Mistakes, they say, happen, but when you’re building a new home, the best saying is the fewer the better. At Foley, we want nothing more than for you to build the Great Falls custom home of your dreams. But there are a lot of decisions that go into building a custom home. Experience has taught us a thing or two about how to make the process as error and stress-free as possible. Here are some of the most common mistakes we’d like to help you avoid. Let’s start with the two biggest.
- Thinking You Can Handle Everything Yourself.
Many homeowners overestimate their ability to be their own contractor, believing the only way to get the home they truly want is to oversee every step of the design and building process. General contractors keep a lot of balls in the air:
- Handle permits and inspections.
- Interview, hire, and coordinate multiple subcontractors, including framers, plumbers, and electricians.
- Resolve issues and conflicts between the subcontractors.
As the homeowner, though, you’ll already have plenty of important decisions to make, including choosing the best finishing selections. If you hire a general contractor you trust, you won’t need to get overly involved in the specifics of the construction process.
- Underestimating the Intricacies of Design Plans
There’s a big difference between sketching out a rough draft of your new home’s floorplan and designing a true plan for your custom home. One of the key concerns is understanding what is and isn’t feasible. Affordability is also a top consideration during the design phase. There are plenty of inexpensive house plans online, but there’s a good reason they’re so cheap: they aren’t particularly well thought out.
A reputable design build firm creates plans based on your family’s lifestyle needs and preferences. And because the design team and builder work under one roof, there’s no confusion on what the plans mean. We tell all the Great Falls homeowners we work with that this is one place you do not want to try and cut corners on spending. This is the home your family will live in for many years, so careful design planning can mean the difference between loving it or wanting to move on.
Stress Free and Home Free
Other common mistakes can also have a big impact on bringing your custom home in on time and on budget.
- Cutting Corners on the Budget in critical areas can have serious consequences down the line. Don’t give in to lower quality windows, for example, thinking it’s a safe area to save a few dollars. Yes, everyone wants to save money, but choosing inferior materials and low-grade workmanship will wreak havoc on your budget as problems quickly arise.
- Thinking Only for the Short Term and not planning for later years can cost you down the road. Think about multi-generational living and aging in place features. Taking the long view from the start saves all kinds of headaches later.
- Not Choosing the Right Contractor. There is nothing that will cause you more grief in your building experience than starting with the wrong builder. The right design build firm simplifies the home building process with one-stop shopping for design and construction. Look for one that specializes in the area you want to build. Be sure to get references, and ask former clients about the design phase and the building phase. Not taking the time to thoroughly research the contractor you work with can lead to costly problems.
The Foley Difference
There is nothing more satisfying than finally walking through the front door of a home you helped design. By avoid these common mistakes when building your custom home, you’ll not only enjoy the process more, you’ll end up with a well-designed and well-built home your family will enjoy for years to come. If you’re thinking of building your own custom home in Great Falls, or you have any questions about the design build process, feel free to contact us. We also invite you to download our free guide, Top 10 Reasons to Choose Foley to learn more about who we are and how we can help.
