Building your own home is an exciting prospect. Rather than moving into a home designed for someone else, you get a home that’s been perfectly customized for you. However, there are some issues that can disrupt the whole process. To protect your investment and ensure the process goes smoothly, avoid these five mistakes people commonly make when building their own homes.
1. Don’t Forget the Details
When you’re building your own home, the design is just the first detail. You also have to make decisions about countless other details. Start that process early. Spend time looking at cabinets, flooring, paint, and other home essentials so that you can narrow in on what you want. Then, let the builders know. That way, your contractors won’t face delays as you decide on the details in the midst of the process.
2. Choose the Right Builders
That said, if you choose the right builders they will help guide you toward an effective timeline. They’ll remind you of the decisions you need to make about the home so that everything is squared away. Before settling on a builder, look through their portfolios, drive through neighborhoods they’ve developed, and tour their model homes. Also, make sure they’re experienced with the unique climate and conditions in your neighborhood.
3. Use Space Wisely
Often, people get so excited by the potential of a new home that they choose an overly large design. Then, down the road, they realize that they have an unsustainable amount of space and wish they would have gone for a smaller home. Before making the leap into a large home, spend some time thinking about how you use your space.
An effective floor plan that gives you room to live the way you like to live, is usually better than a sprawling space that doesn’t have the essentials you want. Again, the right builder can help you balance those elements.
4. Focus on Resale Value
When building your own home, you get the luxury of customizing the space for you and your family. However, you should also keep resale value in mind. Even if you don’t plan to live anywhere else in the future, you may change your mind, or your heirs may eventually need to sell your home.
To protect yourself financially, keep resale value in mind as you develop your plan. For instance, if you want a room for model trains, you want to ensure that it can easily be converted into a bedroom or a home office. Ideally, you need to balance your customizations with what future owners will want in a home.
5. Stay Involved in the Process
To ensure everything goes smoothly as you’re building your own home, stay active in the process. If the builders or designers have questions for you, make sure to respond to them promptly so that the project stays on track. Once construction starts, check on the building site and ask the contractors questions. That helps to keep everyone on the same page.
Interested in building your own home? Contact Passage Island Construction today. We build quality custom homes for people in Vero Beach and the surrounding area.