3 Important Mistakes to Avoid When Building Your First Home

Posted on: 29 May 2020

Building a home is very different than buying a home. When you build a home, you have to find the property, hire the right builder, and design a home you want to live in. There are lots of steps to building a home, which is why it is important to know what mistakes to avoid during the process.

Not Researching the Property

When you want to build a home, you have to find a vacant property to build your home on. Purchasing property is an involved process. Once you find the property you are interested in, you need to find out how the property is zoned, what the setbacks are for the property, and what other building restrictions are in place. You need to find out if you will have access to city utilities or if you will have to drill a well or install a septic tank, both of which add to the expense of building a home. You also need to pay attention to the actual topography of the property and think about how you can use or adjust the topography to meet your needs. You need to really make sure the property fits your needs and doesn't just look nice when you drive by it.

Not Researching Your Builder

The second mistake first time home builders often make is failing to research their builder. When it comes to building your dream home, you don't want to just hire anyone. You want to hire someone whose style fits with what you are looking for. When you interview a buyer, ask to see some of their past work. They should have photographs of the work they have done that you can look at. See if any of their previous clients are willing to talk about their experience with the builder. You want to work with someone whose work you like and who you get along with. You are going to spend a lot of time communicating with your builder, so you want to be sure you get along and like their work before you start the process.

Not Planning Things Out

Building a home is not something that you can just wing on a whim. You need to really plan things out. You need to work with an architect to plan out your home and collaborate with your builder on the plans as well. You need to think about how the layout of the home will impact your life. For example, if you like quiet when you sleep, but your bedrooms on the other side of the house from your kitchen and family room. Place your laundry room near your bedrooms and bathrooms so you don't have to carry laundry across your home. Pay attention to the little details as well, such as making sure you have enough lights in your home and enough outlets. It is easy to forget about the little details when you are creating a floor plan, but those little details can really impact how it feels to actually live in your home.

When it comes to building a home with the right home construction contractor, you will be able to avoid some of the common building mistakes people encounter when building their first homes.

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