Straight answers about land, cost, timelines and how custom homes get built around Grand Rapids.
Short answer: The HBA of Greater Grand Rapids Fall 2026 Parade of Homes runs October 2 to 10, 2026. Hours are Fridays and Saturdays 1 to 8 p.m. and Monday to Thursday 4 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 online or $10 at Grand Rapids area Lake Michigan Credit Union branches. This fall there are … Read more
Look through our portfolio and you’ll notice something: nearly every home has a finished lower level with a living room, a bedroom or two and a bathroom. That’s not a Highline signature. It’s math. The cheapest square footage in the house Michigan homes need a foundation deep enough to get below the frost line anyway, … Read more
How a perc test (site evaluation) works in Kent County, Michigan: who does it, the steps, MISS Dig, the excavator, current fees and what happens if a lot fails.
Short answer: A wooded 2-acre lot north of Rockford listed around $150,000–$190,000 is usually a well-and-septic lot. Before you can pour a footing, plan on a soil evaluation, a septic system, a well, a driveway, clearing and utility runs. Those site costs can change your total more than the difference between two lot prices. Here’s … Read more
When clients want to bring a number down, the first instinct is to shrink the house. It’s usually the least effective move. Here’s what actually moves the estimate, roughly in order. 1. The number of bathrooms Every full bath is cabinetry, tile, a tub or shower, fixtures, plumbing rough-in and finish, an exhaust fan and … Read more
Short answer: Before you buy land to build a home near Grand Rapids, confirm 12 things: zoning, setbacks and buildable area, sewer or septic, public water or well, wetlands and floodplain, slope, soils and drainage, road access, utilities, easements and deed restrictions, split/division status, and site-clearing needs. The two that sink the most deals are … Read more
There are two ways to get a new house in West Michigan: buy one a developer is building in a subdivision, or find your own land and build the house you want on it. We only do the second, so take this for what it is — but here’s the honest comparison. What a development … Read more
Most builder quotes are a single number on a page. A Highline estimate is a document you can actually read — and, more importantly, compare. Here’s what’s in it and what to look for. The top line: contract price and expected range The estimator returns a contract price and the range it expects the final … Read more
Plan on six to twelve months of construction for a typical Highline home, plus the work that happens before the first shovel. Here’s the whole path — the same five stages you’ll see inside your proposal and every estimate in the Highline Connector. Stage 1: Initial consultation We review your needs, goals and the timeline … Read more
Ranch homes are the most-requested build in our Rockford, Sparta and Cedar Springs work, and two-stories are what most people picture in Ada and East Grand Rapids. Both are right — for the right lot. Here’s how we think about it. The cost reality Per square foot, a ranch costs more to build than a … Read more