BUILDING YOUR DREAM HOME-HOW TO GET STARTED
So, you’ve decided to build a house-YAY!!! This is a super exciting time and I hope that you’re celebrating this major step in the process. Deciding to build a custom home is a dream for so many, and the fact that you’re able to make this a reality is a HUGE deal. It takes a lot of work, saving, time and preparation to get to this point. So, pop that bubbly, do a happy dance and enjoy this moment before you step onto the roller coaster of construction.
Getting started-begin with your WHY:
I think it’s really important to know WHY do you want to custom build a home. Has it always been your dream? Have you been looking for awhile but can’t find anything in the market that meets your needs? Are there changes to your family/lifestyle that you need to accommodate for? Knowing your why is going to help you set the foundation for the plans you choose, the parcel of land you pick, and almost every other decision you’ll make throughout the process.
For us, when we built our first home almost a decade ago (a 2 story colonial) we didn’t realize how annoying a flight of stairs could be. We LOVE our home but don’t love the fact that our parents and grandparents have to navigate a substantial set of stairs whenever they stay with us. Our Why #1: make our next home more parent/grandparent/guest friendly.
Dan has always wanted a lot of land and I’ve always wanted a large garden and more space to entertain. When we came across a piece of property that was 1.5 acres larger than our current property that would allow us to expand our outdoor living space and accommodate all of our outdoor dreams, we were intrigued. The lot size, location and neighborhood sealed the deal, checking off our Why #2-more outdoor living space with room for activities.
Our Why #3 is dedicated to one of the most important people in my life-my Mother. As a single mom raising two kids in Westchester County (25ish miles north of NYC) she worked her ass off to make sure we had everything we needed. She hustled hard and sunk every penny she had into raising us, which meant her retirement savings took a back seat. I’ve always hoped that one day I would be in a position to thank her and support her the same way she’s supported me. With this build, we are creating an in law apartment for my mother, Amy, to enjoy retirement and live her best life.
Start Making Lists
Now that you’ve taken a deep dive into why you’re taking on construction, make a list of what you want in a home. Start broad (# bedrooms/baths, kitchen type, architectural style etc) Now would be a great time to start a Pinterest Board. Pin anything and everything that you love. Once you have 25 or so pins take a step back and look for common themes. Does your heart say Craftsman but you keep pinning modern farmhouses? Keep doing this to flush out what your dream home will look like. Check out how we’ve organized our Pinterest build boards here.
Research Local Builders
Partnering with a builder is the best option for most people. In many cases, builders may already have land in their possession (think a new subdivision) along with a series of plans that they specialize in which can be more budget friendly compared to starting from scratch. If the builder’s current land options don’t suit your needs you may want to consider finding the parcel yourself.
Find your land
Search the classifieds and real estate listings for available parcels of land. A word of caution, finding the perfect parcel is much more than location. You need to ensure that it is BUILDABLE. If you see a property that’s price is too good to be true, there is probably a reason for it. It’s definitely worth hiring a professional to get a second opinion before you put in an offer. When we found our property it was very, very wet. Dan had a feeling it was just a drainage issue but to be sure, we had our excavator walk the property. We know we’ll have to bring in a certain amount of additional fill to make it suitable to build and we’ve worked that into our budget. We were also confident that it wouldn’t be too far down to drill a well because X. If you’re in a city or more populated area you probably have city water + sewers so this wouldn’t be an issue, but for our property in Upstate NY having a well is our only option.
Start working on your budget
This is the not-so-sexy/can be downright depressing part of the build. It’s important that your dream house can be built with the capital you have access to. In general, it costs $100-$155 on average to build a new home IN ADDITION to the cost of the land.
Look at House Plans
Back to the fun stuff! Since you need construction plans to accurately budget it’s time to look at plans for your dream home! There are a ton of done for you house plan sites out there and we actually prefer this method to hiring an architect, since it can be more cost effective. I suggest dedicating a pinterest board to all the plans you love, and when you’re ready to narrow them down print out all the plans (take screen shots, this will save you from spending $ on downloading the available PDF plans) lay them out, and compare them to your why and must have lists. Keep in mind that most premade plans are base plans and can be customized further for an additional fee. That’s what we did with our current plan, Architectural Designs plan 12315JL. Learn more about our house plan process with Architectural Designs and how we tailored this design specifically to our needs here.