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White and gold primary bathroom with freestanding tub showing custom home selections by LaFollette Custom Homes

Death by a Thousand Cuts: Selections Made Simple

By Jason LaFollette, CEO, LaFollette Custom Homes We kicked off this episode talking about selections Steve and I grew up with that should never, ever come back. Some things do come back, though. Wallpaper is back, and it’s not the wallpaper of the ’70s and ’80s. Our interior designer, Cindy, loves it. I fought her on it for a while, but I eventually saw the light. Which brings us to today’s topic: selections, and how to keep them simple instead of overwhelming. Why Custom Home Selections Feel So Overwhelming All of that adds up to decision fatigue. If you try to make too many decisions at once, you’ll wear yourself out. The Biggest Mistakes The fix: start with the big picture, then work your way into the details. As Steve put it, you don’t have to make all the decisions at one time. You just have to make the next

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October 20, 2026
Stone and board-and-batten custom farmhouse by LaFollette Custom Homes, built to budget without cost overruns

Over Budget Before the Dirt Moves: How to Avoid Cost Overruns

By Jason LaFollette, CEO, LaFollette Custom Homes Before we started recording this week, Steve and I were talking about grandkids. My grandson just made his first visit to pre-K, backpack, lunchbox and all. I saw a picture of him at age one, sitting in a swing. Four years, gone in a flash. And Steve just found out he’s going to be a grandpa for the first time. I’ve got five grandkids, so he’s been jealous for a long time. He says if it’s a girl, he’ll probably just hand her his wallet and the keys to his truck. That has nothing to do with home building, except that we’re a family-run business. We know what being a parent is like, and some of us know what being a grandparent is like. We think about that every time we help a family design a place where they’ll make those memories. Now,

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October 9, 2026
Custom home building process by LaFollette Custom Homes featuring a custom bathroom

The Custom Home Building Process: Define, Design, Refine, Build 

By Jason LaFollette, CEO, LaFollette Custom Homes  Quick confession: Juan, who records our podcast, told Steve and me we need to smile more. So if we look extra happy in this episode, that’s why. He also says we’re adorable. We’ll take it.  Before we got started, we were talking about one of our jobs last week. At one point there were 65 people working on it at the same time: roofers, HVAC, electrical, plumbing. It looked like a bunch of ants on a giant roof. And nobody was in anybody else’s way.  QUICK NUMBER · FROM THE EPISODE  65 people working on one of our jobs at the same time, on the same day.  Which brings me to today’s topic: the process of building a custom home.  Why the Process Matters  Last episode we talked about choosing the right builder. Just as important is choosing a builder who has an

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October 2, 2026
Custom home builder red flags to consider when choosing a builder for your custom home

Custom Home Builder Red Flags: “Trust Me, You’ll Love It” 

By Jason LaFollette, CEO, LaFollette Custom Homes  Picking your builder is probably the most important decision you’ll make when you build a custom home. With the right one, the process is clear, steady and even fun. It shouldn’t feel like a trip to the dentist.  The hard part is that every builder has a nice website and pretty photos of their best homes. They all say the right things. But not all builders are equal. Here’s what I’d look for.  “Trust Me, You’re Gonna Love It”  A young couple came in to meet with me. After a few meetings, they told me they’d talked to another builder first. He had experience, and a friend had recommended him. But he didn’t have a process. He didn’t even have a house plan. He just told them, “Trust me, you’re gonna love it.”  They left with zero confidence. When they told me, I

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September 25, 2026
Custom home cost per square foot in Bryan-College Station – LaFollette Custom Homes

What Does a Custom Home Cost Per Square Foot in 2026? 

By Jason LaFollette, CEO, LaFollette Custom Homes  “What’s your price per square foot?”  That’s usually the first thing people ask me. It’s a fair question. But most of the time, what they’re really asking is: Is it going to cost what I hope it’s going to cost?  Let’s talk about it. And yes, I’ll give you a number.  First, Life Happens  Before we get to numbers, I want to say something I think matters. Building a home doesn’t happen in a bubble. Life keeps going for our clients, and for our team too.  Sometimes a client goes quiet because they’re dealing with something hard, not because they’ve lost interest. A good builder notices that. Sometimes the right move is to give people some room, or even hit pause. This is probably the biggest financial commitment you’ll ever make, and you should be able to do it with as little stress

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September 18, 2026
Custom home living room with vaulted ceiling, stone fireplace, wood floors, and large sliding glass doors overlooking the landscape.

Is Building a Custom Home Worth It? Start With Your Why 

By Jason LaFollette, CEO, LaFollette Custom Homes  I’ll be honest with you. The first time Steve and I recorded this episode, it was bad.  The next day we were driving about 45 minutes out to look at a lakefront property, and I asked Steve what he thought of it. He didn’t even hesitate: “Well, it sucked.” He was right. We sounded like a couple of robots. So we went back and did it again.  That’s what we want Built By Design to be: real talk about building a custom home, from people who do it every day. This episode takes on a big question. Is building a custom home really worth it?  Why It’s Such a Big Decision  A custom home is one of the biggest financial and emotional investments your family will ever make. You’ll make hundreds, maybe thousands, of decisions. It takes time away from your kids. Some

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September 11, 2026
Confident custom home decisions during construction in a LaFollette primary bathroom

What Makes a Custom Home Comfortable to Live In Every Day? 

A comfortable custom home is designed around the way you live every day. Thoughtful custom home design goes beyond square footage and finishes by considering your floor plan, storage, lighting, privacy, and everyday convenience. When these features work together, your home feels more functional, comfortable, and effortless to live in. Comfort in a home goes beyond finishes and square footage. Here are the features that actually make daily life easier and more enjoyable. Most assume comfort comes from the big things: square footage, high-end finishes, statement features. While these features are nice in a custom home, they aren’t as important as most people assume they will be. In fact, it’s usually the smallest details that make your daily life easier that make the most meaningful difference after enough time passes. At LaFollette Custom Homes, we hear this all the time. The features people appreciate the most aren’t always the ones

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August 29, 2026

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