7 Common Mistakes of Homeowners Looking to Build
Plan for the way you live, not based on what you see on the internet
Pinterest is great for ideas and sparking creativity. House plan websites can also help you think about the kind of home you may like- but beware. These designs often were not created by design professionals and they don’t take into account how you live in your home. You are about to spend a very large sum of money on something that you will spend a lot of time in- shouldn’t it be something that was created with you in mind?
Revisit the budget- look at how changes add to the initial estimate
First impressions are everything, right? Maybe not when it comes to your budget. It’s very easy to get your initial estimate stuck in your head. But remember, these numbers are often created with a lot of unanswered questions. There are a lot of holes that a builder may have had to make an educated guess on during that phase of the design- hence the reason these numbers are called estimates and not guarantees. A thorough architect and builder will help you review and revise your budget at several different stages in the design process. Make sure you look at how your budget number is changing as things become more clear in the design. Also, understand that making a few changes along the way may have a huge effect on your budget. Keeping these numbers in check will help you understand where you can maximize your money to get what you want and stay in budget.
Letting the builder design your home
There are a lot of builders that offer their design services to help you cut costs when designing a home or renovation. While this may seem like an obvious way to put money towards that farmhouse sink you really want, it may not get you the results you are looking for. Using an architect to help design your home is an investment that pays for itself. Architects are licensed professionals that have years of training in the ability to understand spaces and flow, visualize how changes will affect that, and create one-of-a-kind solutions to your unique problem. Your home will prove to be more valuable in how you use it on a daily basis as well as it’s profitability if you ever decide to sell it.
Accepting the traditional method as the most efficient
I recently got married and acted as my own wedding planner. As I started booking vendors for my wedding, I realized I was spending a lot of money on different specialties and expected them all to come together on my big day without any coordination between them. Suddenly, this felt like an architecture project and I was reminded how much I value collaboration. The traditional method of building keeps specialties separated in their own boxes, but you don’t have to accept that method. Integrated design is a method of designing and building where all of the trades collaborate early on in the process. They are all working towards the same common goal and can add their expertise early on when changes are less costly. It’s a more efficient way to design and build and makes for a better process and end product.
Understanding the difference between HGTV and real life
A new construction project can take many months or years to complete. There is just no way for a TV show to accurately portray that kind of timeline in a one-hour episode. And to be honest- who wants to watch paint dry? There are a lot of fun, exciting, personal, disappointing, even frustrating moments when you are creating something like a new home for your family. Find a team of architects and builders that you trust and enjoy being around- they will help inform you on the real life process and help you to keep your expectations realistic. It will make the process that much more enjoyable.
Don’t settle on a property
One of the first fundamentals of good design is to let the site inform the design. A good architect will take the time to understand your property and what makes it unique. They will design your home to capitalize on the great views, the micro-climate, and the sun orientation. Don’t settle on a property in hopes that your house will fix the things it’s missing.
Use the tools to help understand the design and make changes early in the process
There will be things about your design that you will want to change- this is inevitable. You can’t possibly think of everything the first time around- Rome wasn’t built overnight. Reading lines on a piece of paper to understand what you future home is going to look like is very hard for most people to visualize. There are tools available to help you visualize spaces before anything gets built. Changes made during construction can be very costly (financially and schedule wise) and 100% avoidable if you use the tools available to you to help understand exactly what things are going to look like. Don’t settle for an architect that isn’t willing to provide these tools to you.