Building your dream house is as much work for you as it is for the builder! You are going to spend most of your time planning, budgeting, selecting, changing, stressing, and learning. Undoubtedly, you will spend countless hours researching and will get more advice (mostly unsolicited) from friends and family than you’ll ever want. But if you work with the right design-builder (like LBK!), then it can be a truly satisfying process and, in the end, you will have the home you’ve always wanted.
With that said, it’s impossible to know everything about building a custom home, especially if it is your first time. So, here are 5 things you need to know about new construction that no one ever tells you.
1. Plan Under Your Budget
Leave room in your budget for the unexpected – around 10% should be enough. When we work with clients, we provide a good faith estimate of costs before breaking ground and we try our best to stay within that amount. But there is always something unexpected that comes up – like a pandemic that slows the supply chain and the availability of products, or a hurricane in Florida that increases the price of lumber here in PA, or rising fuel costs that are added on to deliveries. These issues, many of which are out of anyone’s control, can have an impact on your budget and you’ll be glad you have that 10% in your back pocket.
2. Prioritize Things You Can’t Change Later
Make the electrical and plumbing a priority when designing and planning your new home. These are things that, once the drywall is up, are expensive to change. Spend extra time with your architect, designer, and contractor to make sure everything is where you want it to be to avoid the expense of changing it later.
3. Stick to your “Wants” and “Needs” List
This directly effects numbers one and two! It is too easy to get overly excited about some new trend you saw on Pinterest and immediately want it included in your new home. But once construction has gone beyond a certain point, it can be expensive to make the change. It’s one thing to change your mind on a fixture – that’s easily changed – but it is another story to redesign the footprint of the kitchen or add on a room.
4. Get to Know the Team
You are going to spend a lot of time visiting the construction site and making decisions, so it helps to have a good working relationship with the building team. At LBK, for example, you will work with a dedicated team of designers, an architect, and builders that are passionate about making every detail of your new home flawless. Our design-build process will ensure that you get the home of your dreams on time and within budget. If your contractor doesn’t want you around to discuss the day’s plan and progress, then they are not the right builder for you.
5. Know the Neighborhood Rules
If you are building in a neighborhood that has a covenant or HOA, make sure you read the stipulations carefully. Again, see numbers one and two! Having to make a change to comply with association rules after your home is finished can be expensive, time consuming, and, most of all, frustrating.
Honorable Mention
Remember to leave room in your budget for your lawn, landscaping, and hardscaping.
The LBK Way: Dream it. Build it. Love it.
LBK Design Build’s Custom Home Builder team helps design and build custom homes from the ground up! Every detail is taken into consideration when designing your dream home – even the ones no one ever tells you about.
We want you to feel great about building your home and we’re here to guide you through the process. If you’d like to learn more about how the process works, consider scheduling a consultation with our team and we can start dreaming with you.