Building a custom home is a process with several steps. You have to be patient to choose the right spot and watch your vision become a reality. If you are new to custom home building, you should learn about this process first. Here are the major steps of building a custom home.
-
Choose the Site of Your Custom Home
Choose and buy the land where you will build your custom home. The land should accommodate your needs.
Therefore, consider factors like:
- Location
- Acreage
- Property orientation
- Views
- Non-gated or gated
- Frontage amount
-
Choose a Custom Home Builder
Once you have identified and bought the land to build your custom home, choose a builder. There are many contractors that offer to build your custom home and ensure your great experience. Take time to find out more about different builders. Get recommendations from relatives, friends, and colleagues but conduct some research about different builders before you make a hiring decision.
-
Design Your Home
The contractor that you choose may have a designer or you may have to hire a separate home designer or architect. Schedule a meeting with the designer that you choose. Let them know the ideas that you have for your custom home.
The designer may want to know things like:
- Your ideal home size
- Bathrooms and bedrooms number
- Story or no story
- Necessities like gourmet kitchen or wine cellar
- Must-have materials
- General style and look of your home
- Budget
-
Start Building
Once you are done designing your home, the contractor should start building. The process of building your custom home may be as follows:
- Site preparation- This entails land excavation and lot staking.
- Foundation laying and framing- This is the step where your home starts taking shape.
- “Meat” of the home- This entails installation of mechanicals like plumbing, cooling, heating and electrical systems, drywall and insulation.
- Appliances and fixtures- This involves installation of lighting, kitchen and bathroom fixtures and appliances.
-
Closing
This is the step where you get a chance to walk through the completed home. You get an opportunity to inspect the new home and ask questions. If satisfied with everything, you get keys and move in anytime you like.
These are the general steps of building a custom home. However, they may vary from one contractor to another.