inform your financial planning.

We offer our build contracts at a fixed price. We bid and price your job before contract to ensure that pricing is up to date so we can offer our clients the peace of mind that they will be able to anticipate the financial responsibility of the project. If you prefer to choose your finishes at a later date, we assign allowances to the major categories to allow extra time for decision making and more flexibility in the design.

We believe a great building experience starts with honest pricing and clear communication. We take the time to explain costs, review options, and help you balance your wish list with your budget—so you can enjoy the process as much as the finished home.

How much do you get to customize?

Within the requirements of building code and the Design Guidelines of your individual community, you can customize everything. We can make recommendations based on budget, as well as work to economize and maximize your budget in accordance with your design priorities.

Do we start with our own lot?

While most of our clients come to us once they own their desired lot, we can assist in informing you on the market as well as the nuances of different communities within Flagstaff. To tour available lots in the area, we can put you in touch with a seasoned real estate professional to assist in your search if needed.

In the event that you already own a lot and a full set of construction documents, we can streamline our services to bid your build and discuss building timelines.

What is the typical timeline?

Our timeline depends on where you start. Our design process is 3-4 months with actively engaged clients. The POA approval and permitting process can take anywhere between 2-5 months depending on individual RDS/POA requirements and building department queues. Our building process is, on average, 9 months from breaking ground to Certificate of Occupancy.

What complications may come up & how are they handled?

The most prominent issue we face in Flagstaff is weather. We are well equipped at anticipating future weather patterns and planning our process around large storms so that there is little delay or impact from storms.

Since the pandemic, supply chain issues have eased, but we are still proactive in our anticipation of any delays and product manufacturing timelines and account for these in our process to avoid delays.

Any other unforeseen issues are addressed with professionalism and efficiency so we can guarantee your build is delivered on time. Our principal team members are always available by phone or in person, keeping you informed and involved without having to manage the details.