4 tips to keep in mind BEFORE building your home:

Dream Home Dreams

Your new house is an exhilarating, and amazing experience for you but, it’s a “been there- done that” routine for the builder. These contrasting attitudes frequently have a tendency to conflict. Building your new house cannot be a passive exercise. Innumerable decisions have to be made by you. Where you are unable, or unwilling to make decisions, you will force the builder to make them. To ensure your new home carries out your own dream, follow these guidelines:

Signing Contract 1) Before signing the contract with the builder make sure to read it over 100 times to make certain it includes everything you want and need. Once the contract is signed you will pay extra for even the smallest detail added. You may think it’s unimportant to plan in advance which rooms need phone jacks but extra time spent planning before signing can save you a lot of money in the long run.

House Plans

2) When designing your home keep in mind that form, function and quality come before glitz and blitz. Decoration is important and you must love how it looks but inevitably, no matter how traditional your taste, styles come and go. Spend time making sure you house is beautiful so that you enjoy spending time there and look forward to coming home at the end of the day but don’t forget the important stuff. The basic layout, quality of materials and appliances can last for a lifetime if done properly the first time around. Also, keep in mind important future plans such as a spouse or children. Speak to friends who have built homes and see what they are happy with and more importantly what they regret. Researching completely is time well spent.

Home Costs 3) Remember that you pay for every square foot, first in building costs and after in taxes. Use a good, motivated architect and work on making every possible space usable. An experienced architect will have smart ideas for utilizing space (with your encouragement) such as a closet under a large staircase. Eliminate as much “dead space” as feasibly possible.

4) Know your priorities. If you are limited in space or resources start your home building project by making a list with two categories 1- Absolute Essentials and 2- Would Be Nice. The Absolute Essentials must be included and everything else should be flexible. Try to include as many things on your “Would Be Nice” list as you can but, if it comes to a choice between a quality roof and a tanning shower you have to be able to decide rationally which will make you happier in the future.