Tips For The Best Custom Home Building Experience

Building a custom home may require a lot of energy and imagination and can seem like a gargantuan task that is difficult even with the best team behind you. With some careful planning and methodical management, building your custom home can be a delightful experience with beautiful results. Here are some tips for the best custom home-building experience. 

Homeowner’s Organization & Laws

Custom home projects are typically grand in scale and rather ambitious but every homeowner needs to keep certain area-specific regulations in mind before spending money on an architect and designer. Certain areas do not allow more than 2 stories in residential areas or may not allow a gate and fencing so ask questions and look up the rules regarding construction and house design where you are planning to build your dream home. 

Visit the office of your area’s homeowner’s association or organization that may also guide you regarding the licenses you need to obtain to start certain aspects of a build and which design elements will not be possible. This is especially vital when you have neighbors (unless your custom home is in an isolated location) since they will be affected by construction and may file a complaint with the authorities if any aspect of your custom home infringes on their property. 

Choose A Great Location 

More than half of the value and charm of a custom home is dependent on the location and the latter vastly determines the price of land and the price of transport of materials during construction among other extraneous costs.

If you are someone who wants peace and quiet then you should choose a more remote location such as in the countryside, the same applies to the opposite. Every location should be researched in full relating to the water and electricity situation, the topography, climate, proximity to amenities and emergency facilities, and so forth. 

The location needs to fit in well with your lifestyle such as health concerns, income, place of work, nearness to loved ones, and so on.

Before taking the plunge take a few days or a week or so to canvas the place by staying in a hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast nearby so you can get a feel of what it is like to dine out or commute back and forth from your chosen plot of land. Custom homes do not exist in a void and quality of life is influenced by the location in many ways and therefore should not be taken lightly.

Fill In Details As You Go Along

There is a misconception that homeowners need to have every small detail already decided upon before they start the build. In order to reduce the stress that is the enemy of creativity and inspiration, work on a general floorplan with a good architect who you trust, and then as the build begins, let the details come to you. 

Choose an architect who is not only an excellent communicator but has experience in designing houses of the style that most appeal to you. Compromise in design is an inevitable part of any custom home build as many ideas work well on paper but not in physical reality due to measurement problems, climate or temperature issues or any other reason. 

A Home For Tomorrow 

It is tempting to hire custom home builders to build a house that has all the rooms you’ve always wanted regardless of whether they serve a realistic, practical purpose. If you suffer from arthritis or live with parents it would be foolish to design a home with too many stairs or stories for example. 

Plan a home you can enjoy a decade or two decades from now and one that will fit your needs moving forward instead of transforming into a high-maintenance hassle as you get older. At the same time, you should include rooms and spaces that are a tribute to your great passions in life such as movies, books, painting, or any others. 

Beauty Is Not Everything

As mentioned earlier, homeowners can get carried away with custom home builders as these homes tend to be larger and may even have some experimental design elements. While external aesthetics are hugely important, the home needs to be practical and energy efficient.

Incorporate environmentally friendly and energy efficient mechanisms into the build so you can reduce the carbon footprint of your home. Consider installing solar panels, better insulation measures, and running your home at least partially off the grid. In the long term, you will see many savings in cooling and heating bills. 

Resale Value 

While no one thinks that they will ever sell their dream custom home it is important to realize that your home is a property like any other and part of planning the build needs to be accounting for its possible resale value. If you over-customize then there is a real danger that the home will be very hard to sell to someone.

For example, if you have more than one swimming pool due to your love for swimming but not enough bathrooms and bedrooms, your home could turn into a hard sell due to its impracticality. Instill your preferences without going overboard with excessive customization. 

Curbside Beauty And Outdoor Relaxation 

Many homeowners can get tunnel vision during a custom home build and its initial design stage and may forget about external beauty and curbside appeal which makes all the difference. Create functional outdoor spaces or connect the interior to the outside with a simple addition like pocket doors or French windows so the home naturally flows from the inside to the outside. 

Outdoor spaces that are beautifully designed with furniture or add-ons like hammocks or a vegetable garden can add a lot of value to a custom home in terms of price but also in non-monetary factors like curbside appeal.

A commercial roofer can be hired for helping build an eco-friendly vegetable garden on the roof. A custom home can include outdoor rooms like a spa room or one for billiards or even an outdoor kitchen and BBQ pit as regular homes usually do not have the space.