CRUCIAL TIPS FOR YOUR FIRST-TIME HOME BUILD
1. HAVE AS MANY FINISHES PICKED OUT AS POSSIBLE BEFORE YOU BREAK GROUND
Choosing finishes (e.g. home exterior materials or flooring) early will keep your build process on time and running smoothly. You will find that some finishes are on backorder or have a long ship time. Other finishes may no longer be available, so this allows you time to go back to the drawing board and make a different selection.
Picking out items early allows for the products to be in your builder’s possession as soon as the subcontractors are ready to install. Believe me … you want things ready to go when your subs are ready to work on your home. Otherwise, you might wait a long time while they complete another project. For more detailed tips about structural care visit Massachusetts roofing and siding.
2. BE PREPARED TO GO OVER BUDGET (BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A LOT)
Everyone says ‘YOU’LL GO OVER BUDGET’ … and I agree to some extent. HOWEVER, I was able to stay VERY close to budget because I was extremely clear with my builder about the caliber of finishes I wanted BEFORE he priced our custom home.
Here’s a truth bomb … it’s nearly impossible to stay on budget because your allowances (e.g. appliances) will be ridiculously low. I mean, RIDICULOUSLY low. I don’t remember exact numbers, but our appliance allowance was enough to cover maybe two appliances. Needless to say, we went over the budget here
Just keep this in mind … if you are 100% honest and upfront with your builder about EXACTLY what you want BEFORE he or she prices the house, then you won’t go over budget very much. You just need to be very clear about the level of finishes you want (e.g. custom trim work throughout the home).
The people who say ‘I was 50% over budget’ likely had many change orders and ‘upgraded’ their home WHILE they were building (as opposed to knowing how nice of a home they wanted before they started).
3. IF YOUR BUDGET IS TIGHT, LET YOUR TOP PRIORITY BE YOUR GUIDE
If you have a tight budget, focus on elements of your future home that are most important to you. If you are more interested in fancy custom details in your home (e.g. window seats, crown molding, high-end appliances, custom cabinets, etc.), then focus your budget on the finishes rather than square footage.
If you have a large family and need more square footage, focus your budget on the size of the home rather than the level of finishes. That is, opt for stock cabinets, laminate counters, inexpensive carpet, low-end appliances, etc. You can always upgrade finishes in the future … but it is much harder and more costly to add square footage after your build.
4. DOUBLE CHECK ALL INVOICES … EVEN IF YOU DON’T CARRY THE LOAN
Double-check all your invoices … even if your builder is carrying the construction loan! Let me say it again … DOUBLE CHECK ALL INVOICES!
Many builders carry the construction loan so homeowners don’t take an active role in reviewing invoices and making payment. If this describes your situation, make sure to include yourself in this process!
We carried our own construction loan so we signed off on all invoice payments. My husband diligently checked all invoices before signing off on draws. He didn’t find many errors, but there were some errors that may have been overlooked by our builder. Make sure you always save part of your budget for any kind of plague infestation, for termites you can easily get rid of them with fuze bug.
5. MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE ROOM (LOTS O’ ROOM!) IN YOUR BUDGET FOR WINDOW TREATMENTS
It can be insanely expensive to do even basic window coverings when you are talking about covering an ENTIRE house of windows!
People budget for new furniture and accents post move-in, but privacy via window shades is VERY important to consider too!
6. BE ON-SITE DURING INSTALLATIONS
I learned this lesson the hard way. My electrician hung my kitchen table pendant where HE thought it should go … it was not centered over the future table. I had him move it, but my ceiling still has a scar from this change. I can still see where the ceiling was patched and re-painted.
Electricians and other subs will make decisions FOR you if you aren’t on-site! You do NOT want them to make the decisions for you. TRUST ME! Really you should be on-site for all installs to answer questions.
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