Imagine your family owning a piece of property that fits your ideal needs – a perfect view of the morning sunrise, the right amount of space to raise and entertain your family, or the ideal location between work and the great outdoors. In other words, you have just imagined the perfect place to build your house.
Now imagine researching all the building costs, understanding the builder’s processes, creating timelines, and interviewing general contractors. Then, you hire contractors, oversee the expected schedule, manage the expenses, and ensure the build lines up your vision. Sounds like chaos right? That doesn’t even take into account any overlooked costs, delayed materials, or unforeseen events that will inevitably cut into the timeline and cost of your project. Building a house on your own lot is likely the single biggest investment you’ll make in your lifetime. The stakes are already high, the commitment is already significant, the least you can do for your piggy bank and your sanity is to hire a home builder to manage the process and ensure this investment will only have to be made once. If you hire a custom home builder when building on your own lot, you will uncover a number of benefits:
Lot Selection
In the event that you have not already picked your own lot, custom home builders can offer valuable insights during the lot selection process. Custom home builders have the experience in surveying suitable land for a home build efficiently and can result in not only a significant time saver but can also help you avoid overlooked costs in land preparation prior to a build. So, not only can your home builder lead you to the right lot, they can help you avoid some of the more difficult lots that may require more site-work, and thus, more expense or more money. Lot selection goes beyond your proximity to work, or the natural sunlight that enters your kitchen. If you are considering purchasing a lot in a more remote and underdeveloped area, a seasoned custom home builder will be able to assess the ease and cost to install amenities like gas, water, and sewer connections, or access to electrical. Custom home builders also account for all of these installations from the start, which helps maintain realistic expectations in terms of budgeting and build a timeline. Even if you plan to build your home in a more developed area, you’ll still be expected to navigate city zoning requirements, property line restrictions, and foundational structure. Meaning that no matter where you plan to build, careful consideration is needed to ensure your dream home is theoretically plausible given the lot selected.
Design a home that is tailored to your lot
Custom home builders are not only helpful in selecting the appropriate topography for your future home, they will also guide you through the decision making when it comes to designing a home that is appropriate for your lot. They will help you customize your home based on your personal needs, wants and future plans while also considering details like landscape or driveway placement. If you decide to forego working with a custom home builder, prepare to work with a combination of architects and construction workers, managing separate budgets and timelines while acting as the main point of contact in overseeing the project and relaying any changes or updates throughout the build.
Custom Home Builders – Find Hidden Costs
With the complexity of custom home projects come unexpected obstacles. While unaccounted costs are inevitable, working with a custom home builder is reassurance that these unwanted events be mitigated and often managed before being brought to the owner’s attention.
It is their attention to detail, regimented process, and their existing relationships with trusted contractors that reduce hidden costs, offering complete transparency from the beginning. This doesn’t mean that the inevitable won’t happen, and it doesn’t mean that there won’t be setbacks. What it does mean is that your custom home builder is in charge of alleviating these challenges without putting a strain on your existing budget.
A lack of experience can break a budget. This is why when looking for a build-on-your-lot home builder, you should consider looking for one with strong experience in building on a client’s lot, and one that shows variety in home builds that differ in topography and floor plans.
Managing Risk
If you plan to manage your home build all by you’re lonesome, you will be responsible for managing any liability regarding the custom home building project. This means being responsible for any damages done to surrounding property or any injuries that may happen on-site. The risk for mishaps on a construction site is the quickest way you can obliterate a budget. While it may be your first time taking into account risk and liability with a home build, it is just a day in the life for an experienced custom home builder. Not only are they properly insured and liable for any accidents along the way, they also typically offer a home warranty. This means that even after your construction site turns into space where you raise your family, your home builder is still responsible for the integrity and durability of your home. A custom home builder is not just responsible for making sure your house is standing at the end of it all – they are your project manager, your consultant, and your trusted partner through the entire process. When looking to hire a home builder, it’s important to consider the level of experience, their general processes, and their openness to customization.
