These days the most obvious answer is the internet. However, I still get a considerable proportion of my jobs from people whose friends have recommended me, or people who live near my construction site and check on the work in progress, and a few of them just call me when driving behind one of our company vehicles. Some (mainly large) custom home builders advertise on radio, TV or local cinema. Smaller custom home builders also advertise in local newspapers. All above options should be considered

We will focus on the internet. Regardless of where you get your initial information, you should check out what you can find online. Specifically, check if the custom house builder:
• Operates in your area.
• Has good online feedback.
• Has a presence on social media.
• Does the type of job you’re planning.

You should aim to find a minimum of three custom house builders to call, but preferably five or more.

There are several ways you can go about finding a custom home builder, and you can use all of them. The most obvious is an internet search, you should type: CUSTOM HOME BUILDER or CUSTOM HOME BUILDING COMPANY, your suburb, and type of work you’re looking for, such as: RENOVATION or EXTENSION or DECKING or NEW HOUSE or SLOPING BLOCK BUILDING or whatever the best describe your proposed project. On top of your search results will be builders with paid advertisement, followed by builders who the best match your search results. Most custom home builders that appear on the first page use some form of SEO (search engine optimization) which help get their listing on the first page. SEO services are provided by specialized companies who don’t necessarily understand the construction industry, so I suggest checking the second and third page; real gems are usually hidden.
Between the builders on the first page of your search, you’ll also find free services such as Hi-pages and One flare. These services will provide you with three custom house builders willing to quote on your job. These services are free for you (builders pay for it) and are a reasonably good source of quality custom home builders. A good and reliable source is the Master Builders service which provide a free list of custom home builders operating in your area.

Case study
Years ago, on beginning of my custom home building career in Australia, I was looking at expanding my company, and I came across a client wanting a custom five-unit building. I desperately wanted to get this job to make some money and build up my reputation. Very soon I learned that I wasn’t the only one in the race. The owner used all the possible venues to find the custom unit builder with the best value, and I finally won the job, outbidding eleven other custom unit builders. My quote wasn’t the lowest, but it was very very low. After ten months of hard and stressful work, I realized that I didn’t make any profit. However, my client was very happy, and at the end of the project, he treated me to lunch. I paid for five custom units without profit; he paid for lunch. Good deal for the client.