Constructing your first home is a beautiful experience. But that can be soured by small mistakes that snowball into huge problems. We all know how it feels when something doesn’t go exactly the way we wanted it to and we have to rework the entire plan.
That is exactly why it is essential that you plan well and take the help of professionals who know what they are doing. It doesn’t mean sacrificing your vision. It is simply lining up with experts who can help you bring the vision to life.
Here are a few mistakes you can avoid when building a new home for the first time!
Trying to Do Everything Yourself
Whoever told you that you need to do everything by yourself when building a custom home probably never built one themselves. You don’t need to take on the entire project and try to solve every minor problem. You can hire experts to take care of everything. All you need is to develop a vision.
Trust us, when you try to dive in with no prior knowledge, it might end in a disaster. Instead, lean on experts who have built custom homes before. They would know exactly how you are supposed to solve problems as well as the step by step process you should follow when building a home.
Speaking of that, don’t forget to do your research before you dive right in. You may be surprised to find that there are a lot of factors you need to deal with before jumping into the blueprint or layout of the home.
Immediately Diving Into the Floor Plan
You can’t put the cart before the horse. Getting into the floor plan and locking it is useless until you have all the initial hurdles out of the way. Have you thought of the location? Have you purchased the land? Do you know a builder who is ready to build your home? What about loan financing?
If you haven’t given any of these a thought you may benefit from stepping back and re-evaluating your decisions. The floor plan depends heavily on the location of your home as well as the surrounding area. If that doesn’t play a major role in the design of your home you might as well discard the initial blueprint.
Ignoring Your Budget
This is definitely not a great idea. You might feel like getting carried away when you see Pinterest boards and Instagram reels or glossy home magazines and they will convince you that you need every luxury feature possible. They would promise you that you need that home theater, the spa bathrooms, the smart lighting, etc. Sure, all these ideas sound amazing, but they also quickly burn a hole in your pocket.
Before you commit to any idea, sit down with your builder or financial planner and set a realistic budget. Overspending now will feel great but hurt down the line. It will cause you a lot of financial stress for the years to come.
On the other hand, if you map out an exact budget it will act like a boundary and prevent you from overspending on things that aren’t really a necessity.
Not Considering Long Term Needs
If you are planning your first home it is only natural to consider your immediate lifestyle and all the current trends. But homes are investments that last for a pretty long time and if you don’t think of your future needs your home may feel outdated or cramped a couple of years from now.
For instance, if you are newly married, will you be planning for children? Do you work from home or do you travel to work? Do any elderly family members live with you? Do you want to adopt sustainability initiatives?
A little foresight today saves you from huge costs of renovation later. Think about it. Your dream home should ideally evolve with you, not grow against you.
Poor Lighting and Ventilation Planning
One of the most overlooked aspects of a home is natural lighting and ventilation. A home that doesn’t have enough airflow makes you feel suffocated. No guest would want to visit a dark, damp, unwelcoming home. It is only going to drive up those utility bills.
If you are designing your home yourself or guiding a builder, make sure you pay close attention to the orientation of the room as well as the window placement for the best air circulation. Observe how the sun moves around your property and which rooms you want with the most access to natural light.
Failing to Factor in Storage Space
First-time homeowners do not think about storage space at all, especially when they are caught up in the aesthetics. It is only at a later stage that they pay heed to functionality.
Open layouts look beautiful, no one can disagree with that. But you need to carefully estimate how much space you will need. Closets, cabinets, shelves, they are all an essential part of your day-to-day life. Without proper storage your home is going to become cluttered in the first week.
You don’t need storage spaces that suffocate the beauty of your home. You can build hidden storage solutions under the stairs or in the attic. It just requires a little bit of planning.
Rushing the Builder
Everyone wants their custom home built today. But it isn’t that easy to get a home up off the ground. In your excitement you may become impatient while the builder is stuck coordinating with painters, roofing contractors, interior designers, and a bunch of other people to ensure your vision comes to life.
For a smoother process, think long term and let the builder give each stage of the process their due attention. No matter how long it takes, the home build should be done right.
Key Takeaways
Your first home build is a thrilling process, but it is also filled with challenges. Mistakes can push you out of your budget boundaries as well as destroy your vision.
The key is to balance it out and plan your vision realistically. Keep asking yourself if your ideas are doable within the space you own and let the builder suggest changes. Often, they know the best way to bridge the gap between your vision and the final outcome.
