We’re the first to admit: there’s a lot of fun to build a custom home from the ground up. There are plenty of exciting choices to be made, from picking out the tiles for your kitchen wall to selecting the hardwood floors for the dining room. But all the stress and worry about making sure that everything is perfect can turn your custom home building project into a nightmare.
The key to a hassle-free custom home construction is having a clear plan from the beginning. To help you, we’ve created a list of four essential steps you need to follow to make sure that everything goes smoothly.
If you’ve ever dreamed of someday living in a home with your own gym, game room, or a personal home movie theater room, then a custom home might be the best way to turn that fantasy into a reality. Custom home building is extremely expensive, many will tell you, and not everyone can afford it. Don’t listen to them. With the right contractor, good planning, and a lot of hard work, you can build your dream home on a budget.
In this article, you will learn five tips that will help you save money on construction while building your custom home.
The problem: You aren’t an expert in the complexities of construction and building materials. You don’t know the difference between PVC and ABS and you have no idea what underpinning means. But, you have a design in mind, and you want someone who can make that vision, a reality.
It’s time to begin your search for custom home builders that are experienced in the work you require and capable enough to build your ideal house at competitive prices.
Building a custom home can be quite exciting. The unique sensation of having the freedom to control every aspect of the layout and design of your house is highly desirable. You get to specify important features, like the dimensions of each room or the style of the built-in shelves. Although it might be your plan to live in your custom home forever, you should still include those features that help maximize your the value of your house.
Building your dream home brings a feeling of freedom and satisfaction, and many people have been fortunate enough to experience it. There are many factors to consider when you decide to build your custom home. Of all these factors, the exact location of the custom home building, architectural design and interior design specifications are quite important factors to consider. One area which is often overlooked, however, but is quite important is “safety” during the whole construction process.
Imagine moving into a home where every brick, every door and every window has been built to your liking. Welcome to the world of custom homes, an experience that is hard to replicate if you buy a pre-built home. It is often said that your home defines your lifestyle,e and this perhaps explains the overwhelming popularity of custom homes in Oregon as other parts of the United States. Most people think that building a custom home in Oregon starts with finding the right contractor. Yes, choice of a contractor is very important as they will give shape to your ideas, but there are a number of other factors that come into play way before you even start discussing a project with a contractor.
Choose Community Wisely
You may have come across different websites and publications that rank different communities in Oregon. Don’t blindly believe what they say! There is no community that is “perfect” for you to start hunting for a lot, and there is no do-not-buy list either. The fact is not all communities suit every individual and family. There are communities that are conservative while others are liberal; there are communities that are great for retirement homes while are great for a young couple. Choose a community by taking into account all the pros and cons for your specific needs, not just what everyone else is saying.
Portland, OR may be the focal point of many parts of the Oregon lifestyle, but if you don’t like progressive, youth-driven culture, it won’t be a good fit for you.
Be Careful With the Lot
Let’s say you find an awesome lot in your most desired community, and at a great price. You might be tempted to simply pick it up without taking into account whether it is best suited for your particular home idea. Like communities, not all lots are meant for all kinds of property. You should walk on the lot and take note of its dimensions and gradient before you buy it. If you do have a relationship with a contractor already, make sure you get their opinion n the lot before you take the plunge.
Take Note of Amenities
Before you make up your mind to buy the lot, consider the nearby amenities. If it’s out in the country, is access to all required utilities readily available? In urban settings, are there fun places to shop, eat and play for your kids? If you don’t take these things in consideration, you could end up with a beautiful home but limited recreational activities for you and your family.
To learn more, download our guide below to discover your dream home!
There are people who stay away from building a custom home thinking it will be expensive and cumbersome. But the joy of designing and building something from scratch to your liking is a feeling unlike any other when you do it right. What exactly does that mean? Here are four things to look for when building a custom home in Washington or Oregon.
#1 Contractor’s Skills & Expertise
The choice of contractor when building a custom home in Washington is almost as serious as choosing a surgeon for a surgery. If they are inexperienced in the area and aren’t used to building in the PNW, you might run into problems. You need to carefully review the skills and expertise of the contractor before engaging them in your project. Take a look at their portfolio and the kind of projects they have executed in the past. Never go in blindly and hope for the best when it comes to building a home.
#2 Fix Your Budget
Fixing your budget is as important as finding the right contractor. You need to discuss the project carefully with the contractor beforehand so both of you are on the same page. From start to finish, you need to get an accurate quote from your builder and source funds at least 20% higher than what the contractor has quoted, just in case something doesn’t go as planned or you decide you want to add or modify your original building plan.
Good communication around financial matters is key to having a memorable homebuilding experience.
#3 Future Oriented Design
Your needs are likely to change down the road, and would most likely grow as your family gets bigger. So it’s very important that you work towards a design that leaves rooms for future expansions, or other modifications you may want down the road. When you are discussing the project with your builder, always make sure you ask about this. After all, they’ve built a lot more homes than you have and probably have great recommendations when it comes to planning for the future like this.
#4 Eco-Friendly Architecture
If there is one thing that characterizes modern homes, it’s their eco-friendly design. Everywhere in the world, we’re seeing serious concerns for environment and how we have stretched our planet to its limits. Cutting down on power bills and increasing the use of natural light has become as important as choosing the right storage plan for your kitchen. Also, in case you decide to sell, energy efficient homes tend to find buyers easily compared to those that rely on power for lighting, cooling and heating purposes.
The entire process of building your custom home is an exciting and memorable experience. But it is an equally challenging season of life, as you need to make important decisions for the future. Depending on your goals, one of the areas that you may need to focus on is building your house in a way that increases the resale value of the property. Here are four valuable ways in which you can add to the resale value of your custom home.
#1 Treat Each Room As An Individual Entity Chalking out a plan for your custom home is crucial, and it should be done methodically rather than emotionally. One of the ways to minimize the chances of poor decision-making is to take each room one at a time and treat each area of your home as an individual entity. Each part of your home should be purposefully- built with pros and cons and mind. Do different areas complement each other? Will one part of the house become a disadvantage to the other? This allows you to create a home that is aesthetically appealing and at the same time, comfortable to live, driving its resale value up. For example, building your home with a master bedroom next to the garage might not look bad on a floor plan, but would make for a loud and uncomfortable master suite.
#2 Focus on Kitchen The kitchen represents the nucleus a family, as it’s a hub for cooking, gathering, and more. It’s also often where families welcome and serve their friends and guests. It is definitely the most popular place for gathering and entertainment, and of course delicious food. When you are building your custom home, this is one place that should be heavily considered and built around. The sink, backsplash, flooring and the cabinetry all need to be planned carefully, down to the last detail. But keep in mind that over-customization, or doing something very unique may actually deter future buyers down the road.
Investing in a great kitchen is one of the smartest things you can do to add value to your home.
#3 Give Due Attention To The Bathroom
Bathrooms undergo the most wear and tear in any home. For a prospective buyer, they can win the day or lose it. Since you are building a custom home, you have the chance to build smart, durable bathrooms. One of the best ways to do this involves your choice of materials and cabinetry used in the bathroom. Though this can increase your cost a little bit, it will serve as a sound investment if you decide to sell your home.
#4 Maximize Space
Put yourself into the buyer’s shoes and think of priorities that you would focus on when buying a pre-owned home. Space utilization is almost always at the top of your list as everyone wants to live in a spacious home. Although floor space is a physical aspect of the property, proper planning during the building phase can maximize space utilization and make a property look larger than it actually is. With all the projects we do, we work closely with our clients to help them get the most out of their home!
