What you should know before building a new home

 Building your dream home from scratch is an enticing idea because you can have everything built to your exact specifications. No matter how much research you do, the best tips for building your house will undoubtedly come from people who have gone through the process before. In order to help you prepare for the home building journey, our architects spoke with homeowners who shared what you should know before building a new home. 

You must be flexible with timelines.

We’ve all encountered typical delays when moving into a new place or buying a home. The closing process often drags on longer than initially planned, inspection results can delay the move-in date, and other unexpected things often arise. But building a home from scratch poses a whole new set of challenges, like weather delays, delays in sourcing building materials, and ensuring your new home is up to date with all the necessary building codes and laws. 

If you’re renting while waiting to move into your new home, speak with your landlord and let them know the situation because it’s risky to agree to a strict move-out date. Ideally, you’ll be able to work out a flexible agreement if discussed ahead of time.

Be ready to make a lot of decisions.

Your future home doesn’t even exist yet, so every single decision will be yours to make. Take a glance around where you currently live and think about how many things there are to choose: flooring, counter surfaces, light fixtures, floor boards, molding, paint colors, and even the floor plan. 

When you design your home from scratch, you’ll be working closely every day with your architect to pick and choose every detail from large to small. You can speed up the process by creating a portfolio of images you like and want to replicate, but still, be prepared to make dozens of decisions every day.

Be prepared to go over budget.

While your architect can give you their best estimate, you won’t know exactly how much everything costs until it’s done, and many homeowners who built their homes from scratch say they went over budget. Your home is an investment and you want to be happy with every detail, so if that includes splashing out a little bit more for nicer countertops, it’s worth it. 

If you’re applying for a loan to finance the building of your home, speak with other people who have built their homes to understand how much extra you might need. You don’t want to be stuck in a position where you run out of money when your home isn’t finished, or you’re not happy with certain design elements. 

Be on the lookout for shortcuts.

Unfortunately, builders sometimes take shortcuts to get the job done quicker and cheaper. Here are some of the most common shortcuts you need to watch out for when your home is being built: poorly laid flooring, minimalist electrical work that doesn’t provide enough light, cheaper versions of name-brand appliances, and no insulation in the garage.  

In addition to making all the decisions, you’ll probably find yourself turning into a bit of an inspector to ensure the work is being done properly and that you’re happy with the result. You’re spending a lot of money to design the home of your dreams, and you deserve to have it built to your exact specifications. 

For more new home construction tips, or if you have any questions about residential architecture, please contact our team today. Discover why so many homeowners in NJ choose us as their trusted residential architects by visiting our website at: https://leeb-architecture.com/

Originally posted https://leeb-architecture.com/what-you-should-know-before-building-a-new-home/

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