# Residential Journal

> Plain guides from Blackstone Construction in Birmingham, Alabama: how a custom home is designed, priced and built, from the lot to the last walk-through.

This is the plain-text version of https://blackstone.build/residential/journal. To cite or link, use that page.

Straight answers on building a custom home.

- [Twelve questions to ask a custom home builder before you sign](https://blackstone.build/text/residential/journal/questions-to-ask-a-custom-home-builder): October 27, 2026. What to ask about price, people, schedule and warranty so you can compare builders on more than a number.
- [Pools, pool houses and outdoor rooms: plan them with the house](https://blackstone.build/text/residential/journal/pools-pool-houses-and-outdoor-rooms): September 29, 2026. Grades, utilities and access for a pool are set by the house. Designing them together avoids tearing up finished work.
- [From framing to dry-in: when a house takes shape](https://blackstone.build/text/residential/journal/from-framing-to-dry-in): August 25, 2026. What happens between the foundation and a weathertight shell, and the walk-through every owner should take.
- [Foundations: what happens before framing starts](https://blackstone.build/text/residential/journal/foundations-what-happens-before-framing): July 28, 2026. Soil, rock and water decide the first months of a build. Here is the sequence from survey to slab.
- [Stone and slate: what goes into a house built to last](https://blackstone.build/text/residential/journal/building-with-stone-and-slate): June 23, 2026. Natural stone walls and slate roofs are heavy and slow, and they outlast almost everything else. What they ask of the structure.
- [Building on a lake lot: what is different](https://blackstone.build/text/residential/journal/building-on-a-lake-lot): May 26, 2026. Shoreline rules, septic, access and wide glass facing the water all shape a lake house before design begins.
- [Renovate, add on, or tear down and build new?](https://blackstone.build/text/residential/journal/renovate-add-on-or-build-new): April 28, 2026. How to decide what to do with a house on a lot you love, starting with the structure and the zoning.
- [What drives the cost of a custom home?](https://blackstone.build/text/residential/journal/what-drives-the-cost-of-a-custom-home): March 24, 2026. Why price per square foot misleads, and the six things that actually move the cost of a custom house.
- [How long does it take to build a custom home?](https://blackstone.build/text/residential/journal/how-long-does-it-take-to-build-a-custom-home): February 24, 2026. The phases of a custom home from first sketch to move-in, and what makes each one faster or slower.
- [How design-build works for a custom home](https://blackstone.build/text/residential/journal/how-design-build-works-for-a-custom-home): January 27, 2026. One team designs and builds the house under one contract. The six steps, and what you decide at each.

Part of [Blackstone Residential](https://blackstone.build/text/residential).