Your dream about living in a cosy house is about to come true. Finally, you have decided to put effort into building your new home. It will take a lot of time and energy, and you are going to face a lot of challenges. However, it shouldn’t stop you on the way to your dream house. That’s how you can prepare before you start this life-changing project:
Choose your lot
If you don’t have your building lot yet, make an appointment with a realtor in order to get a first estimation of land costs in the area where you want to live. Before you purchase a lot, make sure to investigate multiple factors such as zoning, soil conditions in the area, building codes, and drainage.
Let’s not forget that you will also need to prepare your future plot for construction work. You constructor should help you to cure this headache.
Find your team
If it’s your very first house, it’s better to hire professionals in the very beginning. It will help you to avoid unpleasant surprises. First of all, you need to choose a general contractor in order to evaluate costs from conceptual drawings. Choose a professional based on their experience and reputation since it’s one of the most influential people in the project. As you can understand, you should not only establish a trusting relationship with a contractor. You need to find someone who can show you at least three check references (also known as contractor bids).
Also, whenever you hire someone, you need to ask them to sign a building contract. Every contract should involve all the details of the project. It helps to protect a homeowner and all professionals involved in the process.
Develop a budget
If you don’t want to get stuck with your project, make sure to calculate all the costs in the very beginning. It might be difficult for someone who hasn’t built a house before. That’s why you need to hire a contractor and architect who will develop a plan. They will have to take into account permit fees, site preparation, and even time of the year (it significantly impacts the construction costs!).
Other than that, add the costs of your building team. Besides a contractor and interior designer, you should also hire low level lift, notary, structural engineer, and certified energy advisor. Keep in mind, your budget should be realistic from the very beginning. If you are not sure how much you can spend on your new house, consider talking to a financial advisor.
Another important thing is to plan for cost overruns. The costs of materials constantly change, that’s why your construction might cost a bit more in the end.
Create a decorating plan
Of course, you can always hire a professional interior designer who will be able to decorate your house. But if you want your home to reflect your personality, make your own plan taking into account your habits and lifestyle. Once you decide on the number of rooms you want to have in the house, think how you can decorate them. Consider getting a sketchbook where you can add fabric examples, photos of furniture and accessories. Another option is to bring all your ideas to the corkboard so that you have a clear picture.
Remember that your budget will decide it all. You can also break your design project into a few stages in order to make it more manageable and affordable. Space planning is extremely important. So, you also need to take under consideration room placement. For instance, your kitchen should be near the main point of entry so that you will not have to walk all the way around the house to leave the groceries.
Your bedroom should be far away from the kitchen and living room noises. You may also want to consider soundproofing your bedroom during construction.
Stay involved
Working with professionals is real happiness. Once you find a trustworthy contractor, you will be able to relax a bit. However, it doesn’t mean you should forget about the project and shift all responsibility to your building team. Try to stay involved and control the process as much as possible.
Shop like never before
Often builders only work with a few trusted suppliers. But keep in mind, just because they are trusted suppliers does not mean they are the most affordable. When it comes to picking out your flooring, tile, and cabinets, do some research and some SHOPPING! You can go online and find blowout flooring deals that can save you thousands.
Also take a look at premium RTA cabinets suppliers. RTA cabinets come unassembled and can save you some additional thousands. When done right, you can assemble them yourself and end up spending half of what you would have spent going with your builders options.
The bottom line
Building your first house is a real challenge. You will have to learn a lot of things! Before you start a project, choose a lot and hire trustworthy professionals who will help you to make your dreams come true.
The first and most important thing is to discuss the costs of the entire project. Developing a budget should be done in the very beginning of construction. Also, plan for cost possible overruns.
It’s better to stay involved in the process, no matter how great your team is! Consider designing your house on your own. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it!
