What Are the Steps to Building a New Home?

1. You get to start a fresh: With ready-built homes flying off the market, it can get very difficult to get the home of your dreams without spending thousands of dollars just on the maintenance and realtor fees. Starting afresh by building a new home means you get the opportunity to save a lot of money. The cost of building a completely new home depends on where you live, the materials that will be required, and what your preferences are when it comes to appliances and other aspects of the new home. Though in the beginning the cost might seem a bit much, the upside is you will have brand-new plumbing and appliances that will not need to be upgraded for a long time.
2. You get to make it your own: When you build a house, you can make it your own by customizing every single aspect of it. Your interiors and exteriors will be exactly as you always wanted and you will not have to sacrifice on anything.
3. You can save energy: When it comes to building a home, you have various options of saving energy such as solar panels. Whereas, if you buy a home that has seen a few years, it might be difficult to place solar panels without harming the property or spending big on installation of such systems.
4. It is private: Depending on your preference, you can choose to keep your home as private or as open as you want. Building a home means you get to choose your own privacy level.
5. Location: Your preferred choice of location can be taken into account when constructing your own home.
6. Landscaping benefits: You can accommodate your interests and liking for the choice of landscaping around your house. An existing house might be too expensive and/or time consuming to remake into your taste.

Hassles with permits

An existing property may have improper paperwork which may prevent you from carrying out certain modifications. This can be avoided if you construct your house from scratch.

The disadvantages of building a home are:

1. It is stressful– You might think that buying a ready-built home is stressful; but it is nothing compared to the stress you might face when it comes to building a custom home. The home has to be conceptualized and designed, which might takes months. The designing and redesigning is not only frustrating for the architect; it is also frustrating for you. It is also important to be vigilant about whether the architect is incorporating all your design ideas.
2. Costs can add up– The costs that you incur while building a home are completely up to how you budget everything. If you budget properly and prioritize on the important aspects, your home could end up costing less than a ready-built home. However, if you get carried away, there is a chance you might have to spend way more than your budget allows.
3. Timing can be off– When you are building your own custom-made home, things can go off-track. You might have thought you could move in to the house within a year; but sometimes the dates might get extended leading to unavoidable expenses and frustration. Building your own home is a bit unpredictable.

Though there are disadvantages, building your own home gives you a sense of satisfaction and in our opinion, the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages.

Building a home takes a lot of research and planning. Here are the steps that go into building a home:

1. Goal setting: When building your own home, the first step is to set goals as to how you want your house and what are the key factors you want to include. Your goals should include both the practical aspects such as plumbing, type of construction material, building permits, etc. and the emotional aspects such as aesthetics. All aspects should be taken into consideration during the planning and goal setting stage. Some questions you can ask yourself are:

• What is going to be the cost?
• Is plan A doable?
• What is plan B?
• What is the final outlook of the home you are looking to build?

2. Make a budget: This is the most important step in making sure you don’t have to burn a hole in your pocket in order to achieve the goals you set during the beginning stages of planning. When you are making your budget, you must first begin with what is affordable. Once you have established what you are able to afford, start planning out the details that will go into the project. Once you have detailed out the costs, be sure to keep a cushion fund in case something goes wrong. Some costs that you should take into consideration are:

• The general construction
• Structural inspection fees
• Architecture firm fees
• Plumbing
• Appliances
• Tiles
• Exteriors
• Roofing, etc.

3. Find the place where you want to build: Do you want to be near the beach or the city? Do you want a hill-top house or in the forest? Whatever your preference might be, it is important to find a location that best suits your needs. You can also take an old and desolate house, break it down, and build a new one in its place. However, remember to get a home inspection and foundation inspection done prior to tearing it down in case the foundation is not secure. The scope of finding a location of your choice is huge and therefore you are more likely to get the location of your dreams.
4. Get your team ready: Prior to building a house, you need to get a team ready. The team should include an architect, contractor, structural engineer, and an interior designer. These team members are the building blocks to your dream home. Make sure to check up on their past projects and working licenses before choosing them for your project.
5. The actual making of the house: Though the first 4 steps are incredibly important, the remaining steps are actually what will make or break the home. The actual making of the house includes: grading and site preparation, foundation construction, framing, windows and doors installations, roofing, siding, electrical work, plumbing work, HVAC, insulation, drywall, underlayment, trim, painting, bathroom and kitchen counters and cabinets, carpet and flooring, and installation of a septic system.
6. Inspections and Permits: Make sure that you do the required inspection and obtain the necessary permits for your home.

How can we help?

It is important to understand the steps in building your own dream home. It is a huge responsibility and might take a long time; but it is worth it. Contact the specialists at Design Everest today for your construction needs. Contact us now and we will provide you a FREE Consultation with a quote. We also provide virtual on-sites and virtual consultations.