As most of you know, buying a new home can be tedious at times, but it is a rite of passage into adulthood. Very few of us find a home on the market that has everything we wanted in our first home, however. As we get older and have more earning and buying power, we tend to be pickier about selecting the home that we want to raise our family and retire in.
At this point, you start to consider building a custom home to ensure every feature is set to your liking. With the proper planning and the right budget, you can build that dream home. However, some questions need to be asked to ensure your home actually delivers on its promise.
To that point, we have put together a quick checklist of questions you should be asking before you start to build your home:
How Big Is or Will Your Family Be?
I have seen this unfold dozens of times: a couple builds a home and does not account for how their family will grow in years to come. Sometimes, it is not even about space but rather about the home’s functionality. In addition to that functionality, you also need to look at outside influences, such as the school district, taxes, and proximity to schools and hospitals. Then there is the obvious, such as a home office, bedrooms, storage, etc.
What Is Most Important to You and Your Family?
Do you need room for guests, amenities, a growing family, a big backyard, or a pool? Do you want a low-maintenance exterior? Do you want your home to incorporate smart features? If you are going to sell in the future, what aspects of your design will help or hurt the home’s resale value?
What Construction Materials Do You Want to Use?
Your builder will likely offer a variety of materials options for various parts of the home, such as doors, windows, counters, cabinets, and the exterior components of the house. Think about the outside texture of the home and incorporate local weather into those materials. For instance, if your area sees many storms, including hail, consider upgrading your roof to prevent future storm damage. You may also want to include a garage or carport large enough to protect all your vehicles from these storms.
What is Your Most Important Room?
This is the key question because it will be the one room of the home where you will want to make as few concessions as possible regarding your “dream” design. For me, that answer is the kitchen because we do significant entertaining there and cook virtually every meal we eat. If you have a similar lifestyle, you may want the kitchen to be the centerpiece of your home and where you plan to spend the most money on accents, materials, and equipment.
Who Will Help You?
Unless you have significant experience in the construction industry, you will need a team around you that shares your vision. This should start with a residential construction project manager or construction consultant. This person will serve as your eyes and ears on the project, as well as protecting your vision, the integrity of the build, and keeping everyone on the same page.
From there, you will need to find an architect and builder who will share your vision and work with you to create a design that gets you as close as possible to your dream home within your stated budget. There are times when a custom home build can get tense, so you need to be able to work with these people and put disagreements behind you to move forward. I have said this before… chemistry plays a large role in ensuring this build goes well.
This is just the starting point, and our team would love to discuss your project with you in detail to see how we can help you build your dream home. To learn more about our managed construction services, click here. You can also give us a call at 888-402-4180.