Before you build your new home, you must learn the things you need to avoid to guarantee that everything runs smoothly. If you have been imagining your dream house since you were still a child, then most probably, building your new home is a great challenge that you want to start immediately.
Some rooms need to be filled with furniture and paint colors that you need to choose from. Additionally, there are also contractors and builders that you need to research. That is why as a first-timer, there are some common mistakes that you should avoid when building your new home from scratch.
Do Not Start Your Project Without Professionals
You’ll spend a lot of time reviewing interior designers, home builders, and architects. And there is a good reason for this; a huge investment is at stake. While it will take time to do the research, building a dream team that can work together can help you save some money and frustrations in the future. Some of these professionals might have worked together before, which is valuable since it can make the process faster and more efficient.
Keep in mind that not all lots for sale are perfect. If an ideal lot is available, then it will be quickly grabbed by a professional builder. When buying land, be sure that it is buildable. This means it should have a water supply, an electric supply, and an efficient way of removing wastewater. Without these, you won’t be able to build your home.
Avoid Choosing the Wrong Builder
Most probably, one of your greatest mistakes is choosing the wrong builder. Keep it slow and look for builders that can make your visions a reality. Read online reviews, talk to the previous clients of the builders, check references, and check their portfolios to verify if their style matches yours. You could also visit their completed projects so you can get more perspective.
Never Think You Can Do It All
Although it is tempting, you should not learn how to operate a construction site instantly. Always remember that when you are building your dream house, you will need some professional help. It’s just not the time for you to manage construction.
A general contractor can be considered a coach of a team. They communicate with subcontractors, gather bids, and ensure that everything is done on schedule and within your budget. Additionally, they also have some connections with subcontractors. These subcontractors want to work efficiently to get more work from general contractors.
Avoid Choosing a Bad Location for Your New House
Even though the location of your lot is part of your overall cost, this particular expense is something other than what you would want to save money on. Remember the old saying, “you get what you pay for.” When it comes to real estate, location is everything. When researching, don’t forget to consider the school choices, traffic patterns, crime stats, etc.
Not Considering the Future
Suppose you want to build a home from scratch, most likely because you plan to stay in that place for a while or a long time. If this is the case, you should consider what your life will be like in the coming years. Are you planning to retire in this house? Are you willing to climb three sets of stairs as you get older? Just remember that the features you like today might be different from the ones you want in the future.
You should also consider the money you spend on decorative finishes such as wood floors, custom stonework, countertop materials, etc. How long will these last? Can they stand the test of time?
Anticipating No Delays on Schedule
Sometimes, you can’t avoid feeling excited about moving into your new home. However, construction can be unpredictable. It is expected that there will be some delays due to various reasons, such as local government red tape, out-of-stock materials, bad weather, etc. That is why you should coordinate with your contractor to devise a realistic schedule that includes extra days.
Don’t Take a Laid-Back Approach
When building a new home, you must be calm and cool when confronted with inevitable challenges. However, you should keep your level-headedness from becoming a laid-back attitude. As much as possible, try to familiarize yourself with the basics as well as the timeline of the project.
Visit the Work Site
While taking a trip to the site, take some time to ask questions, especially the hows and whys of the entire process. Visit the site in every progression, such as after it is framed and while mechanical installation is being set up. Sometimes it is easier to fix mistakes while still in these stages than when the drywall has been installed.
Communicate Regularly
Most often, lack of communication can lead to more significant problems, not only in construction but also in life. That is why you must keep in touch with your contractor to discuss any modifications or concerns that you might have.
Always emphasize the significance of your requests, regardless of if it’s about energy-efficient windows or using soundproofing insulation. If this is something important to you, then it should also be necessary to the general contractor and the whole team as well.
Check the Documents
Check the fine details of the contracts as well as the insurance policies. If you are not confident about this, you can hire a lawyer to help you review the terms. Learn more about the estimated costs, deliverable dates, and, most of all, the contingencies in case there are changes to the original plan.
Avoid Making a Budget Without a Buffer
Remember that there will always be unexpected expenses, and no budget is 100% accurate. Having a buffer for extra costs is essential to your overall costs. Most builders recommend a buffer of 10% on average. However, it would be much better to add 20% to the original cost. Just look at it this way: if you can’t use the entire buffer, you can use it to buy new furniture.
Never Cut Corners in Your Budget
It seems too good to be true – a builder will charge you $30,000 cheaper and finishes the project two months earlier than the other contractors. But how can it be done? A builder might offer a lower cost to lure you into hiring them. However, as the project goes on, there are a lot of expenses that need to be included.
The worst thing is they might use low-standard materials just to make up for the difference. If there is a remarkably lower offer than the others, you might be wondering what the reason behind this could be. And it will be your job to dig deeper and find out why.
Avoid Costly Mistakes
You’ve gone this far in your building process; hence, you should not risk costly mistakes. Hiring third-party home inspectors to check your progress can save you money, especially if minor issues become more extensive.
You should also have a punch list to check any details that require a touch-up before everything is finalized. Minor problems might require a lot of work later on. You have to check everything, from broken light switches to scratched cabinets. Allocate some time to look for anything that needs to be fixed. Most probably, the builder might not aware that they existed.
Need professional help in building your new home? Midtown Builders Group can help you in eliminating the stress that comes with constructing a home. For more details, you can contact us at 706-457-0012 or send us an email at Jcainmbg@gmail.com.
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