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By Tim Miner, founder of Next Drop Design. I build websites for builders, architects, interior designers and landscape architects across the country.
When an architect gives a client three builder names, the architect has usually looked at all three websites first. Architects put their reputation on every recommendation, and they check before they make it.
Most builder websites are written for homeowners. That's right, but it leaves out the reader who decides whether the homeowner ever hears your name.
This article covers what architects look for on a custom home builder's website, and how to give it to them without writing a second site.
An architect's recommendation is a professional judgment. If the builder they name runs over budget or cuts corners on detailing, the client remembers who suggested them. So before an architect puts you on a short list, or keeps you there, they look at how you present your work.
They're also reading your site when a client brings your name to them. "We met this builder at a friend's house. What do you think?" The architect opens your site to answer.
Work like the house they drew. An architect designing a modern home on a steep lot wants to see modern homes on steep lots. If your portfolio can't be filtered by style or site, they have to scroll through everything to find it. In our 2026 Benchmark of 154 luxury residential firms, 97% had no way to filter their portfolio. (Portfolio filtering)
Evidence you build what was drawn. Detail photography of the parts architects care about: window reveals, roof edges, stair details, material transitions. Wide shots show the house. Details show the craft.
How you treat the design team. Does each project page name the architect, link to them, and describe the collaboration? Or does the builder present every house as if no one designed it?
How you work during design. A preconstruction or process page tells an architect when you get involved, how you handle pricing during design, and how you raise constructability issues. (Explaining preconstruction on a builder website)
This is the single change most builder sites can make today. On every project page, name the architect, link to their site, and add a sentence on what they designed. If you keep a page for each architect you've worked with, list your shared projects there.
Teton Heritage Builders, a Jackson Hole builder we moved to Webflow, lets clients filter projects by architect, and every architect's page shows the projects they did together. The architects see their work presented with care, and have a reason to share it. In the Benchmark, 82% of firms didn't connect their team and partners to the projects they delivered. (Dynamic team integration)
We build architect credits, partner pages and portfolio filtering into builder sites, and write the project pages that show the collaboration. Portfolio builds are $8,000, and Studio, from $12,000, cross-links your whole body of work across projects, team, architects and communities. See what every build includes
Often, yes. A recommendation carries the architect's reputation, so they check how a builder presents its work, and whether it credits the design team, before putting the builder's name forward.
Yes, on every project, with a link. It confirms the relationship to the client and gives the architect a reason to share the page.
Work that matches the architect's style and site types, detail photography of the craft, architect credits on every project, and a clear explanation of how you work during design.
Let's talk about your projects, your partners, and the content that will help your next referral decide to call.
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