Building your family’s dream home stands as one of the most significant life-changing and financially-involved decisions you can make as a household. When you build your own home customized to your unique lifestyle needs, this milestone allows you to redefine your goals and relationship with your family.
If well-planned and well-executed, building your family’s dream home can be an exciting investment worth every cent funneled into the project. However, this process will entail countless critical decisions, which can overwhelm the future homeowner and all residents involved. Below are a few helpful tips for building your family’s dream home.
Have an idea of what you want
Setting up a family home is all about setting goals and working towards achieving them. Building your dream home will require quick decision-making skills and attention to detail. Working with an end in mind simplifies the building process and guarantees a satisfying final product.
As a first step, envision what a typical day looks like for your entire family. Then, you can develop your house plans from this daily model. How large does your home need to be to accommodate your family’s living needs? Aside from sleeping space, do you need to allocate space for your hobbies? If you work from home, dedicate square footage for a home office.
When building your family’s dream home, your goals must be detailed, practical, and realistic. Sometimes, not every detail is within your control—meaning things can get out of hand before your very eyes. Therefore, drafting a plan B, in the case that plan A fails, is essential.
Determine your budget
Your budget should be accounted for before you start the building process. To avoid overspending, you’ll need to establish a budget and set aside savings for executing your dream home. Besides what you can afford, you’ll need to assess whether the estimated cost fits the overall plan.
Your budget should entail all expected costs, including taxes, interior décor, and landscaping. Other factors to consider include land costs and design fees. Sticking to your budget will spare you from unexpected circumstances, unforeseen mishaps, and surprise costs.
Find the right location
Location is everything when it comes to building your dream family home. Before relocating, research surrounding neighborhoods, nearby parks, and recreation centers close to your residential plot. Then, evaluate whether the area’s outdoor recreation opportunities correspond with your current lifestyle.
Your hobbies, desires, and family expansion plans should influence the location of your family home. Depending on your interests, you might want a house with a beach view or a home nestled in the countryside. While style and size will play a pivotal role, the location should carry equal weight.
If you’re purchasing a new block of land, the cost must fall within your budget. The location will also be a critical determiner of the construction style. If you construct your dream home in a rural area of your state of residence, a Mid-Century Modern will stick out like a sore thumb. Once you’ve purchased land, consult a real estate expert when choosing a construction style that will correlate with the surrounding environment.
Take advantage of social media
Social media is an untapped resource in matters of design and construction. Social media sites, including Pinterest and Houzz, feature a wide array of housing designs that can inspire future home builders. With resources like Pinterest within reach, you can’t afford to miss out on these trendy styles.
Pinterest bears a broad set of diverse home plans and interior décor. When designing the home of your dreams, you’ll need to sort through a variety of flooring samples and paint options. As an added benefit of this social media platform, you can create boards that fit your design preferences. Unlike physical inspiration boards, you can carry these photo inspirations on the go as you shop at home improvement stores and paint suppliers.
Houzz is an exceptional platform to consult with top-tier designers, builders, architects, and engineers. Despite the buzz of the latest and greatest trends in home design, stand firm in your design preferences, and advocate for your taste. Refer to these designers and architects as guides rather than authority figures.
Find the right builder
The quality of your home-building team will undoubtedly impact the building process. Similar to other real estate ventures, seek a professional to walk you through the basics.
In the initial stages, a skilled architect and builder are the most vital resources. Your builder provides insight regarding the right home size and construction style for your budget.
Note that as the construction process continues, you’ll need to recruit other experts along the way. These include an interior designer, a landscape architect, and an electrical and plumbing expert.
Remember, professionalism and expertise are crucial factors to consider when building a team. Referrals and reviews from friends will point out the most reliable electricians and plumbers in your area. You could also check on Houzz or your local home-building association for recommendations.
Get involved in the process
Building your dream family home doesn’t end at finding the right team. You, too, are part of the team and must remain involved throughout the project.
Consistent communication is essential to ensure everything remains streamlined. Working with a trustworthy contractor will result in a pleasant and stress-free building experience.
Before committing to a builder or making any purchases, make sure you understand the stipulations and risks involved. To minimize said risk, don’t enter a contract without comprehensive knowledge of its legal terms.
Prepare for inevitable mishaps
Building your dream family house calls for lots of detailed planning beforehand. However, hiccups and possible frustration may still weasel their way into the building process. Don’t be discouraged. It’s all part of the process.
How you and the team react to these setbacks will determine the project’s success. There will always be hurdles to clear, but a sense of resilience is game-changing. How quickly you can pick yourself up and dust off after a mishap makes all the difference. Extensive consultation with your team will go a long way in retaining your sanity during the building process.
Building your dream family home is quite an enlightening experience. In the end, it’s more than drywall and concrete. It’s a home built with family in mind.