FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What does a custom home cost?

On average, building a custom home itself in Ohio costs between $160 and $230 per square foot, depending on specific details such as home size, architectural style, and the level of interior finishes.

Homes by Josh Doyle value-engineers every floor plan it designs under the guidance of Josh Doyle to deliver lasting quality and low maintenance costs while also reducing excessive expenses from scrap materials and wasted space.

Homes by Josh Doyle also operates its own kitchen and bath studio staffed with interior designers who supply cabinets and other high-end finishes directly from the manufacturer. This approach substantially reduces the cost of interior finishes by half by cutting out the middleman and the excessive profits charged by third-party cabinet, countertop, and flooring suppliers.

Regardless of the home's size or price point, every single build receives the exact same standards of elite structural quality and energy efficiency. We can always build more expensive homes, however we can’t build a higher quality home. Every home (even at $160 / Sqft), is built with the highest level of quality and energy efficiency in the industry.

What’s included in the base price and what’s an upgrade?

We operate on a fixed-price model where our base price includes premium, high-end features that most custom builders treat as expensive upgrades.

We have homes starting in the low $300,000s and have built homes in the $3,000,000s.Listed below are the features included in every home.

Architectural Design Services are standard and free. With 100’s of unique floorplans and over 100 furnished model showhomes built over 20 years, Josh and our design team have master class floorplans to start from, but will design with a client to their budget virtually or in person starting from our ideas or the ideas from the client.

Interior design services are included and unlimited through our Kitchen & Bath Studio and trained interior design team. We design your kitchen and baths in 3D at no cost. By ordering our high-end cabinet lines directly from the manufacturer, we cut the price in half—saving tens of thousands of dollars on a custom home and adding real value for our customers.

Our interior designers work directly with clients in our large design center and through virtual meetings to go through every detail and selection of the home. They answer questions and provide feedback and advice on how to fine-tune the home exactly the way the client wants it, all within their budget.

We design for premium natural light with windows and doors. Full window walls in great rooms are standard, along with multiple windows in primary bedrooms.

Included in the Base Price (Standard Features):

Layouts: Side-load oversized garages and front porches are standard. We design for premium natural light with windows and doors—full window walls in great rooms are standard, along with multiple windows in primary bedrooms. Multi-tiered elevations and high-pitch rooflines are also standard (designed to ease water drainage and reduce long-term maintenance).

Structure & Energy Efficiency:
- Foundations are poured with 4,000 PSI concrete that includes fibermesh along with vertical and horizontal rebar. Interior and exterior footers feature PVC drainage systems with cross-overs, are backfilled with stone, and are protected by a Watchdog waterproofing system.
- Framing Structure consists of premium finger-jointed engineered studs. All exterior walls (and around all windows and doors) receive Flash & Batt closed-cell spray foam plus fiberglass batts in the walls. Floors use Weyerhaeuser Edge Gold subfloor, while walls and roofs are sheathed with Structurewood.
- Other core Features include Garages being fully drywalled and insulated. Garage common walls are also OSB-sheathed, spray-foamed, and insulated. Ceilings receive R-50 fiberglass insulation. Every home includes a high-efficiency furnace and air conditioner. All exterior foundation walls have R-10 foam board that insulates the foundation and also protects the waterproofing.

Windows & Doors: Black Andersen windows with grids, Therma-Tru doors, CertainTeed lifetime dimensional shingles, and Clopay double-steel R-13 insulated garage doors equipped with wireless remotes, keypad, and cell phone app-controlled openers. Full-glass sidelights are included on both sides of the front door.

Finishes: 1x6 baseboards and 1x4 trim throughout, with trim around all interior windows and doors. All trim is caulked, sanded, sealed, and sprayed for a furniture-like finish. Sherwin-Williams Promar XP is used on the trim and Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint on the walls. 1x4 trim is standard on all exterior fronts of the home.
Cathedral ceilings or two-story great rooms are standard in the main living areas. Custom castled cabinets with crown molding and a custom wood range hood are included. Granite or quartz countertops are used throughout with undermount sinks. A deep sink is provided in the laundry room with cabinets and crown molding above the washer and dryer. Double sinks are standard in the primary bathroom.
Waterproof and scratch-resistant wide-plank laminate or LVP flooring is used in the main walkable areas. High-end Delta faucets and Kwikset door fixtures (with deadbolts on exterior doors and a nice front door lever set) are included. Water lines for the refrigerator and garbage disposals are standard. Oversized kitchen islands are included. Can lights, fixtures, and switch locations are pre-designed with an ample number of openings.

Upgrades: Beyond the standard features listed above, there are endless changes available to make the home more or less expensive. Common options include adjusting garage sizes, porch sizes, or adding and subtracting square footage. Many clients choose to finish the basement or have us design a detached garage. Additional upgrades include more complex shower designs and selecting different lines of cabinets, countertops, and flooring. Bring your idea’s, lets make it YOUR home!!

Over the past 20 years, we have designed and priced out hundreds of thousands of options for our clients.

What if I want to change something during the build?

Proper planning prevents poor performance…. We offer EXTENSIVE and FREE architectural design and interior design services, so we can show someone what their home will look like inside and out in 3D models BEFORE signing a contract. You have unlimited flexibility during pre-construction to make adjustments. Full 3D modeling and visual selection sheets/mood boards ensure every single detail is finalized before a contract is signed.

We do this so there is not a need for changing things during the build process. This significantly reduces the excess time and money that is wasted and the frustration clients experience when making those changes during a build that are synonymous with custom home building. Also, this allows us to lock-in the subcontractor and vendor contracts before we start the home, through a Purchase Order Process which minimizes the opportunity for price escalation through inflation during the build. This is a leading factor in Homes by Josh Doyle’s ability to provide the highest quality home at very affordable prices.

However, during the build, we have the client do an Electrical Walk-through of the home to locate electrical openings and add any electrical items through a change-order process. And also have the client purchase their own light fixtures (with an included allowance for light fixtures in the contract).

What warranties do you offer?

Our ultimate philosophy is that the best “warranty” is designing and building the home with a mindset of reducing the liability of warranties and long-term maintenance as a core foundational principle. Designing clean and functional floor plans and selecting the highest-quality structural and energy-efficient materials—while ensuring those materials are constructed with proper inspections—is Josh Doyle’s first principles of home building.

“You are left with a home at the end of construction, not a builder. So invest your hard-earned money wisely.” – Josh

During the build, the most effective way to ensure materials are constructed properly is to conduct inspections during each phase before the work is paid for. Homes by Josh Doyle employs seasoned professionals who inspect every phase with a full punch list before anyone is paid for the specific phase they are working on.

Our home closing process and 1-year fit-and-finish warranty are treated the same way. We do not expect to get paid at the end of a job until a punch list is created and signed off on by the client after completion. By holding our workers to the same expectations that our clients hold us to, the process works very well—as it has for 20 years and over 1,200 clients.

1-Year Fit & Finish Warranty: Covers general workmanship and interior details. We follow the good workmanlike standards of the HBA. These standards are publicly available.

10-Year Structural Warranty: Guarantees structural integrity, fully compliant with Ohio and Michigan building codes and good workmanship standards. These standards are publicly available.

Manufacturer Guarantees: It is critically important to use name-brand products from companies that stand behind their products and have been around for a long time. We use products from trusted manufacturers such as Andersen Windows, Therma-Tru Doors, Clopay Garage Doors, Weyerhaeuser OSB products, Tyvek house wrap, Watchdog waterproofing, CertainTeed shingles, Delta faucets, Kwikset fixtures, Trane or Carrier furnaces and air conditioners, and more. All of these companies’ warranties are transferable to the client.

Do I need to have my lot ready before we talk?

No, we prefer an initial conversation first so we can help evaluate potential lots, flag issues like soil, drainage, setbacks, utilities, and deed restrictions that could add big costs, and guide you on what to check.

However, when you bring us a specific lot that already has a price, we can cleanly separate the land cost and lot-improvement costs from the cost of the home itself.

Using our experience building more than 1,200 homes, we can show you where the driveway will go, how long it will be, what the utility connections will cost, flag any potential issues, and give you a clear total for all lot improvements. Once those numbers are known, we can lock in a realistic budget for just the house and start designing a home that fits that budget. This is when we can show you comparable’s of other homes that we have built in the price range that you are looking to build in for just the house itself.

Initial Meetings (No Lot Required): You do not need to own land to meet with us. We can discuss your overall budget, walk through the build process, and evaluate prospective lots to estimate site work costs before you buy. As well as go over 3D designs and pricing.
Design Phase (Lot Required): A lot must be secured (owned outright or under deposit or contract) before starting our free 3D architectural design process.
Available Lots for Sale: We offer lots for sale across several of our exclusive subdivisions in Northwest Ohio and Northern Columbus Region.

Are there any limits in designing a home?

Absolutely not. We will not sacrifice structural quality and energy efficiency, but there are really no limits.

What is the price range of your homes?

Our goal is to design and build homes for customers. We treat customers as more than just transactions. The most important aspect is designing homes that fit their budget without compromising quality or cost.

What should I look for in a builder?

At the end of the day you’re with a builder for a year. You’re with your house for the rest of your life. So what really matters is the design, layout, and the quality of the materials and energy efficiency.

Do we have to start with your floorplans?

Short answer, no. Production builders typically require you to choose a floorplan and allow only minor modifications. On the other hand, we’re an all-in-one design and build company that designs and builds your home from scratch to your wants, needs, and budget.

Where can I find your floorplans?

Meet with us in-person or virtually! I’m hesitant to share our best work publicly as I’ve dedicated my entire life to designing homes but I'm more than happy to discuss designing and building a true custom home that fits your wants, needs and lifestyle.

Is there a better time to build?

There isn't a better time of year to build. The best time to build is when you're ready. Waiting can have disadvantages like potentially higher interest rates, cost of materials rising, and the labor pool being less available.

What are your favorite homes to design?

I love ranches. Designed correctly, they’re more efficient in heating and cooling. You can utilize the basement for future finishing with natural light and nearly double your house’s size. We build to last a lifetime, and ranches allow generations to live in them.

Do you have a minimum size you'll build?

We don't have a minimum size, but the bank financing the home might. We will design the home with the same quality, structure, and energy efficiency, whether it’s a one-room house, barndominium, estate home or any other type of home

How long does a build take?

We typically expect 6-8 months from dig to completion. However, there are a lot of factors that affect that. In reality, building the same house can take 2-3 months longer in one county due to regulations and building departments.

What are some red flags when looking for land?

If you're building on a rural lot you need to make sure it's not in a floodplain and that you don't build too far back off the road. If you're building in a subdivision you want to be aware of the final lots and corner lots. Best advice is to do your research.