Building a custom home is an amazing opportunity to shape your living space from the ground up. At Canalfront Builders we often find that we help our clients avoid some of the pitfalls that lead to common and costly mistakes. Here are some things to be aware of when you decide you want a custom home:
Do Your Due Diligence Prior To Closing On The Land
The number one mistake is buying the land without professional input. Let’s say you fall in love with the lot size or location without considering the zoning, setbacks, HOA regulations, flood zones, access to utilities or other items that can have a big impact on your budget. If you establish a relationship with your builder, they will help you consider things like whether you should hire a geotechnical engineer to review things like soil compaction, water table, or other factors to see if the foundation needs to be changed. An experienced contractor is considering the amount of clearing that needs to be done, not just for the house but also the driveway and outdoor living space. Another critical focus includes taking into consideration sun orientation or maximizing views in the future home design.
Understand the Finances
Building a home requires a detailed budget that accounts for land, construction, permits and a contingency fund for surprises. Before designing your dream home, know your maximum spend. Secure financing early, consulting lenders for pre-approval. Define your “must have” vs, “nice to have” features and do your research in advance to be ready to make decisions on selections. Our process presents a preliminary budget early on in design so you can make an educated decision as to whether the house aligns with your budget before continuing to the next stage of selections and developing the final plan set. Because we spend more time and effort up front to nail down design and selections, the final price for most clients is usually within 1% of the build contract price. We try to eliminate most allowances to avoid the final sticker shock that results from change orders created when allowances fall short of expectations. Whatever builder you work with, you should ensure that the detailed budget includes land preparation, permits, landscaping and outdoor features, and every interior finish you desire. The value of having a completed budget and price from the start is that it avoids costly change orders and hidden expenses.
Don’t Rush or Skip the Planning Phase
On TV shows, all the pre-planning is done by the time the cameras start rolling, so you aren’t seeing the design time, time spent making flooring, cabinet, plumbing and other selections before you can break ground. It may take six months to eight months before construction starts to finalize your designs, selections and budget. The Canalfront process helps the homeowner commit to their choices before final plans are produced. This means that changes that occur as selections are made are included in the final plan set. For instance, if cabinet selections are completed before the permit is issued, any floor plan suggestions from the cabinet designer are included on the final plan set. This avoids costly changes during construction and allows you to have a solid budget without extraneous allowances (resulting in Change Orders).
Pick a Builder Who Communicates Effectively
We’ve all run into people who live in a beautiful home, but gripe about their builder. Nine times out of ten, the dissatisfaction arises from poor communication throughout the project and very little to do with the house. When you meet with builders, if you only consider the price, you will hamstring the project from day one. You need to hire the team you have a rapport with whom you feel will give you the best customer service and do the best job solving problems as they come up. When you pick your builder, you also become part of a team, which means that you need to make decisions in a timely fashion to keep the wheels turning. All the decisions you make can be overwhelming, but a good team will facilitate those decisions. At Canalfront, we do that by using a software platform that everyone on the team has access to, including you. All questions are discussed on the app, so every team member is on the same page. Problems are far more likely to arise when updates aren’t shared, decisions aren’t documented or questions are left unanswered. Having a documented process and following it diligently ensures construction proceeds quickly and efficiently, which saves you time and money. Lastly, pick a builder who is transparent about anticipated challenges and how changes are handled.
Don’t Forget Future Needs
When we are working with a new client, we find they often focus on picking all the pretty things without giving us any insight into how they live. By digging into what works and doesn’t work in their current home, we are able to advise them on things to consider in their new home that will make life easier. We bring up issues like aging in place, storage for sports or hobbies, using lighting to make space function better, how having guests can affect space planning and much more. We want the finishes to be beautiful, but also practical and functional. We encourage them to design flexibles spaces like a bonus room that can also be used as an in-law suite should the need arise. We design in a way that can future-proof the design so that the house can adapt as needs change.
Avoid Over-Customizing for Resale
If your taste is highly specific, (think about those houses on the TV show “Ugliest House in America”) it could be that you won’t realize your investment when you sell it. No, we know you don’t ever intend to move, but life can throw a curveball, and you want to make sure to protect your investment by keeping one eye on resale and the other on making the house uniquely yours. As your builder, we design the bones of the home to work not just for you, but for most people. Cabinets and tile can be changed, but the structure should make sense for most people to allow you to sell it easily.
Don’t Cut Corners on Quality
We’re all familiar with that unfortunate phrase, “builder grade” which typically means low-cost materials that aren’t designed to last. You can design a beautiful home, but starting with quality materials, especially those things that are hidden behind the walls or siding are as important as your cabinets or countertops. We do the research on the products and trade partners so you don’t have to and so the finishes will last your lifetime.
Remember Energy Efficiency
In today’s market, energy efficiency and a healthy indoor environment are as important as style and comfort. An energy efficient home minimizes energy waste, reduces utility bills, and maximizes comfort and health by design. Starting with a tight building envelope and insulation combined with high-efficiency HVAC systems with controlled ventilation, energy efficient windows, lighting and appliances, and passive solar design are just a few of the standards we include in every home.
