When we decided to open the doors to one of our homes before it was completely finished and before our homeowners moved in, I really didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, I thought, if one person shows up, this will be amazing.

Well… you all showed up.

And I cannot thank you enough.

First and foremost, a huge thank you to our homeowners for trusting us enough to open the doors to their new home. This is their home—a place they’ve spent months dreaming about, designing and watching come together—and allowing our community to walk through it before they move in was incredibly generous.

Over the weekend, we welcomed my parents, old friends, new friends, previous homeowners we’ve built for, contractors who worked on the home and brought their families, neighbors, people who follow along with us online, and families who are beginning to think about building a custom home of their own.

It was pretty special to see them all under one roof.

More Than an Open House

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was simply watching people experience the house.

I loved seeing someone notice a custom detail they hadn’t thought about before or hearing the surprise when they discovered the secret door in the entry. I loved the conversations that started with, “Oh, I never thought about doing that!”

That was exactly what I hoped Behind the Build could be.

Custom building isn’t about recreating someone else’s home. It’s about seeing possibilities and figuring out which ones make sense for the way your family lives.

But something else happened over the weekend that I loved even more.

At one point, we had previous Weis Custom Homes homeowners, the homeowners whose house everyone was touring, and potential homeowners considering building with us all standing together in the same room and talking.

I don’t think I could have planned a better way for someone to get to know us.

Choosing Your Builder Is a Big Deal

I am beyond grateful for the people we met over the weekend who are considering building a custom home.

Choosing a builder is a huge decision, and I don’t take that lightly.

I always tell people when they’re interviewing builders to think about it a little like choosing someone you’re going to marry.

You’re going to spend a lot of time together.

There has to be trust. There has to be communication. You need to be comfortable asking questions, working through decisions and sometimes having difficult conversations.

And most importantly, you need a really good foundation together—not only for your relationship, but for your house too.

That’s one reason I loved meeting potential homeowners at Behind the Build. Instead of sitting across from each other at a table talking about what we could build, they were able to walk through something we actually built.

They could see the craftsmanship. Open the doors. Look at the details. Ask questions. And even talk with people who have already been through the process with us.

That’s pretty special.

A Little Extra Fun

Friday night, Oh My Lollies joined us and handed out free popsicles to everyone who came through the house. And I have to say—they were absolutely delicious! We loved having them there and hope we get to work together again.

Saturday was pretty darn fun too.

Lexi brought the lemonade stand she built herself and served fresh lemonade to our visitors as they left. I loved watching everyone stop to support her little business—and there’s more coming soon about just how successful her day was!

We also had Gemma there with her She Built display, sharing books, coloring books and information about the She Built Foundation.

Being part of She Built has given me another opportunity to show young girls just how many possibilities exist for them in the building industry.

They can be builders.

They can be general contractors.

Architects. Electricians. Plumbers. Drywallers. Designers.

Whatever interests them.

Sometimes all it takes is seeing another girl or woman doing something to realize, I could do that too.

And One More Big Thank You

I also have to give a huge thank you to Brad and the team at Carpet Selections.

They have always been wonderful supporters of Weis Custom Homes. Brad certainly didn’t have to spend his weekend with us, but he showed up throughout the event to help greet people and support what we were doing.

They’re great people with an amazing team and wonderful customer service, and we’re incredibly grateful to have them as one of our trade partners.

I Think We’re Onto Something…

When the weekend was over, one of my first thoughts was:

We need to do this again.

I’d love for Behind the Build to become something we offer at different stages of construction—not only when a home is nearly finished.

Maybe next time you get to see what’s behind the drywall.

Maybe it’s framing.

Maybe it’s insulation, mechanicals or one of the stages of construction that most homeowners never get the opportunity to see.

Because building a custom home isn’t just about the pretty finishes at the end. There’s a whole lot that happens behind the build.

Thank you to every single person who walked through the doors, shared our posts, told a friend, supported our young entrepreneurs, talked with our trade partners or simply continues to follow along with what we’re building.

You made our first Behind the Build more successful than I ever imagined.

And I have a feeling it won’t be our last.

— Nikki

Weis Custom Homes