The process of building your home starts long before pouring on the foundation. Your construction will become more efficient if you have a good plan and a competent builder. To prevent costly mistakes in constructing your house, you should follow the following steps. As you turn your dream house into reality, always ensure that you ask the right questions. Also, you can share the development of your construction with those who have already experienced this journey.
Building Your Home: How Much is Your Budget?
Right from the moment you are thinking about building your home, you should start considering how much your budget is. Determine how much you can afford and how much is the actual cost of building a home. The budgeting stage is about balancing your wants while assessing how much you can afford.
You will probably need to apply for a loan and a mortgage. As early as possible, try to find out the amount of loan that you can qualify for, depending on your income and other obligations. Nowadays, financial institutions and banks will be excited to prequalify you for a loan. This can give you an idea of the maximum amount you have to spend on your construction. Consequently, during this early stage, you must consider the various elements of your home that will cost you, including the land, designer, architect, contractor, materials, appliances, and interior decor.
This is a complex, time-consuming process that you must do several months before the start of the construction. For some people, it will take them about two years to make a thorough research before they finally sign a contract with a builder. Be sure to choose an affordable contractor that can provide you with quality work. You can get references from people who have already worked with this builder. Choose three builders and conduct an interview to give you some idea of how much you need for your home.
Typically, it will be the contractor who will choose the materials, amenities, and appliances. However, you also want to get involved with the process. For instance, if you love granite countertops, you can inform your builder about this.
Most often, first-time homeowners are shocked to discover the hidden costs of having their own home. It is important to consider that there are a lot of one-time start-up costs for the construction of your home, including window treatments, furniture, internet, wiring, and garden equipment. Aside from this, being a homeowner, you will have some monthly expenses that you need to pay like property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, lawn-care services, etc. These expenses will likely surprise you if you are currently a renter.
Building Your Home: How to Choose Your Lot
Before purchasing a lot for your home, get in touch with realtors to get some idea of the cost of the land in your preferred area. Take note that land costs will likely vary depending on local land costs.
Whether you want to build a home near the ocean or in a suburban development, you should choose the land first before choosing floor plans and other details. You have to investigate several factors such as zoning, drainage, soil condition, and building codes in the area. If you have to customize your house design so it could be suitable for the lot, then it could cost you more. If you use stock prints in building your home, then this can be a great help.
Building Your Home: Choose a House Plan
Most new homes are constructed based on stock plans found online or in a printed catalog. It will probably take some time before you can find the appropriate plan. To help you decide, try to determine your favorite house style first. You can get some ideas from the catalogs or ask a builder to assist you in choosing the best plan for your needs. You can also hire a home designer to help you make minor changes such as window styles, room size, and other features. Although some builders can also make some minor modifications to your house plan.
On the other hand, a custom-designed home is specifically created for the occupants living there and on the land where it is located. You will often need to hire a licensed architect for your custom-designed home. The architect will likely ask questions like where the usual breezes come from, where the sun is located in relation to your site, or how you can save money on cooling and heating expenses. The architect might ask some intensive questions about your personal preference and lifestyle.
Whether you choose a custom design or a stock home plan, it would be side to choose a plan that satisfies your needs now and in the future. For instance, a young couple might consider planning for their future family members. On the other hand, an older homeowner might consider her aging needs.
Building Your Home: Hire Your Team
After you have determined your budget and chosen a site and home design, the next thing to do is assemble the best team to design and build your house. This includes an architect, home designer, surveyor, excavator, and builder. Sometimes homeowners tend to choose a builder first. Then, the builder will start selecting the members of his team. Nevertheless, you can also hire a designer or an architect first.
One of the most important questions is how involved you are in the process. Although most homeowners would prefer to hire a builder to coordinate the works that need to be done, some homeowners want to get involved with the process. If this is the case, then you will be the one who will hire and supervise all the subcontractors such as the carpenters, excavators, painters, etc.
How About the Nontraditional Approach?
How your house looks do not necessarily depend on how your house was constructed. Take note that aside from traditional frame construction, there are other methods that you can use. Most people are interested in rammed-earth construction, straw-bale houses, and cob houses. However, these traditional builders and architects are not experts on anything. If you want to build a conventional home using a nontraditional method, then you will need a team of experts in this type of construction. Be sure to do your homework so that you can find a reliable builder and architect who is capable of analyzing your vision.
Make a Written Contract
Everything should be done in writing and signed by the contractors involved in your home’s construction. This means that you should have a contract with the designer, builder, architect, as well as other contractors who are part of the process. So, what is included in the contract? The contract for your new home will include the details of the project as well as the list of all the portions in the house that will be included, also known as the “specs.” If you don’t include detailed specifications, then most likely, your home will be built with cheaper and low-quality materials. Be sure to discuss the specs before writing the contract. You should clearly list everything.
Oak Creek Builders can help you in turning your dream house into reality. We offer framing, renovation, new home construction, and pre-construction consultation. For more details, you can contact us at 903-271-9058 or send us an email at emily@ocbtexas.com.
