Call Wayne Tobey . . . He’ll take care of the rest!
Seriously, connecting with an honest, experienced builder is critical because building a home is an investment and begins long before the foundation is poured. There are dozens of details before, during and after construction. It’s helpful to understand the process so you can prepare and avoid some common pitfalls. To avoid costly mistakes during construction, start with these five important steps.
#1 Plan Your Budget
Most people obtain a construction loan to build a new home. It’s best to find out as soon as possible how large a loan you qualify for. Knowing your financial information before you start looking for land or choosing a home plan will prevent you from choosing something out of your budget and turning a great experience into a major disappointment. Looking for a lender with the knowledge and experience to assist? Contact us for a recommendation.
#2 Consider Your Needs
Ask friends or family members who’ve built a house what, if any, regrets they have and you’ll likely hear, “We didn’t think about our future needs.” Selecting the right home for your current needs and your needs 5 – 10 years down the road requires a lot of thought. Versatility and the option to convert spaces to other uses could become an important factor. Home plans that include flex spaces or bonus rooms can more readily adapt to the changing needs of you and your family whether you anticipate adding to your family or aging in place. If you love to make lists, think about writing down what’s necessary now and what might become necessary in the future.
#3 Hire a Builder
The process of building a house is a little like completing a puzzle. Find one key piece and many of the others fall into place. While many talented trades are involved in the building of a house, the builder, or general contractor, is the key piece. This person will select, coordinate and manage all the individual contractors necessary to complete your home. Cornerstone Real Estate Co LLC represents several of the best builders in the Imlay City, Almont, Attica & Dryden areas. If you’d like to schedule a meeting with a reputable, quality-minded builder to discuss your plans, contact us here.
#4 Select Your Build Site
The site for your new home will have a definite impact on the house plan you choose. Your costs will be higher if your house plan needs to be customized to fit the lot. On the other hand, you may be able to highlight the best features of your land with stock blueprints. For example, if the land slopes, a walk-out basement would be a perfect fit. If the land is wooded or has frontage on a lake, you could choose a plan with strategically placed windows to take advantage of the views. In addition to design considerations and the overall location, you or your builder will need to investigate the soil condition, drainage, zoning requirements and HOA requirements if applicable.
#5 Choose Your Home Plan
When it’s time to choose your plan, you have several options:
- Custom House Plan – a custom plan is designed specifically for the people who will live there and the site it will be built on. This plan will be drawn by a licensed architect.
- Stock House Plan – stock plans are available from your builder, online sources such as monsterhouseplans.com or printed catalogs.
- Modified Stock House Plan – once you’ve chosen a stock plan, it’s usually possible for your builder, an architect or a designer to make minor modifications to the floor plan. For example, room sizes or door and window styles may be changed.
Following the above steps will help you build a home that you and your family will enjoy for many years to come. We would love to hear about your plans, connect you with a builder or search for the perfect home site with you. Let us know how we can help!
