5 Things You Should Know Before Building Your Home 

5 Things You Should Know Before Building Your Home

Know Your Building Budget

Do you know how much you can afford to spend on your home? You may have heard the saying, “Building a home is like getting married, except instead of committing to one person, you’re committing to a 30-year mortgage.” This is true for many people and is a huge commitment. It is so important to be aware of the amount you can spend on your home as everything else will be driven by this and it is much harder to go backwards once you have your home designed. You will need to find out the price per square foot to build in your area by talking to local builders (we recommend a minimum of 3) to get an average. From there, you can work backwards by taking your building budget and dividing it by the average price per square foot to get the maximum square footage you can build. There will most likely be items that will need to take priority – for example, if you are trying to reduce cost to get within your budget, you may not be able to have all the items on your wish list. Items like a bonus room or higher end finishes may have to be eliminated or reduced to allow you to have all the bedrooms you want or the space you desire in your living area. Do this at the very beginning and you will save yourself a world of frustration.  

Know Your Site

Do you have an up-to-date survey? Do you know what type of survey you need? Building a home without a survey is like navigating the open seas without a compass; you can keep moving forward but you will almost certainly end up off course. Getting an up-to-date survey with the information you need is critical, and you will need it before you can do anything else typically. At a minimum you will need a boundary survey, but depending on the site, you may need a survey with topography and trees as well. Depending on your area, you will also need to verify any easements and elevation requirements. All this information will play an important role in making sure you design a home that can be built.

Know Your Restrictions

Do you know the building restrictions you have? HOA restrictions will need to be verified if you’re in a community. Also, you will want to know your city/county code. For example, one of the most important code items if you are in the City is Zoning.  If you want to build your home on a lot, it will have to be zoned as residential. You will also want to review any deed restrictions as these can be forgotten or missed and have to be searched for (especially if it is an older lot). You could also potentially have FEMA requirements depending on your area. Know what you are allowed to build before you start designing and don’t wait for someone else to tell you because it will most likely be too late.   

Know What You Want

This seems simple but can be surprisingly difficult if you haven’t taken time to think about how you are going to use the house, what your style is and gathered inspirational photos. You will also want to think about all the people involved – are any kids, grandkids or parents going to be living with you? Think about how you live your everyday life – do you work from home, are you a hunter or fisher, do you have any storage needs, love to cook? Knowing what you want requires asking the right questions and thinking through all of the elements of your life.

Know Your Timeline

The typical custom home build process takes anywhere from 9-12 months and the typical home design process takes 1-2 months. You will also need to factor in delays such as material delivery lag time and city permitting.  If you are on a tight schedule you will need to discuss this with your designer and your builder at the very beginning of the process so that you have realistic expectations of your timeline. Know your timeline and make sure it aligns with your expectations before you begin and avoid a frustrating process.