By Artem Korsakov ·
In short: A catalog of house designs helps people choose when the parameters are described consistently: floor areas calculated by the same rules, floor plans, and a clear package next to the price. Renderings of a design and photographs of a built house should be clearly distinguished. The selected design and package should be saved in the inquiry so the visitor does not have to explain everything again.
A construction company website should help compare floor area, layout and scope of work, and link the price to a clear package. The visitor needs to understand whether a design will suit their plot. A catalog helps the choice when the same parameters are described comparably. An image gallery without terms solves only part of the task.
Separate the design from the completed project
A standard design shows a proposed version of the house. A real building tells the story of work done in specific conditions. These materials can complement each other, but their status must be clear. A rendering must not be passed off as a photograph of a finished house.
For a hypothetical design you can show an image of the future building, floor plans and the main parameters. If a similar house has actually been built and the company has the right to publish the materials, a separate story with factual details is appropriate next to it. The results of one building should not be carried over to all the offers in the catalog.
Provide parameters for initial selection
Determine what buyers compare first:
- floor area;
- number of storeys;
- number of rooms;
- overall dimensions;
- architectural type.
Agree on definitions. Total area, usable area and building footprint answer different questions and should not be hidden behind one number.
Filters should be built on prepared data. If areas are stated by different rules, sorting will create a false sense of precise comparison. First you need a consistent approach to the content, then the selection controls on the website.
On the design card, leave a short explanation of the purpose of the rooms and the features of the layout. The visitor needs to understand where the bedrooms are, how the entrance is arranged and which changes are discussed individually. The website should not draw technical conclusions about the plot without the necessary input data.
Explain the package next to the price
The label “turnkey” is too broad for comparing on your own. Show which work and materials are included in a specific offer and which require a separate calculation. The terms should relate to the specified version of the house and be available before the inquiry is sent. What can be entrusted to a calculation on the website is covered in the article “A construction calculator on a website”.
If a page has several packages, it is easier to describe the differences in the same sections: foundation, walls, roof, building services (plumbing, heating and electrical) and finishing, within the company’s actual offer. There is no need to fill in a universal list with things the contractor does not do. What matters is giving clear boundaries for your own work.
Keep the choice in the inquiry
After looking at a design, the visitor should not have to explain to a manager again what they liked. It is useful to pass the selected design, package and comment in the inquiry. Additional information about the plot is collected only to the extent needed for the next step.
In a hypothetical scenario, a person has chosen a single-storey house and wants to change the position of a room. The inquiry should keep the original design and the request, and the employee should explain how the feasibility of changes is checked. An “Order” button without an explanation of the process creates an expectation of a finished solution too early.
The form may offer a consultation or a preliminary proposal. It is important that its name matches what the company does after the inquiry. A response time should be promised only within the team’s actual working capacity.
Check the catalog before publishing
Take two different designs and compare them using their cards. Are the area definitions, the differences between packages and the composition of the price clear? Open a floor plan on a phone and make sure the labels are readable and the image can be examined.
Ask a responsible specialist to check the factual information. Assign someone to update prices and terms. What other responsibilities and costs appear after launch is covered in the article “Website costs after launch”. A design with an outdated package can get in the way of negotiations even with a perfectly working form.
The company website demo in the trike_dev catalog will help discuss the structure of the offer. For your own project, prepare several house options, the actual content of the packages and a description of how a manager turns a visitor’s interest into a concrete calculation.
Частые вопросы ### Do you need separate sections for house designs and completed projects?
This is often more convenient for the visitor: in one they choose an option, in the other they evaluate completed work. With a small volume, materials can be linked within one structure while keeping their different statuses.
Can you show a “from” price?
Yes, when the base package and the conditions under which it applies are explained. If the final cost depends on the plot and a survey, this should be stated directly. A calculation on the website does not replace a confirmed proposal.