The picture of a blank lot has the same mixed feelings for most people. There is obviously much excitement for building their own custom home, yet how is it going to work? Building a custom home is the largest investment most people will ever make and it is crucial that one has a good grasp on what is required to complete the process in an orderly fashion.
A custom home can be one of the largest investments you make in your lifetime. It is after the construction has been completed and you have moved in that you realize all the decisions that went into making your new home what it is. To help you in this process and to make the transition as smooth as possible for all parties involved, we have listed the steps for a successful custom home building experience.
Planning Starts Long Before Ground Breaking
You can’t start a custom home project like you would any other project. First, you have to start with what your family really needs versus what you want. After you have come to that realization, you can translate your needs to design decisions that will work well for you and your family for decades to come.
First, write down how you are currently using the spaces in your home. Use pictures to illustrate the uses of the spaces in your home. This will be very helpful when you are searching for homes to purchase and also when you are working with your designer to plan the functional design of your custom home. Make a list of the most efficient uses of the spaces in your home and note your favorite areas of your home and why you like them. Also, make a list of the areas of your current home that are not being used. When you are designing your custom home, using these lists will be very helpful in designing functional spaces that will work well for your family for years to come.
It’s also very important to realize just how long it will take to actually build your home. On average custom homes take anywhere from 8-12 months to complete after the ground is broken. There are, however, many factors that can affect this timeframe including weather, changes in plans, and unforeseen circumstance. It is very important to realize that these circumstances can affect not only when you can move into your new home, but also when you can put your current home on the market for sale.
Budget for the Real Costs
The true cost of building a home is the list of decisions you will make along the way of building your home. The cost of these decisions will rise quickly as you consider the options of each decision.
Once you have decided on the maximum price of your home, then you can work backwards to determine your cost to build your home. As you begin reviewing home plans, keep in mind that 15% to 20% of your home’s price is a typical amount to allow for structural issues and for required upgrades to electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems. Many people get so caught up in the home design that they overlook the final cost of completing the home after the walls are up. You will also need to determine cost for items such as painting, trim work, and finishing work including flooring, cabinets, countertops, and plumbing fixtures. Some builders incorrectly assume that these tasks will take very little time and resources to complete, but that is typically not the case.
To accurately budget for your custom home, you must categorize all of the costs involved in the process. The largest cost is typically the cost of the land on which the home is built. Following the cost of the land is the cost of construction of the home, then the cost of permits and fees, the cost to connect utilities to the home, the cost of landscaping, and finally the cost to furnish the home once it is completed. Many new custom home builders are very focused on the cost of construction of the home and do not realize the time and money required to complete the home after construction is complete.
Choosing Your Builder Changes Everything
Choosing the right builder for your custom home is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Unfortunately, many people treat selecting a potential custom home builder similar to how they would select a new car. They review brochures, read feature lists, and attend model home grand openings. The mistake is that a custom home builder is your partner in building your home. Therefore, you should research and interview potential custom home builders with the same amount of respect and diligence that you would research and interview potential business partners.
During your interview process with potential builders make sure to look past the sales presentation of the custom home they built in the past and find out what they are currently working on. Also make sure to ask the builder for referrals from past clients. Make contact with the past clients and ask them about their experiences with the builder and how they handled any problems that arose during the home building process. As with any project there are bound to be problems but it is how the builder handles the problems that will make them a good or bad builder.
Verify the builders license and confirm he has the required insurance. Research the builders financial stability as well. You don’t want to see your home stuck in limbo half complete with the builder having gone out of business. This can happen with builders in Ohio as well as with custom homes in Ohio.
How your builder communicates with you is the most important thing to you during the home building experience. The builder will be responsible for keeping you updated on the progress of your home. The builder will need to respond to your many questions very quickly. The builder will be responsible for keeping you updated as to any changes that may occur with your home as it is being built. If the builder does not keep you updated during the sales process then it is likely that the builder will not be able to effectively communicate with you after you have paid your money and the construction of your home has begun.
Your Home Design Decisions
Remember that every decision that you make when choosing flooring for your home will bring on even more decisions. For example, if you choose to have hardwood flooring installed in your home, then you will have to decide on the type of hardwood to be used. After that, you will have to decide on the grade of the hardwood that you would like to have installed. Following that, you will have to decide on the finish that you would like to have put on your new hardwood floors. There are many different types of finishes that can be put on hardwood floors. There are also many different ways that the hardwood can be installed.
Major design and feature decisions should be made as early in the process as possible. Typically, these major design and feature components of a home include the home’s floor plan, exterior finishes, roofing and major systems including plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems. After decisions have been made for these major design and feature components of a home, it is typically easier to decide on less important aspects of a home. However, changes to a home’s design or features after the home’s construction has begun can be very expensive. For example, changing a home’s floor plan after the walls have already been framed can cost tens of thousands of dollars to complete. Similarly, changes to a home’s design or features after installation of major systems can also cost a lot to complete. It is best to avoid these additional costs and complete all major design and feature decisions for a home before construction has begun.
Permits Move at Government Speed
Building permits can take a while to go through local and state government and are generally at the discretion of the government employee processing the permits.
Permits take a long time to get. Allow a couple weeks to get all of the necessary permits before you start digging on your custom home. For example, let’s say the city where you live requires a permit before you can start digging. That permit needs to be submitted 2 weeks prior to when you start excavation. Therefore, that 2 week time frame needs to be added to the start of the construction of your custom home.
Managing Construction While Staying Sane
When the time comes for the construction to start, your job is to monitor the process. You should visit the home regularly in order to get familiar with the stages of the construction process and with the work done by the builder. During your visits you should also talk to your builder in order to express your concerns and point out any possible deviations from the initial plans. It is very important to make sure that you do not overstep the bounds of what your builder can do for you and to stick to the main goals. You should pay attention to the following: walls, roof, windows, the electric, gas and water pipes, the sanitary and sewage systems, etc. and discuss any possible deviations from the initial plans with your builder.
It is also very important to go to your site from time to time to check on your project and find out what is going on. It is also important to see the progress toward the scheduled milestones to your project. You should also check for any potential problems and write down your concern(s) immediately after you find out about a problem. Review these with your builder and most problems are usually fixed quickly for much less money than problems that have to be fixed after they have been allowed to get much worse.
No one expects problems, but they are going to occur. You must learn to deal with them in a reasonable, business-like manner. This is not easy for those who have not dealt with similar situations in the past. However, with time, patience, and good professionals helping you through the process, you will find that you are able to survive and even thrive during the building of your custom home.
What Should You Know Before Building a Custom Home?
The picture of a blank lot has the same mixed feelings for most people. There is obviously much excitement for building their own custom home, yet how is it going to work? Building a custom home is the largest investment most people will ever make and it is crucial that one has a good grasp on what is required to complete the process in an orderly fashion.
A custom home can be one of the largest investments you make in your lifetime. It is after the construction has been completed and you have moved in that you realize all the decisions that went into making your new home what it is. To help you in this process and to make the transition as smooth as possible for all parties involved, we have listed the steps for a successful custom home building experience.
Planning Starts Long Before Ground Breaking
You can’t start a custom home project like you would any other project. First, you have to start with what your family really needs versus what you want. After you have come to that realization, you can translate your needs to design decisions that will work well for you and your family for decades to come.
First, write down how you are currently using the spaces in your home. Use pictures to illustrate the uses of the spaces in your home. This will be very helpful when you are searching for homes to purchase and also when you are working with your designer to plan the functional design of your custom home. Make a list of the most efficient uses of the spaces in your home and note your favorite areas of your home and why you like them. Also, make a list of the areas of your current home that are not being used. When you are designing your custom home, using these lists will be very helpful in designing functional spaces that will work well for your family for years to come.
It’s also very important to realize just how long it will take to actually build your home. On average custom homes take anywhere from 8-12 months to complete after the ground is broken. There are, however, many factors that can affect this timeframe including weather, changes in plans, and unforeseen circumstance. It is very important to realize that these circumstances can affect not only when you can move into your new home, but also when you can put your current home on the market for sale.
Budget for the Real Costs
The true cost of building a home is the list of decisions you will make along the way of building your home. The cost of these decisions will rise quickly as you consider the options of each decision.
Once you have decided on the maximum price of your home, then you can work backwards to determine your cost to build your home. As you begin reviewing home plans, keep in mind that 15% to 20% of your home’s price is a typical amount to allow for structural issues and for required upgrades to electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems. Many people get so caught up in the home design that they overlook the final cost of completing the home after the walls are up. You will also need to determine cost for items such as painting, trim work, and finishing work including flooring, cabinets, countertops, and plumbing fixtures. Some builders incorrectly assume that these tasks will take very little time and resources to complete, but that is typically not the case.
To accurately budget for your custom home, you must categorize all of the costs involved in the process. The largest cost is typically the cost of the land on which the home is built. Following the cost of the land is the cost of construction of the home, then the cost of permits and fees, the cost to connect utilities to the home, the cost of landscaping, and finally the cost to furnish the home once it is completed. Many new custom home builders are very focused on the cost of construction of the home and do not realize the time and money required to complete the home after construction is complete.
Choosing Your Builder Changes Everything
Choosing the right builder for your custom home is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Unfortunately, many people treat selecting a potential custom home builder similar to how they would select a new car. They review brochures, read feature lists, and attend model home grand openings. The mistake is that a custom home builder is your partner in building your home. Therefore, you should research and interview potential custom home builders with the same amount of respect and diligence that you would research and interview potential business partners.
During your interview process with potential builders make sure to look past the sales presentation of the custom home they built in the past and find out what they are currently working on. Also make sure to ask the builder for referrals from past clients. Make contact with the past clients and ask them about their experiences with the builder and how they handled any problems that arose during the home building process. As with any project there are bound to be problems but it is how the builder handles the problems that will make them a good or bad builder.
Verify the builders license and confirm he has the required insurance. Research the builders financial stability as well. You don’t want to see your home stuck in limbo half complete with the builder having gone out of business. This can happen with builders in Ohio as well as with custom homes in Ohio.
How your builder communicates with you is the most important thing to you during the home building experience. The builder will be responsible for keeping you updated on the progress of your home. The builder will need to respond to your many questions very quickly. The builder will be responsible for keeping you updated as to any changes that may occur with your home as it is being built. If the builder does not keep you updated during the sales process then it is likely that the builder will not be able to effectively communicate with you after you have paid your money and the construction of your home has begun.
Your Home Design Decisions
Remember that every decision that you make when choosing flooring for your home will bring on even more decisions. For example, if you choose to have hardwood flooring installed in your home, then you will have to decide on the type of hardwood to be used. After that, you will have to decide on the grade of the hardwood that you would like to have installed. Following that, you will have to decide on the finish that you would like to have put on your new hardwood floors. There are many different types of finishes that can be put on hardwood floors. There are also many different ways that the hardwood can be installed.
Major design and feature decisions should be made as early in the process as possible. Typically, these major design and feature components of a home include the home’s floor plan, exterior finishes, roofing and major systems including plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems. After decisions have been made for these major design and feature components of a home, it is typically easier to decide on less important aspects of a home. However, changes to a home’s design or features after the home’s construction has begun can be very expensive. For example, changing a home’s floor plan after the walls have already been framed can cost tens of thousands of dollars to complete. Similarly, changes to a home’s design or features after installation of major systems can also cost a lot to complete. It is best to avoid these additional costs and complete all major design and feature decisions for a home before construction has begun.
Permits Move at Government Speed
Building permits can take a while to go through local and state government and are generally at the discretion of the government employee processing the permits.
Permits take a long time to get. Allow a couple weeks to get all of the necessary permits before you start digging on your custom home. For example, let’s say the city where you live requires a permit before you can start digging. That permit needs to be submitted 2 weeks prior to when you start excavation. Therefore, that 2 week time frame needs to be added to the start of the construction of your custom home.
Managing Construction While Staying Sane
When the time comes for the construction to start, your job is to monitor the process. You should visit the home regularly in order to get familiar with the stages of the construction process and with the work done by the builder. During your visits you should also talk to your builder in order to express your concerns and point out any possible deviations from the initial plans. It is very important to make sure that you do not overstep the bounds of what your builder can do for you and to stick to the main goals. You should pay attention to the following: walls, roof, windows, the electric, gas and water pipes, the sanitary and sewage systems, etc. and discuss any possible deviations from the initial plans with your builder.
It is also very important to go to your site from time to time to check on your project and find out what is going on. It is also important to see the progress toward the scheduled milestones to your project. You should also check for any potential problems and write down your concern(s) immediately after you find out about a problem. Review these with your builder and most problems are usually fixed quickly for much less money than problems that have to be fixed after they have been allowed to get much worse.
No one expects problems, but they are going to occur. You must learn to deal with them in a reasonable, business-like manner. This is not easy for those who have not dealt with similar situations in the past. However, with time, patience, and good professionals helping you through the process, you will find that you are able to survive and even thrive during the building of your custom home.
