Build a Better Custom Home
10 Tips from a Custom Home Builder
Building a home can be stressful if you don’t work with a reputable and reliable builder and properly plan the layout of your house. Once you have an overall idea of what you want, the best thing to do is go room-by-room and work through each aspect you want in your new home with your custom home builder. Working with an experienced custom home builder, especially one that has an in-house design/build process can help you handle these details and help ensure you end up with a home that suits your needs. Here are a few custom home building tips to help you get started.
1. Find the Perfect Location
Location is on eof the most important parts of building your home, which makes finidng the right location one of the best custom home building tips. You will want a view you will love for a lifetime, wonderful neigbours, and a safe and fun community to walk around. There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a neighbourhood and you can experience some of them simply by spending time there.
Consider whether the neighbourfood is located near your job, shopping and other things that are important to you. Location matters and can make a difference in your daily life. Make sure the lot or nighbourhood you’re looking at has the right ‘feel’ for you. If you prefer something more suburban or rural, you likely won’t enjoy a neighbourhood in the middle of the city. Nearby access to a major roadways can also make a difference in your access to outside amenities and commute.
2. Keep Energy Efficiency in Mind
Homebuilders are doing what it takes to please an increasingly environmentally conscious housing market. Eco-friendliness is more than a hot new trend. If you think green while you design your custom home, you will end up with many smart features that will make your home more comfortable and valuable.
If all starts with the many ways you can save energy, from the latest energy efficient appliances to using innovative new materials for insulation. You may also consider using building supplies from sustainable sources as an added eco-friendly boost.
These are just a few tips for building an energy-efficient custom home. Not only does this make your home more sustainable, but it can also keep heating and cooling costs under control to provide savings long-term and a good return on your investment.
3. Get Permits.
When you’re planning to build a home you will want to make sure you have permits, and all other necessary paperwork in order. A good custom home builder will manage as much of this that they can for you. This is another reason why finding the right contractor for you and your home is one of the most important custom home building tips.
4. Start with the Basics
Some people have been thinking about their dream home for years and know exactly what they want. Even if you don’t have every detail figured out yet, you probably have some ideas about what you do and don’t want in your custom home. Being able to communicate these ideas to your builder during the design process can help them get a feel for your tastes and style.
Grab a notebook and pencil and start with the basics. What types of rooms do you want in your custom home and how many? Are there any amenities and premium features that are must-haves? What about those that would be nice to have?
As you work through thinking about your home and getting your ideas on paper, you may be able to revisit and rework them as you add or remove things. This is also a good opportunity to prioritize items. All of this can help you work through and organize your own thoughts and its useful information for your builder as well.
5. Plan for the Future
Evaluate the future as you decide how your house will need to grow along with your life. Do you have plans to expand your family? Perhaps you have a child away at college who could possibly return to the nest one day. Maybe you have an aging parent who may eventually need to move into your home.
Consider the possibilities of your occupation. Have you ever considered working from home, in which case you would want a private home office? If you are nearing retirement, having a separate wood working area or craft room might be ideal. Thinking about the future and how your home may need to support you 5 or 10 years from now will help you plan out what you need for your changing lifestyle.
6. Consider the Amenities
Another thing to consider is the kind of amenities that come with your custom home package. Obviously, there are certain amenities that are standard and will automatically come with the home. But, what kinds of upgrades are available that might suit your lifestyle better? If you find that the are certain upgrades you prefer to the standard version, then maybe upgrading is the best option for you.
Not only will some upscale amenities make your home a more enjoyable space for you and your family, but will dramatically raise the market value as well. Two of the most important rooms to think about amenity upgrades are the bathroom and the kitchen. These are the room with the most appliances and water fixtures.
It definitely isn’t necessary to have the best of everything, it is necessary to think about which upgrades might be useful in the future. Consider how living with the upgrade will better your lifestyle and you will be okay with your decision down the line if you choose to forego the upgrade.
7. Consider Hiring a Designer
We feel that sometimes interior designers get a bad rep when it comes to their cost and therefore people get deterred from even entertaining the idea. We are here to tell you that they are not all expensive, but they are worth it. Unless you are experienced yourself, looking at the big picture of a home and choosing all the design elements can be extremely overwhelming. You can hire a designer to do as much or as little as you’d like. They can simply help layout your home based on your needs and wants, or they can provide you with a complete package down to the bathroom mat. We’d recommend shopping around, use social media to see who and what you like, and make some phone calls. You want to feel good and confident about who you choose.
8. Think About Aesthetics
The color light, and flow of a home play a major role in the atmosphere of the home and can also affect mood. For instance, each winter, millions of Americans struggle with the “winter blues” because of a lack of natural light. Having plenty of well-positioned windows can remedy this issue.
Room colours can also plan an essential role in a person’s mood. While certain colours elicit feelings of happiness and peace, other colours can excite and energize. Taking the psychology of colour into account when picking a colour palette can help you create the atmosphere you want in each room.
9. Beware of Over-Customization
One of the common mistakes that custom home buyers make when building their own home is going overboard on customization. What this means is that the owners build the home with great specificity to their particular preferences.
To a certain extent, this is fine. However, when some of the customizations are beyond unique and uncommon, it could have a negative impact in the long run. No matter how much a family insists that they will never sell their home, the numbers show that they most likely will at some point.
When you over-customize your home you could be adding elements that will make it extremely hard to sell. You don’t want to end up with a home that someone would have to tally rebuild before they would be willing to move in. It will be almost impossible to sell if/when that day comes. Your custom builder be able to help you navigate some of these things should they come up during the design process.
10. Choose Your Contractor Wisely
Another one of the imporatn custom home building tip is to choose your contractor wisely. No matter how involved you plan on being in the building process, you will want to choose a reputable, reliable, and experienced contractor. There are a lot of things to look for in a custom home builder.
Check your builder’s reputation and financial status. You should ensure that your builder has a track record of on-time delivery and quality construction. Finding the right builder for you can be the difference between your dream home a nightmare. Yuu may love a neighbourhood or a floor plan, but you won’t be happy if you move in and find that the builder cut corners on quality.
A custom home builder with an impeccable repuation and an in-house design/build process can help bring multiple phases of your home builder under one roof. Plus, a good custom home builder will help you handle all the details that can make the home building process stressful and overwhelming.
“The crew was great to deal with and we were very happy with the results. Challenges that came up during the project were handled well and they did a good job of keeping us on budget. We would highly recommend Hasler Homes to anyone looking for a contractor for a new home or renovation.“
Hasler Homes Ltd has become a well known custom home builder, and we’d be happy to talk with you if you’re considering building one of your own. Contact us at anytime if we can help guide you to your own dream home.
