As home builders in Salt Lake City, we’ve seen it all, and we know which mistakes to avoid when building a custom home. With 60 years of combined experience we understand that building a new home can be overwhelming, but for those who go the distance there is no satisfaction quite like living in a home created just for you and your family.
Ironwood Custom Builders offers a comprehensive guide that covers the ins and outs of building a custom home. It’s a fantastic planning guide, it’s free and it’s highly recommended if you’re in the beginning stages of the planning process. You can click here to download it now.
In the guide we cover many different aspects of the custom home building process, but the one that gets the most attention is always the chapter on mistakes to avoid when building a custom home, so we thought we’d share some of those insights here.
These are some of the most common mistakes homeowners encounter when they don’t work with a reputable builder or one with enough experience. All of these mistakes can be avoided with proper planning and great communication between you and your home builder.
Mistakes to Avoid When Building a Custom Home
Focusing on a Floor Plan – When you work with a custom home builder you’re partnering with a firm. The firm will design and build a home that fits your needs and established budget. You’re not buying a floor plan, you’re purchasing the expertise of the firm to design you the best home possible.
Choosing the Lowest Bid – Choosing to go with the lowest bid can often end in disaster for the homeowner. Lower bids can be a sign of poor planning or undercutting. Working with a professional design firm can actually help save you money on your home building process, they will help you save money by avoiding costly mistakes! A knowledgeable firm will help create the best home for your family with your budget. There’s no need to buy expensive products to get a well polished look.
Master Bedroom Location – Choosing the location of the master bedroom is important if you’re planning on aging in place in your new home – you may want it on the main level to reduce stair climbing in later years. If you’re younger, you may want the bedroom as far away from the noise of the house – noise generated by teenagers. Depending on the style of floor plan you choose, the location of the bedroom is extremely important.
Unused Rooms – Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a fitness room or media room? Of course it would, but if those rooms never get used you’ve wasted space and money. Additionally, unused rooms end up collecting all the stuff you don’t know what to do with, but don’t want to throw away or donate. Don’t build a specialized room unless you know you’re going to use it for its intended purpose.
Not Investing Enough Time – In this hectic world it can be difficult to allow the proper amount of time for anything. Between work, family, friends, hobbies and everything else it can be extraordinarily difficult to try to allow any additional time to planning your future home when it seems as if you can pass the job on to someone else. However, it’s important to realize that when you commit to building your custom dream home you’re committing both money and time to ensure your home is exactly the way you want it. It’s your dream home, isn’t it worth taking the time to make sure it’s designed and built exactly the way you want it?