Building a Custom Home Requires Careful Planning
Building a custom home is a large investment that is, unarguably, demanding. It’s a process that requires a lot of effort, time, and – of course – money. After all, things aren’t entirely preselected, predesigned, or pre-anything in a “custom” home… there’s always change.
Building a custom home requires a lot of careful planning and forethought. And although it’s an exciting process, many mistakes are bound to happen if you fail to do your homework. As Onsite Services mentions, some of those mistakes include:
- Choosing the wrong custom home builder.
- Changing your mind during the construction phase.
- Losing track of how you will use the space.
- Adding rooms that you do not actually need.
- Choosing materials for their aesthetic appeal only.
- Not planning for the long term.
- Picking the wrong location.
With that in mind, here are the 3 main things you should consider when building a custom home.
1. Land
Where exactly will you want to live? This is one of the most important first things to consider when it comes to building a custom home. Things like climate, topography, and soil are important, but so is community and local offerings. Consider, if you are retiring or already retired or perhaps raising a new family – you would want to look into nearby community amenities that is write for your family dynamics. That is, things like fitness centers, clubhouses, recreational facilities, schools, and medical services. If you are working, you will also want to choose a location that is near your workstation. You may also want to choose a location that has nice views or is close to outdoor adventures that spark your interest. The good news is that Grand County has many locations that offer different types of families convenience and views.
The following are other things you may want to consider in this regard.
- What is the style of the homes within the neighborhood?
- How close will the neighbors be?
- What is the average value of a home in the neighborhood?
- How is the soil quality?
- Are there zoning issues?
- Are utilities readily available?
2. Design
The next thing to think about is your home design – design options are literally endless. When it comes to the design of your home, choose one that is uniquely yours. This is where you can truly make your home unique to you and your family’s tastes and needs.
The following are a couple of things to help with this:
- Think about what is and is not working in your current home. Think about your daily routine; for example, do you love drinking your favorite beverage with your friends and family outside on the patio? Then a great outdoor living area would be essential. Also remember to think about some of the things that you find irritating; for instance, the dirt that your kids and pets keep dragging inside the house. In this case, working with a landscaper would be essential.
- Use Google to help discover new design ideas. Search for various design styles and pick a couple that interest you. Some of the most common designs include modern, European, contemporary, transitional, and traditional.
- Once you have a design in mind, think about some of the features you’d want in your home. Pinterest and Houzz are great places to get you started. Think media room, wine cellar, yoga room, etc. You can even go offline and pick design ideas from a copy of Architectural Digest.
3. The Budget
Budgeting for your custom home is key. You should become familiar with some of the costs associated with building a custom home.
- The interior design: think about the kind of flooring, cabinetry, walls, and even the paint colors you want. A simple light fixture can completely change the budget of a room if it was planned to be $300 but comes in at $3,000.
- The floor plan: choose a floor plan that suits your lifestyle. Ideally, one that provides your family ample livable space, but one that is not so large that will be a nightmare to maintain. Extra rooms and additions above garages will lead to an increase in budget.
- The lot: without looking into things like slope, boulders, and soil it is difficult to narrow down a budget of what the land will ultimately cost you. For example, you may have to incur additional costs if the builder must make major changes to the landscape such as blasting through rocks, clearing trees, or building on a steep slope.
Luckily, your home builder can help guide you in the right direction when figuring the budget of your custom home. Let us help you with research process of your custom home build.
For more information on the costs associated with build a custom home, view this blog post.
1 Comment
This article was fabulously written – I am a wife of an interior painter and cabinet refinishing company so I’m in it all the time. Appreciate the effort here and have something to pass on to my kids who are now considering all this! Best, from those of us at Interior Painting Highlands Ranch ! thanks!