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4 Considerations When Building a Custom Home in Washington

 

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.

building a custom home washington
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.

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Building a Custom Home in Vancouver, WA

 

As we are headquartered in Vancouver, WA, we have a special place in our hearts for any projects that we do in this area. We know the market, community, and everything else very well so you can be sure you get the perfect homebuilding experience. For this post, we look at four specific things that are crucial to building a custom home in Vancouver, WA or anywhere else in Oregon and Washington, the areas we serve.

custom home vancouver wa
We welcome the opportunity to build your custom home in Vancouver, WA – our home base!

 

#1 Know Your Needs
The process starts with knowing your needs as the very idea of custom homebuilding is based on a niche space that is defined by your goals and aspirations. How big of a home you are looking for? How many bedrooms do you need? How many bathrooms do you want to have? Are you looking for an attached or detached garage? These are very important question that should be discussed and listed out before the process even gets started. You will be asked all of these questions from your builder anyway, so you might as well be prepped ahead of time.

#2 Hire A Seasoned Builder
There are dozens of builders who can build homes in our Vancouver area, but not all of them have expertise in building custom homes. This is why you should be extremely choosy while hiring a builder for your project. Go deep into their portfolio to get a thorough feel of the projects they have executed in the past. If you don’t do your due diligence here, your dream home could turn into a nightmare. Additionally, make sure the builders you hire must be fully licensed and insured.

#3 Consider The Lot
Before you start discussing the project with a custom home builder you need to make them aware of the size, dimensions and gradient of your lot. This is very important as not all floor plans may be compatible with the shape and size of your lot, or your house could end up looking like it was forced into place. We are very experienced with this and can suggest the right kind of floor plan for your lot.

#4 Resale Value
Even though you might be convinced this is your lifelong home, the statistics say you are likely going to move again! Because of this, you should always keep the resale factor in your mind when building. Over customization and too “unique” ideas may prove to be an obstacle in attracting a buyer. Also make sure that the plan you work on is extensible and allows for modification and improvements as this is what most buyers look for while choosing a property.

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Custom Homes in Camas and Washougal, WA

There are few things in life that give you as much satisfaction as owning your own home. A custom home amplifies that feeling tenfold, as you get live in a space that you create from scratch based on your needs and sense of style. There are many different factors that define your idea of a dream home: You need to find a great community, have easy access to amenities you enjoy, and of course, everyone wants good value for their money. If you are thinking about building your custom home in Washington, you may need to start looking beyond Portland and Vancouver.

Tale of Two Cities
In recent years, homebuyers have shown lot of interest in Washougal as a fast growing community of 14,000 located in southwest Washington along the Columbia River. Once a supply camp for fur traders and explorers, it has turned into a hot destination for homebuyers. With plenty of public parks and options for other recreational activities, it is a place gaining strong momentum. A little more than a mile to its west, Camas is garnering similar attention in the realty market. Bordering Washougal on the eastside and Vancouver on the west, it’s home to businesses such as Hewlett-Packard and Sharp Microelectronics, and is a preferred place to live for many professionals.

If you are looking for reasons to invest in Camas and Washougal, we have plenty for you –

Portland Has Become Saturated
Like all other big cities in the United States, Portland has also become saturated. Once a much-sought out place to buy a home, many residents in the city are migrating to the suburbs to escape the suffocation they feel every day in their lives. With the population growing at a brisk pace there is little room for people who want to live in a calm, relaxed environment within the city limits.

custom homes in camas washougal
Portland has become a vibrant, exciting place to live, but many are now preferring a short commute to a home outside of the city.

Growing Communities
Both Washougal and Camas offer great prospects for those who want to invest in a custom home. They have some of the best neighborhoods with easy access to great schools, shopping areas and places for recreational activities. They have also become popular communities among people working in Portland and Vancouver, with a very reasonable commute time.

Return on Investment
If you are building a custom home purely from the perspective of investment, Camas and Washougal would be an ideal pick. The price of realty in Washougal has gone up by 12% in the last one year while Camas homes are growing by 10% (2015). This is a trend that is expected to hold for years to come, as there is ongoing interest in these communities among buyers. Investing in a property here would offer you great returns in the future.