The journey to building a new home starts years before any architect puts pen to paper. Your project will be immeasurably more enjoyable, and costly mistakes will be avoided if you focus on a good preparation process. Here are the five top preparation steps to take:
Budget Planning
Budget should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind from the minute they decide to build new homes.
This is important because it keeps your ideas real and makes each step more relevant to the final goal. Balance your wants and your needs, and remember you can phase in nice-to-haves after you have moved into your new home.
It will be helpful to ascertain what loan amount you qualify for, and then you can split that over the costs of the different elements related to building a new home plus the land, professional fees, interior designer fees, statutory costs, contractor fees, materials, finishes, landscaping, furnishings and artwork. Also, look at insurance costs, monthly maintenance costs, etc.
Lot Selection
Land costs vary per location, so you need to ascertain the land size you can afford, which will, in turn, dictate what size you build your new homes.
An architect or the house and land package contractor can arrange an assessment of soil conditions, drainage, zoning, and building codes. A custom-built home will be pricier than a stock plan deal. There are many beautiful options available in stock plan designs.
Pick A Plan
When companies build new homes, they use stock plans that have been carefully designed to optimise the land use and the future buyers budget. Small modifications are allowed so a number of your needs can be incorporated.
You should always plan for the future growth of your family or their needs and hobbies regardless of whether you choose a stock plan or a custom plan designed by an architect.
Appoint Your Team
With your budget, finance, lot and design ideas prepared, you can appoint the necessary experts to finalise the deal and build your new home.
How hands-on do you want to be in the process? If you hire a general contractor, you will have to manage them. If you hire an architect, they will partially manage the contractor. If you hire a project manager, they will fully manage the contractor and every other aspect of the project.
Acting as the general contractor yourself, i.e. hiring the different trades of carpenters, electricians etc., is a high risk, high time-intensive. The high-stress route is not recommended unless you are an experienced professional in the construction industry.
Contract Negotiation
Regardless of what your gut may tell you or your time demands drive you to, ALWAYS review, understand and sign a contract with every party involved when you build new homes.
New home construction contracts will:
- Define the project
- Detail out the project
- List the parts of the project
- List the specifications (such as grades of materials)
- Pay particular attention to all the specifications and understand them.
- Amend the contract if changes occur in the lifespan of the project.
- Read and sign the original contract, all addendums and all changes.
By following these preparation steps to build new homes, you will create a home that you and your family will enjoy for many years to come.
Call us for advice when you want to build new homes. Our experts, designers and catalogue of homes will delight you.