Building a Custom Home

Building a Custom Home

Perhaps you want a new home but aren't interested in a cookie-cutter subdivision home. Or maybe you have been looking at homes for a long time but are having a hard time finding something that works for your family. Why not consider building your own custom home? It's a "toss-up" whether building your own home will be cheaper than buying one in a subdivision, however the upside is huge. You will get a unique home that has your own personal stamp on it.

However, don't discount the amount of work and time a custom-built home will require. The design process can take three to nine months, plus another four to six for construction. If you have difficulty making decisions this timeline can lengthen considerably. There are sometimes hundreds of decisions you will need to make and some people get overwhelmed. Having the opportunity to work closely with an experienced building design firm can alleviate the stress of having to make all the decisions.

Generally the steps to building a custom home can be described as follows:

1. Aquire financing

New home construction will require a construction loan. Unless you already own a piece of land, you will need to finance the purchase of that as well as the construction costs. These loans are usually considered risky so lenders will require more of a down payment in order to qualify and sometimes up to 50%.

2. Find a home builder and design professional

Depending on your needs you can either hire a separate builder and design professional or there are building design firms which have both in house. Sometimes builders and design professionals have others in their network who they have worked with in the past so often you can obtain referrals. You can also ask friends and family for referrals or if you have a design style in mind search for builders and design professionals who are familiar and experienced in that style.

Once you have selected your builder and design professional make sure you check their references and licensing. You will want to talk to references in detail about how the process of building their homes went and if possible try to visit the final results if you can. The contract with both the design professional and the builder should be extremely detailed, laying out what services are to be performed and the timetable and a schedule of progress payments.

3. Find a site to build on

If you don't already own a lot you will need to find a lot to build on. When searching for your ideal location it helps to consult your builder before you purchase. To an inexperienced eye, a lot or parcel of land may appear to be a good building location, but may prove not to be. This is especially true if you're seeking land in remote or less developed areas. More than one novice buyer has learned the hard way that mistakes can be expensive. Inviting a builder to become a part of your land search process can help you avoid more difficult lots and save you money. It can be surprising how much additional site work may be required to make a particular lot buildable.

4. Design your home

When building a custom home you have a few choices. In the order of least costly to most costly: you can use an existing home plan, modify an existing home plan or design one from scratch. What you decide will depend on your unique situation.

Use Existing Home Plan - Many existing plans can be purchased from build-on-your-lot firms. These are usually more affordable and if you can find something that suits your needs it's a good strategy to take.

Modify Existing Home Plan - Using an existing home plan and paying for custom modifications will work if you require a few changes.

Designing Home Plan From Scratch - While many homebuyers find that an existing home plan or a modified version of a plan will work well for their needs and lot, other buyers may wish to invest in a custom home plan drawn from scratch, to more fully reflect their design goals for their home and the unique topography of their land.

5. Building your home

When dealing with Triple H Construction for the construction of your custom home you can always contact Nicole for any questions you may have during the construction period.

Triple H Construction is a full service design company who can help you design and build your custom home from start to finish. If you have any questions or are considering on building a custom home, please contact us.