Tips to Consider Before Designing your Custom Home

Guest Blogger #354, Entry #934, February 3, 2012

For many Americans, building a custom home is the fulfillment of the American dream. There are many other housing options but to get exactly what you want and where you want it, the only option is a custom built home on the lot of your choice.

Like any major project, building your custom home in the good old USA is a step by step process. These steps include:

Tips to consider before designing your custom home

Image via: Houzz

1.) Planning your budget

2.) Choosing your lot

3.) Selecting your team or builder

4.) Picking your new home plan

5.) Negotiating your contract

Each of these steps is interactive. You may complete part of one and then double back to adjust something you did earlier, but eventually you have to complete them all to get the job done.

Planning your budget

The first step in the process is knowing just how much money you have to spend to acquire your lot and getting your home built. You may need to talk to lenders to determine how much you can borrow or you may have to make decisions on how much of your savings you’ll want to use to get into that new home.

Whenever you make a plan, write it out in detail. You budget may need to be flexible when first talking to a builder. You and the builder you choose can work out details as you discuss the house you want and when you want it.

Plan your budget accordingly

Image via: Houzz

Choosing your lot

If you don’t already have a lot that you own where you want your new house, you have to find one. If you already have a lot, that may determine what type of house will work best for you. A heavily treed lot might not work well for a Spanish Revival home. If you own a lot, you’ll have to take that lot into consideration when you decide on your house plan and style.

On the other hand, if you have a particular style of home picked as the perfect one for you, it will limit the location and characteristics of the lot you buy. Custom home builders like Americas Home Place will often offer to help in finding the perfect lot.

Selecting your team or builder

In building a custom home on your lot you have two basic choices:

• Act as your own general contractor

• Hire a custom builder

Unless you have built a home before, you’ll probably find that it is not just easier hiring an experienced builder but also less costly. Most American builders will honestly tell you that it takes experience and relationships with subcontractors and suppliers to build a home that provides the most value for the money spent.

Most of the time you will come out ahead financially by using a well-known and well-established professional builder.

Choose a plan that has the amenities that you like in the beginning

Image via: Houzz

Picking a plan

Building your home is about choice. You can choose everything about the house you want, and choosing the plan is the basic consideration.

You will have constraints. Budget is always a constraint. The lot you have or want may be a constraint. Zoning laws may be another one. If you want a truly one-of-a-kind home, you may use an architect or home designer to develop a one-off set of plans for you. Some home builders offer free downloadable plans so you can start studying plans that might work for you at no cost.

Negotiating a contract

If you have decided to act as your own general contractor, you will have a significant number of contracts to negotiate and sign. If you hire a custom builder, you will simplify the contracting process.

In either case, make sure the contract is filled out completely and in detail. Before you sign any contract, do more research on how to avoid contractual problems.  And, of course, research your builders or subs for their past performance.

You can learn more about building a custom home on your lot by visiting Americas Home Place.

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