Most builders rehearse the same generic answers. The good ones, the average ones, and the great ones all sound different on the page.
01
Communication & Dedicated Team.
How accessible is your future builder — and whether you can name the human who calls you back.
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Icon’s answer
Who is my dedicated point of contact?
"Just call the office, we’ll route you to whoever's available."
"You’ll work with a project manager — we’ll introduce them once we start."
A dedicated PM assigned from Pre-Construction through Lifetime Partnership. Cell phone in your contract. Briefed back-up if your PM is ever unavailable.
How often will you proactively reach out during construction?
"We’ll call if anything comes up."
"Monthly progress meetings or as needed."
A written Friday status update every week of the build, no exceptions. Daily photo log. We push to respond within 2 hours during business hours, same-day at the latest.
What if my point of contact leaves the company?
"That doesn’t really happen with us."
"We’d reassign you to someone else on the team."
Multi-decade PM tenure is the norm at Icon. If a handoff ever happens, the new PM is briefed on every detail of your project — you don’t start over.
02
Pricing · Is “fixed-price” actually fixed?
Whether your contract price holds — or quietly drifts up as the project unfolds.
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Icon’s answer
What percentage of your contract is locked dollar amounts vs. allowance line items?
"That’s usually figured out during the build."
"We try to keep allowances under 30% of the total."
Our contract is fully specified before signature. Selection Ceilings exist only where selections are genuinely deferred (rare) and each carries a brand, SKU, and install assumption.
When allowances are exceeded, who pays the difference?
"You do, plus our standard markup."
"You do, but we’ll work with you to keep it in budget."
If you choose to exceed a Selection Ceiling, you authorize the upgrade as a Plan Adjustment in writing before any commitment. Our markup philosophy is alignment-focused — finish materials are our smallest profit lever.
Are selections priced and signed before contract, or after construction starts?
"We finalize selections as we go."
"Major selections are made during Design; smaller ones happen during build."
All selections are priced, specified, and signed by you before your contract is signed. No surprises after deposit.
What does your "change order" process actually look like?
"We submit a change order, you sign it, we proceed."
"We document changes in writing within a few days of the request."
We call them Plan Adjustments. Priced in writing, schedule impact spelled out, signed by you before any trade starts the work.
03
Payment Schedule & Transparency.
How money flows from you to the builder — and what you can see at any given moment.
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Icon’s answer
Is your draw schedule tied to completed work or calendar dates?
"Monthly progress payments."
"Draws are based on percentage-of-completion estimates."
Draws are tied to completed, verified work, not to dates. Our team confirms completion before invoicing.
What visibility do I have into project status, schedule, photos, approved budget categories?
"We’ll show you when we meet."
"You can call your PM any time and we’ll send periodic updates."
BuilderTrend access on day one — schedule, daily progress photos, every approved selection, approved budget categories, every Plan Adjustment, every message, in real time.
Will I see exact supplier invoices, POs, and your markup?
"We can show you everything — it’s all open book." (rarely matches reality)
"Some markups are disclosed; others are bundled."
No — supplier invoices, exact spend, and markup remain internal to Icon. The contract price holds because our integrity holds it. Our alignment-focused pricing model means we earn from expertise, not flat markup.
04
Oversight & Quality Control.
City inspections are the legal minimum. What matters more is what the builder does internally.
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Icon’s answer
What inspections do you perform internally beyond what the municipality requires?
"The city handles inspections."
"Our PM walks the project regularly."
Four mandatory internal inspections: Rough Framing, Rough MEP, Pre-Drywall, and Pre-Punch — in addition to city inspections. Leadership signs each gate before work continues.
If we find defective work after drywall is up, what is the process for making it right?
"Hopefully it doesn’t happen — if it does, we’d need to discuss cost."
"We’d address it as a warranty item."
Defective work is reworked at Icon’s cost — documented and resolved. Our Pre-Drywall internal inspection exists specifically to prevent this scenario.
Who from your leadership walks my project regularly, and how often?
"Our PM is on-site."
"Leadership walks projects monthly or as needed."
Leadership walks your project at every major milestone — not just at the end. Your PM is on-site daily.
05
Trade Partners · The people actually building your home.
Trade-partner loyalty is the most honest signal of how a builder treats people.
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Icon’s answer
How do you select your trade partners?
"We use whoever's available and competitive."
"We vet new trades through references."
Vetted on peer-builder references, on-site visits, and a probationary period. We don't just bid — we build long-term partnerships.
What is the average tenure of the trades who will work on my project?
"It varies."
"A few years, more for the core trades."
Average tenure of our trade partners exceeds ten years. The same craftspeople return to every Icon project.
What are your payment terms with trades?
"Standard industry terms — we pay when we get paid."
"Net 30."
In writing, on schedule — every time. We never deduct without conversation. The good ones stay because we treat them the way they wish every builder treated them.
06
References & Referrals.
What happens at the 10-year mark says more about a builder than what happens at signing.
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Icon’s answer
Can I speak with three clients you finished projects for in the last two years?
"We can probably get you one or two."
"Yes — we’ll send a short list."
Yes — recent references available by request.
Can I speak with one client you finished a project for 5+ years ago?
"We don’t usually stay in touch that long."
"We can probably find someone."
Yes — references from clients we built for a decade ago are a normal part of our reference list. Our Lifetime Partnership phase means most still call us regularly.
What happens when a client calls you with an issue 10 years after the build?
"The warranty would have expired."
"We’d connect them to a trade we trust."
They reach our Service Lead directly. Their original PM and trades respond. Priority service scheduling for Family of Icon clients — forever.
Can I see how you handled a project that didn’t go perfectly?
"Our projects all go well."
"We’d need to think about which one to share."
Yes — we’ll walk you through one in detail. Every long-tenured builder has imperfect projects; what defines us is how we made them right.
Use this on any builder. Including ours.
Take this checklist into every builder conversation. Compare the answers literally side-by-side. The builder you want to hire will pass this evaluation — whether that’s us or someone else.