Building a custom home can be a dream come true. What can be better than getting everything you want exactly the way you want it? On paper it sounds amazing, in practice it can go very bad very quick. Making sure your budget fits your goals is paramount. Meeting with an architect or build design company is crucial in the early stages to make sure everything goes smooth. A good company will help you out with everything from blueprints to finish. Going with one company for the entire project can help save a lot of headaches and money down the line. A good construction company will take your budget into consideration from beginning to end avoiding costly surprises during construction. If you do decide to go with a architect and then call in a contractor you might find the architects plans go way beyond your pocketbook and have to have them redone. This not only wastes time but money both of which are things you want to keep a close eye on when building a new home. Regardless of what route you choose make sure that during the design your paying attention to a few basic things.
1. What spaces does your home need? Make sure that your getting the best us out of every single square foot. Try to come up with a rough sketch or write down what you would like in your home. Do you cook a lot? better make sure your kitchen is top notch and has comfortable flooring. Do you entertain a lot? making sure to have a large open floorplan in the living, dining and kitchen areas is a must. A coat rack by the door might be a good idea as well. Are you planning to expand your family? if so make sure you have one or two extra rooms.
2. Placement of laundry, kitchen, garage and other rooms. Once you know how much room you will need in each space and what their intended use is the next step is deciding where they will go. Will you put the laundry in the garage? Should the garage be attached or detached. Will you need 2 stories to accommodate all the space? In most cases these answers are pretty straightforward e.g. you don’t want your master bedroom right next to the garage if you have people coming home after your asleep. However they are different to each person so make sure the architect/builder knows what you want and take heed of their suggestions. You’ll also want to take special care when planning your HVAC system. Bad venting can cause mold and other issues not to mention cost a ton on your electric bill.
3. Budget, it wouldn’t be worth it to build a custom home if you could get something similar for less. Consult with contractors, architects and designers and find out the approximate square footage you will need for your rough design and get an idea of the cost. Once you have that add 25% in case of changes and permits. This should avoid unknown variables affecting the build.
If you nail down these few basics things should go fairly smooth.