Undergoing the home construction process can be a daunting process. There are a lot of details to discuss and bullet points to scratch off, so it's important to be diligent when communicating with your home builder.
Ensuring a smooth home construction process is not only ideal but also very doable and should be expected by any family looking to build a custom home. Here are a few ways to ensure your home construction process happens as smoothly as possible.
Set a Clear Strategy and Set of Expectations
There is a reason high school teachers develop lesson plans before heading to class. By having in mind the material they're going to teach and the methods they will employ to deliver the material, the teaching process becomes seamless.
The same goes for custom home building! Communicating your expectations clearly and succinctly with your custom home builder before the construction process begins will save you time in the long run and will ensure that time constraints, mistakes or roadblocks are minimized during construction.
Plan for the Long-Term
Pursuing custom home construction is not for those who are quick to change their minds about a space to call home. Try to envision what kind of life you would like to build for you and your family. This will help you draw a realistic vision for your home builder to follow. Consider some of the following:
Will you be having kids or grandkids over to the house? Will you need a large backyard or extra room for anything inside?
Considering these kinds of questions will help you cast your long-term vision for your home builder. They will take care of the rest.
Develop a List of Wants and Needs
Knowing your desires for your new custom home should lead the charge during the planning and design processes. Think through things like interior space, color schemes, flooring, outdoor settings, front/back porches, and exterior design to start developing a list of preferences. Knowing exactly what you want makes the home construction process easier for you, your family and the builder who is actually executing the construction.
Take Your Time
Slow and steady wins the construction process race. Rushing the custom home design and construction processes is almost never a good idea (unless you are working on a strict deadline) because of the risk of a rushed job and lack of diligence caused by time constraints.
Designing your dream home is a fun and exciting task but you can easily cause yourself a major headache and stress by jumping into the process too quickly. Avoid the temptation to get your heart set on any interior features too soon (wall material, flooring, etc.) as particular selections may become unavailable depending on time of request.
Use the Tools at Your Disposal
Use social media tools like Pinterest to help you generate ideas for your home that you can share with your builder. After developing your preferences, make sure your wants and needs are feasible for your home builder in terms of design, construction, and execution.
There are plenty of Instagram pages and websites that will help you get ideas. Creating a clear line of communication with your home builder from the get-go will ensure the construction process is optimally smooth for all parties involved.
Plan for Delays and Roadblocks
Unfortunately, sometimes delays occur. Weather can affect the speed and efficiency at which construction occurs, and sometimes "life gets in the way" and can delay design meetings between you and your builder. It's important to remain flexible and keep in mind that roadblocks are often par for the course. Keep the big picture goal at the forefront.
On the financial side of things, make sure you don't sink a majority of your budget on the initial building costs; since there will likely be things you want to change or add before you move into your custom home, make sure you have money left over in your budget to make alterations or finish details so that your dream home looks exactly as you envisioned.