What You Need To Do Before Building A Custom Home
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Building your own custom home is a dream for many people. The thought of having exactly what you want for your home is amazing—from the number of kitchen cabinets to the layout of your open concept living space, you have complete control.
Building a custom home can be a more complicated process than buying a pre-built home, and yet it is still a great option for homeowners. With the right plan in place, you can embark on creating your dream custom home and avoid many of the common pitfalls at the same time.
There’s a lot to do before you even break ground, so let’s dig into all the things you need to know—and do—when building a custom home.
Hire an architect and a contractor
While this might not be the first step you take in your planning process, hiring an architect and a contractor is an essential part of building your custom home. Learn more about how to find the best contractor with the 7 questions you need to ask before hiring a contractor.
Finalize your floor plans
Before you break ground on your custom home, your floor plans should be approximately 95% complete. It is in your best interest to have as much of the details—both big and small—finalized.
There will, of course, be change orders that happen. But each of those change orders will result in delays in your timeline, so minimizing as much as possible before you begin construction will help you stay on track.
Choosing a reputable contractor and architect to work with will also help you minimize the number of change orders that come through during construction.
Lot selection
There are a few steps to finding the perfect lot for your custom home. First and foremost, you need to know what it is you need in terms of land once your home is complete. This goes hand and hand with your completed floor plans—you need to be able to develop your home with an accurate footprint.
Think beyond your house—will you need space for a pool? What about a play area for your kids or large gardens? You should have an idea of exactly what you want to do with your land to ensure you are looking at lots that can handle all your needs.
You should also look at the homes in the surrounding area—to ensure you don’t overpay, or lose money on home value, you’ll want to try to match the size and scale of the home with what you see in your neighbourhood.
Set your expectations
Building a custom home is a long process—while closing on a pre-built home can take a few months, building a custom home can take double, even triple the time. Without knowing the full requirements of a home, it is difficult to say just how long you can expect it to take from start to finish. On average, a 2,000 to 3,000 square foot custom home can take between 6 to 10 months to complete.
When you start your project, level set your own expectations—speak with your contractor about what they feel is a reasonable timeline and understand that delays may happen. It is important to remain flexible throughout the process.
Plan, plan, plan
While the actual construction phase of your project may take 6 to 10 months, the planning phase also takes a substantial amount of time—approximately 3 to 5 months to be exact. During the planning phase, you will go over everything with your contractor and architect.
With our clients, we spend this time discussing your lot, your long term goals, your needs, your design style, any special requirements, and your design preferences. Here are some of the things that will be covered during your planning phase:
Lot requirements
Feasibility report
Budget
Timeline
Floor plans
Develop a scope of work
Review trades
Product selection
Cover all permits
Construction agreement
And more.