Building a Custom Home in 2020? Start Now
Nothing is more satisfying than living in a house that reflects your personality and style. If you are thinking of building a custom house in 2020 or even further out into the future, it’s not too early to get started. Instead of spending your time dreaming of your new custom home, why not make it happen now.
The First Finishers team will help you every step of the way whether you’re thinking of constructing your own custom home in the Olympia, Thurston County area or South Puget Sound in Washington.
Benefits of a Custom Home
Building your own custom home can be really empowering. The best individuals to design a home are those who’ll reside in it. They can define each feature of the house from the size to the last knob on a cabinet door.
Individuality and variety are heavily promoted since people get to design their own homes. Instead of seeing featureless homogeneous housing in your neighborhood, you’ll have a variety of houses that show different personalities. You’ll totally get a full sense of ownership of the design that meets your specific needs.
A Guide to Building a Custom Home
Building your own custom dream home is complex, we know. If you don’t know where to start, check our “Home Building” guide below. This guide begins from setting your budget to monitoring the building process.
- Determine Your Budget
Identifying your budget is important. You need to know how much you can spend to decide the size, location, and features of your new custom home. Some things to consider in your budget are the land cost, design fees, furnishing, local fees, and home construction.
Don’t forget to include a budget for any contingencies. Set at least 10% of your total budget for the contingency budget. This amount should only be spent on unforeseen expenses during the project, like extra foundation requirements or inevitable delays.
If you think that your money isn’t enough, get a loan. Make sure that you check for any errors in your credit report because that will affect your credit score. Consult multiple lenders to find the lowest interest rate.
- Set a Time Frame
You probably have a certain date that you want your home to be completed by. As much as possible, we want our homes to be finished right away. However, there are certain factors that you need to consider. For example:
- The end of a lease or the closing date on your present home
- The school year of your children
- Seasons in your area (ideally, you want a good, dry climate when setting a start date)
- Choose the Perfect Spot
Your custom home’s location is as important as how you’ll build it. The location will affect the way you can build the house structurally and beautifully. When choosing the perfect location for your home, here are some things you should consider:
- Size of the lot
- The land’s topography
- The natural characteristics of the land
- Availability of the sun
- Access to phone, power, and other resources
- Proximity to neighbors
To spare yourself from all these headaches, you can speak with a professional. Let an architect or contractor look at the site and tell them about your plans. For all you know, there are some features of the land that restrict the design and building process.
- Decide the Size of Your Home
One of the benefits of building a custom home is to define its size yourself. Deciding the size of your home may depend on several factors, such as zoning restrictions and the number of stories you want.
Deciding on the rooms that you want will also play a crucial factor in identifying the size of your custom home. Do you want to include a home office, a media room, or a children’s playroom? The more rooms you want to create, the bigger the size you need.
- Integrate Your Lifestyle into the Design
Another benefit of building a custom home is the liberty it gives you in designing it. You can infuse your lifestyle into the design and make your home more functional. If you work at home, you’ll want a home office. If you like to cook, perhaps a well-equipped kitchen might be a good idea.
- Plan the Layout
Once you determine the number and size of rooms you want, it’s time to plot them together. Your options are endless here. Arrange the rooms in a way that they won’t restrict privacy and traffic flow.
Making the layout can be a bit difficult, especially if it’s your first time. Look at different floor plans and determine what you like. Decide whether you want to split up spaces or have an open interior layout. Also, consider the number of entrances you want.
- Think About the Structural Features You Want
Now, think about the structural features that you want to include in each room. You need to specify the cabinets, countertops, and flooring materials that you want in your kitchen. How many closets should you build in each bedroom? Should you put a shower, a tub, or both in your bathroom?
Other features that you need to specify are ceiling fixtures, lighting fixtures, and air conditioning system. See how it gives you a full ownership of the design to meet your particular needs and wants. All the materials and appliances that will be used are brand new, which means long-term low maintenance for you.
- What Design and Style Do You Prefer?
As early in this process as possible, you need to determine the style and design you want. Decide what specific theme you want. Do you like a contemporary home or a traditional one?
You should know that home architecture has changed over the last ten years. Segmented living spaces and rooms are already old-fashioned. The trend nowadays is a “great room” where it combines your kitchen, living, and dining rooms into one space.
When deciding the style and design you want, consider these things:
- The accents you prefer in your custom home
- The particular materials you want to use
- The color palette you want
- Ceilings, windows, wall space, lighting, etc.
- Look for a Designer
Now that you have decided what you want and need, it’s time to put the plan into fruition. You need an architect to help you develop a better house plan and a general contractor to bring those plans to life. Choose an architect and a contractor who understand your requirements.
When looking for the right designer, talk to their previous clients. Does the designer deliver the desired results? Try to look at their past projects and ask them how much they charge. Tell them your budget, time frame, and specific needs.
If you want to build a custom home in the Olympia, Thurston County area, First Finishers is a good general contractor you can consider. They’re made up of qualified and experienced craftsmen that specialize in a wide array of work from flooring to finish carpentry.
- Sort out the Essentials
Before you proceed with your custom home project, it’s important that you have the proper consent to build. This may include planning permission, building control approval, and other special permits. The builder usually takes care of these things.
You also need to check whether the general contractor has the right insurance policies to protect your investment. In most places, contractors need to have workman’s compensation insurance and general liability. Get copies of both insurances before the construction commences.
Keep in mind that periodic inspections are necessary. Confirm this with your contractor and ask for the dates to make sure that you prepare for them.
- Prepare the Lot
Now that everything is settled, prepare the lot where you plan to build your custom home. Clear vegetation to level the plot and set out the trenches. You can let your main contractor or any ground working firm sort the groundworks.
In general, your custom home building project will start with the foundation work then putting the roof on, windows, and doors. The next stages are structural carpentry and plastering jobs. The final stage is decoration.
Once your project is complete, it’s time to clean up. Make sure that you clarify in the contract who’ll be responsible for this job after construction. Usually, the builder is responsible for this.
Now that the construction is finished, landscape the outside of your house. Make it as beautiful as the interior of your home. Unpack your belongings, decorate the walls, and enjoy your new home.
Final Thought
Building a custom home is definitely both fun and difficult. You need to plan a lot and make the best decisions. From selecting the perfect location to realizing the plans, to offering expert advice and help during talks with professionals, First Finishers will be there along the way until the project is complete.
Contact us today for a no-obligation discussion about our custom home services.
