New build stalled, builder gone, or the budget stopped making sense?
We establish what you actually have, rebuild the budget-to-complete at today’s prices, and lay out the restart: permits, a lender-ready file, and the right licensed builder. You get the facts and a real number before you commit another dollar.
Sound familiar?
The builder walked off with your deposit.
You paid, little or nothing is in the ground, and nobody can tell you what you got for your money.
No permit, & nobody’s sure about the plans.
Permit never pulled or it expired, and you don’t know whether the plans and engineering can be reused or who owns them.
Loan changed, or the lender wants answers.
An approval shifted, a draw stalled, or the loan clock is running, and every week adds interest, taxes and rising material costs.
Who it’s for
Homeowners building their own home.
Your builder stalled or walked away, and you need someone on your side to get the project back under control.
Investors & developers with a spec or rental build
Your GC defaulted or draws stopped, and you need a credible cost-to-complete, a lender-ready file and a protected exit.
What you get in Phase 1
- Site visits, photos and drone footage of the site as it stands
- Issue map within 2 business days of receiving your file
- Rights check on plans, CAD files, engineering and survey
- Permit, title and lien search
- Budget-to-complete at today’s prices, with value-engineering options
- Risk map
- Lender’s-eye view and monthly cost of ownership
- Recommendation: proceed, value-engineer, redesign, or pause
Also included: an attorney-ready record of what you paid, what was delivered and what was promised, and an insurance check before work restarts. You keep everything we produce, even if you stop at a gate.
If the numbers don’t work, you’ll know before it costs you
Sometimes the honest answer is that the house doesn’t work at today’s rates and your budget, or, for an investor, that restructuring or selling as-is beats finishing. Phase 1 tells you that in ten business days (target), before you sign a loan, fund another draw or sign another contract. You keep every page we produce, and the decision stays yours.
How it works
01
Rescue + Due Diligence
(10 business days, target)
Document review, a site walk with drone footage, permit, title and lien searches, a plan-rights check, a budget-to-complete at today’s prices, the lender’s-eye view, and a clear recommendation.
02
Preconstruction + Permitting
(about 3–4 months)
Plans finished or revised, conflicts resolved, value-engineering options you choose, one complete scope and selections schedule, the lender package, and the permit through county approval.
03
Builder Path
(2–4 weeks)
Two to three licensed, vetted builders, including at least one with no Foundation First relationship, bid the same scope, bids leveled line by line, any relationship disclosed in writing, and a contract with no deposit before the permit and pay only for inspected work.
04
Build Oversight through Closeout.
(6-8 months)
Change orders priced before the work, draws only for inspected progress, lien waivers at every draw, monthly drone progress footage, a complete closeout file, and an 11-month warranty walk before the builder’s warranty runs out.
Why not just call another builder?
A builder bidding your job prices its own scope, with its own allowances, exclusions and deposit terms. That’s reasonable, but it isn’t your side of the table. We start on your side: we establish the facts and the full cost before any builder prices it, so every bid covers the same complete scope and you can compare them line by line.
If you later choose our licensed partner to build, we tell you about that relationship in writing and show the total cost of every path side by side, including when another path costs you less.
How we protect your money
- Your money never sits with us. Construction funds move through your lender’s draw process to the licensed builder, only for documented, inspected progress.
- No builder deposit before the permit. Any deposit is capped at 10%.
- Licensed builders hold the contract, pull the permit, carry insurance and stand behind the warranty.
- Every change is priced and approved by you in writing before the work happens.
- Lien waivers before money, at every draw.
One shared record. Everyone sees the same thing.
Your project lives in one JobTread record from day one through closeout. You see everything: schedule, daily logs, photos, budget against actual cost, change orders and draws. Your lender sees the draw packages and progress. Your builder posts daily logs and photos. Nobody has to call around to find out where things stand.
Your first ten business days
Day 1, Kickoff
your goals, budget ceiling and must-keep features; your shared project record opened
Day 2, Issue map
what we found, what’s missing, and which decision comes first
Day 5, Records back
permit, title and lien searches; plan-release requests out to your designer and engineer
Day 7, Site and drone
we walk the lot, fly it, and document what’s there
Day 10, Your number
budget-to-complete at today’s prices, the lender’s-eye view, an attorney-ready record, and a written recommendation
In 24 hours
our response target for your questions
These are targets, not guarantees. Permits, lenders and builders keep their own clocks, and we’ll always tell you where things stand.
Pricing
Phase 1
New Build Rescue + Due Diligence
$7,500
For a single custom home up to about 4,000 SF; 50% to start; $2,500 credited to your Phase 4 fee if you continue to construction. Larger homes or multiple units: custom quote
Phase 2
Preconstruction Controls
$2,500/mo
Billed in advance, 3-month minimum
Phase 4 · Option A
Owner’s Rep Oversight
$3,500/mo
During construction, when a full-service builder holds the contract
Phase 4 · Option B
Build Coordination
10%
Of hard cost, paid per draw, when our licensed partner builds. No markup on labor or materials
Design, engineering, survey, permit and legal costs are paid directly to the provider at cost. We never front project costs or hold construction funds.
Not a new layer of cost.
Every builder’s price already carries overhead and profit to run the job, about 26% of construction cost nationally (NAHB). When our licensed partner builds, our 10% plus the partner’s disclosed fee (about 5%) is that overhead, not an addition to it, and you see every line. With an outside builder, our oversight is added to the builder’s price, so we ask bidders to credit the administration we take over. Your proposal shows the total for every path and says plainly which one costs you less.
Send us three things
Your contract, your lender’s draw schedule, and a few photos to info@callfoundationfirst.com. You’ll hear back within 24 hours.
Stuck now? Let’s look at it this week.
