So, you’ve decided to have a custom home built. That’s wonderful! But a beautiful home that meets all your wants and needs can quickly turn into a disaster if it’s not built properly. While the first step toward avoiding any issues is hiring a reputable home builder like Davis & Reed Homes, there are plenty of other things to watch out for. Some of them may seem rather obvious, but others are not.
Let’s discuss them in further detail. Here are eight common mistakes you should work to avoid when designing and planning your custom home.
1. Compromising on Location
The first major mistake people make when having a custom home constructed is settling for a less-than-ideal location to try to save money. Don’t forget: when assessing property values, location is the prime factor. No matter how great the house looks once it’s constructed, its value will be limited if its location isn’t considered desirable. Do your research on property values and make sure you build in the right place.
2. Not Having the Entire Construction Team Ready to Go
It doesn’t matter whether you hire the architect, builder, or interior decorator first. But being fully prepared does matter. Make sure you have your whole construction team in place before any work is done. This not only helps to ensure everyone is on the same page, but also prevents any increase in budget, and even worse, additional work after the project has already been finished.
3. Rushing Through the Design Process
Of course, it’s natural to want to move into your beautiful new custom home as soon as possible. But remember that it’s much easier, and much less expensive, to change direction before the physical construction begins rather than afterward. Taking the time to get things right will more than pay off in the long run.
4. Being Overly Cautious
While you want to give the design process the time it needs, remember that any custom home build will involve long lead times and busy schedules. Therefore, it’s vital to avoid delays in the process as much as possible. Many decisions will need to be made long before any work begins. Therefore, it’s important to make decisions quickly when the process calls for them. To keep the process moving along, it’s also not good to question every decision you make. You will make many, many decisions throughout the project, and second-guessing each one will only cause you unnecessary stress and aggravation. Most of the time, your initial instincts will be correct. Plus, you’ve picked your custom home contractor for a reason, so let them put their expertise to use for you.
5. Not Fully Customizing Your Home
A custom home should be just that: custom. Therefore, it won’t do much good to try to design a custom home around a pre-existing layout or plan. It becomes the age-old “square peg, round hole” problem. If your current budget will not allow for a fully custom home, it may be best to investigate semi-custom possibilities.
6. Wasting Money on a Remodel
Some people think that if they remodel the home they’re currently in, they can get a custom home without having to move. But that all depends on what you want. A large-scale remodeling project may end up being a huge waste of money if it doesn’t accomplish exactly what you want it to. If you need help determining whether a remodel or custom build would be best for you, just ask a reputable contractor like Davis & Reed Homes.
7. Lacking Room in the Budget for Emergencies
No matter how well you plan a custom home build, something will inevitably go awry. Therefore, it’s always good to have funds in the budget set aside for unforeseen circumstances. It’s generally recommended to have an emergency or contingency fund of at least 10 percent of the overall construction budget, or 20
percent if you can afford it.
8. Talking About the Overall Project with Subcontractors
Any subcontractors hired by the project manager are there to do a specific job. Therefore, they typically are not familiar with the big picture of the project. Concerns regarding the complete project should only be discussed with the project manager, as they will have all the information necessary to answer your questions and help you decide what to do.
Schedule a Consultation
Of course, with Davis & Reed Homes, you’ll never have to worry about subcontractors at all, as we are a full-service custom home builder. Serving Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, we can take care of everything involving your new home, from the framing and the roof down to the plumbing and electrical systems. We bring great skill and experience to each project as well as professionalism. Fully licensed and insured, we have financing available to help people build the homes of their dreams. And since we’re locally and family-owned, we’re never more than a call away should you need something. After all, we always seek the very best results for our customers.
If you would like to discuss your custom home build with us, please contact us to make an appointment. We look forward to serving you
