Moving to Boise: build your Idaho home

Is Boise a good
place to live?

We are Bob and Lisa Bachman, and we have worked in the Treasure Valley for decades: Bob with nearly three decades in construction, including about 15 years with the City of Kuna, from building inspector to Public Works Director, and Lisa as a planner. We love it here, and we also want you to move with clear eyes.

The good: a dry, sunny high desert climate with four seasons, just over 11 inches of precipitation a year and around 20 inches of snow at the airport, according to the National Weather Service. The Boise River Greenbelt runs through the valley, Bogus Basin is above town for skiing, and commutes are short. The trade-offs: summers are hot, the valley is growing fast (Star went from 11,117 residents in the 2020 Census to an estimated 20,874 in July 2025), and Idaho has both a 5.3% income tax and a 6% sales tax.

The Treasure Valley
at a glance.

Boise is the capital and the city center, with the shortest commutes. Meridian is the big, newer suburb to the west, with large parks and a median household income of $100,795. Eagle has foothill and waterfront communities, including Valnova and Terra View, and the valley's highest median home value at $772,900. Star is the fastest grower, with room to spread out.

Farther out, Kuna sits near the Snake River Birds of Prey area and is where our company started. Nampa is our home base, with acreage communities near Lake Lowell. Caldwell has Indian Creek Plaza and the Sunnyslope Wine Trail nearby. Middleton and Emmett offer small-town living, and Garden Valley, where we keep our second office, is mountain country on the South Fork of the Payette River. For side-by-side Census figures, read Boise vs Meridian vs Eagle vs Star.

A family builder for
families on the move.

Bachman Custom Homes is a family-owned builder based in Nampa. We do most of our framing, electrical, masonry and finish work in-house, so fewer handoffs happen while you are out of state. Our recent work includes The Cody, Best Overall at the 2026 Snake River Valley Parade of Homes, and The Jane, 2nd Place People's Choice at the 2026 Spring Boise Parade of Homes.

Planning the move itself? Our relocation guide gathers the checklists and comparisons in one download.

“We were building from out of state and I was worried about not being here, but when you trust your builder, it makes it so much easier!!”