This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links
Building your family home is generally seen as an excellent option. It means you can design and create the perfect home for your specific family. The kids will have their own bedrooms that are custom-made for them. You will have as many rooms in the house as you need, and it will all come together very nicely.
However, there are plenty of things that demand your attention when you want to build your home. If you forget about them, then it could mean the whole process goes up in smoke. So, here are some of the critical things you can’t neglect:
Make Sure You Can Actually Build On Your Land
Some people are gifted land by family members as a present, or it’s just handed down through generations. If you live in the countryside and have a family with a farming background, then this is likely to happen to you. Other people just go out and buy land because it looks like an attractive offer and you can now build on it or use it for other purposes. Lastly, you have people who own their home, and want to knock it down and then rebuild one on the same patch of land.
Regardless of your situation, you have to make sure you can actually build on your land. By this I mean; can you legally build a house there, and is it safe? The legal part should be reasonably easy to find out as you have to contact your local government and let them know of your plans. If everything is fine, then your plans will be approved. For the safety part, you should think about getting your land inspected. There are companies like Cochran Engineering that provide land surveys to help see the state of your land. It could transpire that the surface just isn’t healthy or stable enough for a house to be built on. Ideally, you want to figure this out before you start trying to build a house!
Figure Out Where Your Family Will Stay During The Build
Naturally, your family needs to have a place to stay while your new home is being built. If you already have a home and are creating a new one in a new location, then you should be fine. You can stay in your old one until the new one is built, and there’s nothing to worry about.
However, issues arise when people want to rebuild their current home. You knock it down and replace it with something far better and more updated. The problem is; where do you live during the construction time? It could take well over a year for your house to be built, so what will your family do during this time? It’s down to you to ensure you have a place to live and live comfortably. Perhaps your parents have a big enough house to let you stay with them while your new one is built? If not, then the next best option is probably renting a home until your new one is ready for you. My advice is to try and find the cheapest place to rent as you don’t want to spend loads renting while also spending money building your family home.
Try To Estimate The Costs As Accurately As Possible
It’s so crucial that you’re aware of how much the whole building process will cost you and your family. This isn’t something you should do on impulse and then think about the costs after. Many families started building a house and realized near the end that they didn’t have enough money to finish everything. So, their home was either left incomplete until they managed to get enough cash to finish it, or they had to cut corner and miss out on specific features.
The last thing you want is to end up in a dangerous financial position after building your home. So, before you decide if this is the option for you, you have to try and estimate the costs as accurately as possible. There are loads of things to take into account – too many to go through in this piece, unfortunately. But, I can tell you some of the key costs; paying for the actual construction of your home, paying for surveys, paying to rent somewhere else to live (if applicable to your situation), paying for interior decoration, and so on. Work out how much this whole idea will cost you, and it will help you budget accordingly going forward.
Look At Similar Houses For Sale
Finally, you have one last thing to consider after you’ve estimated the costs; would it not be cheaper to just buy a home? You may take a look at all the costs, work out a rough idea for the price range you’re looking at, and think that it’s terribly expensive. At this point, you may think your dreams of moving into a new home are over. However, what if you had a look at some of the houses for sale on the property market and realized it’s actually cheaper to buy?
This doesn’t always happen – it tends to be cheaper to build than buy. But, if you do find a dream home on the market that costs around about the same as the one you want to develop, then it may be a better option to just buy and skip all the effort of building. What I’ll add to this is that looking at similar houses for sale is a good way to show you whether or not you’re paying too much to build your home. It may seem like it’ll cost you a fortune, but when you look at the same type of house on the market, you could find out that building is far more affordable. Either way, having a browse through the property market will help you figure out if you should carry on and build your home, or just buy one instead. Keep these things in mind if you’re thinking about building a family home. Believe me, they’re not the type of things you can afford to forget!
