What to consider when building a new home

Sometimes the ideal home just isn’t available and there comes a time in everyone’s life where they no longer want to settle. As a result, an option that could be considered is building a new home that is custom designed for your own tastes. By going this route, you can make sure everything is just how you want it and give up on the often-demoralising housing market. For those who have very specific tastes or perhaps those around retirement age looking to finally move into their dream house, this article highlights a handful of important things to consider when building a new home.

Do you know what you are getting into?

Building a new home is by no means impossible, but it’s certainly a big task. Before you plough forward, make sure you truly consider what you are getting into and if this is the right option for you. The last thing you want is to have started construction and realise that there is no way you can cope with a project like this right now. So, do your research and determine if now is the right time. For those with busy full-time jobs and family commitments, it might be better to wait until you can focus more of your time and energy on your build.

Finances certainly play a part in this so you should make sure all the calculations are done and that you can achieve the house you truly desire without breaking the bank. Your money might not go as far as you want, as Home Building advises: “You’ll need access to money to buy a building plot, to pay for professional services such as architectural designers’ fees and any site surveys required, and to fund the build itself.” So, make sure all is in order before getting underway.

Have you done enough planning?

As with everything in life, you can never do enough planning. When it comes to building and designing a home, this is certainly the case. You will want to assemble a vast and detailed collection of ideas for every component of your future home so that if something goes awry during the build, you will have back-up options. This is something interior designer Courtney Warren found very useful when building her home:

“After you start the building process, all those potential choices will get narrowed down by a number of factors, such as what is 1) possible 2) budget-friendly or 3) just the logistically optimal thing. Having more ideas than I could ever need has given me an arsenal to go to when we have a mini-crisis. ‘That type of ceiling won’t work in here? Ok, how about this one?’ ‘Oh, that tile’s not available anymore? Well, here’s my second choice.’”

The location

The location of your home can be just as important as the building itself. You can go to all the pains of designing a house just how you want it but if it’s not in the right location, you will never be satisfied. So, make sure to spend the time to find a location you know you will be happy living in for many years to come. Some compromise might have to take place, of course, but don’t go ahead with the build if a plot of land isn’t going to be right for you.

For retirees, location will be even more key, you might want to be nearer family, close to the seaside, away from the city but still have amenities at hand. If you have limited mobility, perhaps you won’t want a steep hill to walk up each day. Make a checklist of requirements and make sure your chosen plot ticks enough of the boxes.

Considering the location also includes where on the land your home will be, and namely, the direction your house will face, which can be more important than you realise. This is an issue that lifestyle and interior design blogger Katrina Chambers found when buying a previous home:

“The house we bought (whilst looked nice from the front) was built terribly. The people who built it had poor advice on positioning the house on the block. It was a big block, but it was all wrong. The westerly sun shone straight on to the back veranda and you could not sit outside from 12pm in the day. I hated it! If the plan had simply been flipped then this problem would have been averted. So, BIG tip – make sure you know where your sun will be during the day before you finalise your plan.”

Hire the right people

When it comes to building a new home, making sure you have hired the right people will also be a key consideration. There will be lots of people involved in your build, from architects and construction crews to plumbers and interior designers. Taking the time to find the right people, who understand what you want and give you a sense of confidence, could help you avoid some regrets down the road. Hiring the right team is something that Erin from the home décor blog Sunny Side Up can’t stress enough, especially if this is your first build:

“This is the single most important decision you will make because you will be working so closely with your builder/architect throughout the process and your overall building experience is largely determined by your relationship with them. Do your homework before you make your decision.  Interview and meet with lots of builders and ask for referrals. It’s also smart to ask for names and numbers of the last three people they worked for to get an accurate view of how people felt about their building experience with that builder.”

Accessibility and future-proofing

If you deciding to build a home that will last the rest of your life, it’s vital that it will meet all your requirements now and continue to meet them into the future. Accessibility plays a big role here as you will want your new home to be easy to navigate well into older age. There’s no point going into all this effort to build a new home if in 10 years you won’t be able to enjoy it. By accounting for mobility and working with a stairlift provider, you can create an elegant solution to suit your current mobility needs. And by designing a house with ramps, non-step entrances, and walk-in showers you can be confident for the future too.

Lifestyle

When looking to design your future home, spend plenty of time considering how the house needs to fit your desired lifestyle. How do you want the layout to work with regards to social gatherings? Is an open plan kitchen the right move? Do you need a separate dining room? etc. Room size is also something to be wary of as a room on paper can feel quite different when it is actually built. Bre, from the home blog Happy Little Mess, has built a home with her husband and has shared this advice:

“Pay attention to the size of your rooms on the blueprint and really map them out to get an idea of how small or big that room may actually be. We did that with some rooms, but not all rooms and I think it would have really helped. For example, I now call my kids Jack and Jill bathroom the kids ‘master-bath’ because it is a lot bigger than I expected. Everything looks small on blueprint but pay attention to those numbers and make sure they are exactly what you expect before moving into the building process.”

Things to think about when building a new home

• Do you know what you are getting into?
• Have you done enough planning?
• The location
• Hire the right people
• Accessibility and future-proofing
• Lifestyle

When it comes to building a new home, there are countless things to consider but hopefully, the above has brought to mind a few of the most important ones. With the right planning and a healthy dose of patience, you can soon be well on your way to realising your dream home.

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This news article is from Companion Stairlifts. Articles that appear on this website are for information purposes only.