How to build your dream house

We all dream of building our home, but while it’s easy to dream about what your home will be like, it’s another story of how you are struck by reality. Here are some steps to follow to build the house of your dreams;

1. SET GOALS.

Creating a new home is about setting goals and taking the necessary actions to achieve them. You would have to find the answers to a large number of questions in order to set these objectives.

In the era of Houzz.com and Pinterest, a list of the needs can be very confusing. Setting goals requires the satisfaction of right and left brain activities. Therefore, your list of goals will contain two pages: a practical page, and an emotional side. Everyone is important and each need must be recognized so that the end result would reflect the totality.

2. DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUILD.

Go around to model homes in your area and figure out what you like, and what you want in your new house. Also figure out ways you can save and things you can cut out of your build without much pain or regret. When we were thinking about building we went to a lot of open houses to get ideas of what we wanted – and what we didn’t want.

3. WORKOUT YOUR BUDGET.

The budget is the main cause of conflict and melodramas in the construction process. Set your number, then listen. If you have a builder or a reliable contractor, trust him to tell you how much things cost. And do not stick to the cost per square foot. When you build or rebuild, you know how much you can spend. Start there and let your client and architect guide you through your options and explain how costs are determined in real time.

When setting your budget, you start of course with what you can afford and the integration of the costs of your home into your future projects.

If you are ready to go into details, add all that is involved in the project. That is the land costs, local taxes, planning and engineering costs, building not only the house, but also the landscape, more furniture and decoration.

It is important to have the right insurance and warranty cover to protect you against some of the risk if things go wrong. You also need to pay your legal expenses for buying the land.

Your budget should include an amount to pay unexpected costs.

4. SHOP AROUND TO FIND THE RIGHT MORTGAGE RATE OR CONSTRUCTION LOAN.

This is another important part of the process. It is finding the right home loan at a good rate. When building a home, depending on the builder you may or may not need to get a construction loan to finance the building of the home. Some bigger builders may finance the building of the home on their own. If they don’t, be prepared to shop around at several local banks to find the best deal. If you don’t need a construction loan in your build you can have a bit more flexibility when it comes to finding a low mortgage rate by shopping around online for the best rate with the lowest costs.

5. CHOOSE AND ASSEMBLE YOUR TEAM.

Although you think you can do it yourself, the best approach is to build a team of professionals. In a perfect world, your architects, builders, designers and landscapers would be on board even before choosing the location of your new home. Why do you need the entire team from the beginning? Everyone will take care of your needs from a different vantage point.

This is essential because when you select the property on which you build, your team will consider aspects such as sun alignment, zoning, setbacks, area- coverage restrictions and height restrictions in to consideration while you see only the beauty of the views.

Once you have decided on a lot, your team can come together to create detailed plans. When it comes to costs, your builder creates and controls your budget. An architect and a designer (if not the same one) are going to be the most important members of your team. These people will act as guides, therapists and consultants throughout the journey of creating your home.

As you embark on this journey, an adventure too you may call it, you can add members to the team. Maybe an interior designer or maybe a kitchen and bath designer. Surely a landscape architect, who should not be the last to be hired when the money is exhausted since you would want to create a beautiful terrace that completed the house.

5. PAY ATTENTION TO THE TIMELINE.

Spoiler alarm: your house will not be built in three days. Your garden will not be ready in the afternoon. “People have preconceived ideas about how simple and easy everything will flow. They think, ‘Oh, it’s not difficult.’ But it’s always a process,” landscape architect Glenn Bonick of Bonick Landscaping says.

In short, no matter what you see or hear, construction is accompanied by delays. If you are determined to install that basement, you will add time (and money and headaches due to likely terrain issues depending on your neighborhood). If production is interrupted for any reason, nothing could be loaded on the truck to reach you. Even natural events like the weather can delay you. If you know that you should expect temporary delays and setbacks, your experience will be smoother and more meaningful.

6. PLAY THE “WHAT IF” GAME.

Sometimes the first answer is the right answer, sometimes the 27th answer. Remember not to solve until you have explored all possibilities. The last thing you would want to say is “We should have done..”

7. APPRECIATE YOUR NEW HOME.

Once your home is done, enjoy what you built. In the end you’ll be amazed that your new house is so much more than the sum of just its three bedrooms, living room, and so on. It’s the place you get to call home and make uniquely yours.