Frequently Asked Questions

Somrak Concept + Structure together with Somrak Interiors is a premier full-service custom home builder in Crested Butte. We are a family run business and have a deep commitment to Client satisfaction, often creating life long relationships and friendships with our Clients. We have a reputation for unmatched quality and the service we provide is a result of our dedication to the highest industry standards. We are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the design-build experience and love creating beautiful, thoughtful and functional spaces for families, each unique to and representative of their personal lifestyle. Alongside our Team of highly skilled Project Managers, Carpenters, Craftsman and Subcontractors we aim to deliver an enjoyable home building and design experience that always goes above and beyond expectations.

Core Values:

1. Accountability through clear communication and transparency

2. Dedication to Client satisfaction

3. Unmatched Quality

4. Honesty & Humility

5. Hard Work & Team Collaboration

6. Empathetic approach to doing business both financially and ethically

7. Strong passion for the trade and continuous learning

Very common question and there are many factors that contribute to the overall equation; the easiest answer is: supply and demand, location and talent. Think of Crested Butte as it’s own little island slice of Paradise. A small mountain Town that is difficult to get to, which means all of the materials and supplies have a long way to travel before they get here. We have highly skilled subcontractors and employees who chose to ditch their old normal and high-end professional lifestyles and move to Crested Butte to mix in a great life with their trade. You’ll find all of our employees and subcontractors to be much more than your typical ‘run of the mill’ tradesman you get in larger cities and labor pools. Everyone is a true artisan and gets paid accordingly. All of our subcontractors and employees are trained, legal, local, and talented craftsmen – all highly dedicated to their final product. The current building climate in Crested Butte is also a driving factor – we have an extremely low supply of existing homes on the market for sale, low supply of buildable lots and high buyer market demand because a lot more people are starting to realize they could live and work in a place they love and are wanting to get out of the cities. People are starting to think, “Hey! I could live in CB?!?! I’m IN!”

The million dollar question, right?!?! Simple answer would be: more than other places! (Although, we are still perhaps one of the most affordable Colorado ski towns to build, and get your foot in the door). It all depends on your specific piece of property and the type of home you envision. It should always be part of your due diligence when considering property to ask a builder to join you on site (Ben and Kate do this frequently for potential Clients.) The floor seems to be around $900 per square foot nowadays – although of course there are ways to achieve cost savings and the sky is the limit for your dream home. The difference can be found in the quality of the build, the finishes of the home (stone, countertops, tile, etc.), its complexity, and perhaps most importantly, the site conditions. We base our cost per square foot prices on the ENTIRE square footage of the home that is under cover/roof and can sometimes include heated outdoor living space square footage (if extensive). Typically, it includes garages, covered decks, heated patios and living space. This is really important to consider the square footage as a whole when designing your home. For example: a 3,000 square foot home with a 500 square foot covered patio and 750 square foot two-car garage that will cost $900 per square foot is calculated to be 3,000 + 500 + 750 = 4,250 x $900 = $3,825,000 total build cost.

We enjoy cooking from our own recipe more than anything because we know the efficiencies we can achieve. Our pencils and computers solve all of the questions and issues before they become an expensive problem in the field. We design cost savings into our jobs and know your budgetary goals up front while we are drawing – not the other way around – which is many times a project killer when the design gets put in place before a budget is discussed. All that said, we are open to and continue to build many projects that are designed by outside architects and so long as we are working with the architect during the design phase, we can achieve many of the same efficiencies in the field.

Yes, many times we will work hand in hand with the chosen architect to help design our proven efficiencies into the job. We enjoy being involved as early as possible in the process. If not, we will certainly take a set of finalized plans and make them a beautiful reality. We have a handful of select architects that we prefer working with and are happy to recommend, should our architectural design services not be the right fit for your particular project. 

We do. A mixed staff of office, designers, metal workers, excavators, and carpenters comprise our carefully crafted “A” team – Crew23 – to represent us in high regard and create incredible projects. Our employees are paid well with benefits because they are the lifeblood of the business and no matter whom you deal with; you will be greeted by a positive and fun attitude!

Depending on timing, we will typically have anywhere between 3-5 projects going at once. By limiting the number of homes we take on every year, we are able to work closely with each Client on design and ensure quality standards are met through all phases of the project. We have a dedicated Project Manager and a highly skilled Team in place on each project to ensure focus on ALL of the finer details of building and designing your custom home, ensuring we are consistently in line with achieving our Core Values.

First, we want to meet you to discuss your goals and ideas!  This is best done on the property that you are considering for new construction or remodeling. We have three phases that will get you to a clear finish line: Pre-Construction, Design and Build. 

Pre-Construction: Here we will take the time to get to know YOU! We can assist in the due diligence process, help conceptualize your project and either begin the architectural design process or point you in the direction of a local architect.  We will begin preparing preliminary estimates and discussing your budget and design goals. We respect the financial commitment required to build a custom home and at this phase we really like to understand your needs and lifestyle to ensure we can meet and exceed your expectations. 

Design: This can mean architectural design services if you decide to go with us to draw your custom home OR interior design services (which comes into play later in the process). If you choose to work with another architect or designer, Totally OK! We still like to be involved early on and can often achieve efficiencies and design goals working collaboratively as one big Team. If you’d like to work with us on drawing your home, we would begin by getting to know you better – understand your lifestyle and how you live in your home. How can we make your life easier or how can we make spaces in your home function better to meet your needs? We would build your wishlist coupled with ideas and concepts that make sense for you – and put pen to paper! (AKA the computer screen :))

Design – Build: Here is where we truly excel! Custom home design and build go hand in hand. At this point, we would have a set of construction documents ready for build (either provided through us or an outside architect) and we would finalize the construction cost estimate, align budget goals and begin building! We would implement the interior design phase of the build and discuss the overall design concept, digging deep to again find what matters most to you and to ensure we create something beautiful that is a reflection of you and your family! We dive further into your goals and create a plan for each space within your home and begin the process for selecting interior finishes (the fun part!) and coordination of install through project finish out. This ensures that the vision is cohesive and that you are on board every step of the way! 

Throughout the course of building your home, we deliver digital photos to you daily to keep you more in tune with jobsite progress. Our project Team meets weekly to discuss the status of your project in terms of specifics on design or construction. This helps keep everyone on the same page with construction progress and allows for better communication and collaboration from the beginning to the end in the process of delivering your custom home!

Big-time, in most cases! The slope of a property will mean everything to the design, engineering, and construction of the home. Many times people will buy into a steep property because it is less money up-front. Don’t be fooled though, you will usually save all of that money you spent on the flat lot up front in the excavation and foundation phases.