So, you have decided that you want to look into building your own custom home, but you are not totally sure where to begin with the planning and plotting of the endeavor? The good thing is you are not alone. Getting off the ground with custom home plans can be a lofty task for anyone. So, here is a helpful list of things to keep in mind before building a custom home!
Before You Get Started
While it may be easy to start daydreaming about all of the wonderful and exciting things you will add to the plans for your custom home to make it a perfect dream home, there are a few basic things that need to be taken care of first.
Budget
One of the very first things you should be doing is coming up with a good budget. This is an absolutely essential part of the custom home building process. When you know how much you are able to spend, you will know how large of a home you can build, as well as what kind of features you have room to play with.
Time Frame
“As soon as possible” may be the answer you want when considering what your time frame is, but that is not a practical answer. What are some hard dates that you know this project must be finished by? What are some factors that may be involved in deciding when the project can start, or needs to finish by. These may include the school year, a baby on the way, or anything else time-sensitive.
The Property
Location, location, location. You know, you’ve heard it before. The key to anything is location. So, before you start dreaming about what the garage is going to look like in your new dream home, you have to make sure you have the right location to build your custom home.
House Planning Details to Keep in Mind
When you have all of the details about building your custom home out of the way, you can start to plan on your home’s wish-list. This is a list of must haves for your new home; you’ll want to make sure you have these details ironed out before you actually begin the building process. Here are a few things for you to keep in mind when planning a wish-list for your custom home!
Don’t be scared to go big: This is your dream home, so dream big! There is nothing wrong with starting out with big ideas, as long as you are able to work on refining some of your ideas to match your budget and time frame as the job goes on.
Must-haves: Every custom home list needs to have a section for “Must-Haves.” These are things that your new custom home must have in order for the job to be worthwhile. A fun and easy way to come up with this type of list is by creating a vision board or a chart.
Answer The Big Questions
When building your own custom home, you will have to answer one of the oldest questions in interior design: Open concept or separate spaces? However, your need to make decisions does not end here. You will also need to know if you want a single-story home, or a multi-story. What will be needed in the first story? The second?
You also need to come up with a room layout. This helps decide what rooms and features your home will have. This is where you will decide if you need an home office, a home gym, a media room, or maybe extra bedrooms?
You should take planning your new home seriously, it’s a huge time and capital investment and you’ll get your first real family home out of it. Contact us if you need help planning out your custom home project today!