There’s nothing like the excitement of building your new home. After all, you get to create a one-of-kind, perfectly tailored dream home for you and yours. You get to choose aspects like the exterior paint, window placement, countertops, flooring—everything!
But with so many choices and so many things to do, plan, and monitor, the process can be stressful. Stress can also lead to mistakes when building a new home and frankly, mistakes have no place in this once-in-a-lifetime project.
So, to help ensure the process goes as smooth as can be, we’ve created this post to outline the top ten mistakes to avoid when building a new home.
Compromising on Preferred Lot
Often, some people will settle for the wrong lot simply because it’s the last one left in an area, or because they’re afraid of postponing the process. This is a critical mistake. Location is one of the most important aspects of building a home, and the decision of which lot to choose should be based on preferences that work for you, not by stress of needing an immediate decision.
Make sure your chosen lot allows for the space you’ll want and need, the area in which you prefer to stay, and the geographical needs of your home. For the latter, especially in Florida, consider water table and slope factors and how your homebuilder will need to address them.
Not Obtaining Proper Documentation
Building a new home is a process with several moving parts, plans, and people.
As such, many things can get lost in muddy communication. Don’t let this happen to you. Obtain all plans, changes, and updates in writing to keep the process well-documented and organized.
This can prevent aspects of your dream home from failing to meet expectations due to a lack of communication and ensures a much smoother and more informative process where all parties involved remain on the same page.
Not Considering Time
When thinking about time while building a home, most focus solely on the time it takes to build, decorate, and move-in. Another factor to be considered, however, is the time that you and yours will spend in the home once it’s completed. Is your goal to stay in the home for several years? Several decades? Will you remain in the home during retirement?
Consider these factors and others that pertain to your situation, and really think about your location and building plan to ensure they will encompass all of those needs.
Not Considering Space Needs
Just as with time, space also needs heavy consideration when building. If your situation will involve additional people in the home by way of roommates, relatives, or new children in the future, plan for that.
Additionally, many of us accumulate a lot of stuff over the years, and storage space may be essential if you too, happen to be among the majority. Garages, basement, and attics all add great storage options to a new home.
Leaving Lighting as a Last Thought
The last thing a new homeowner wants is to have created the home of their dreams but be unable to see it! Make sure to think about window planning to allow for abundant natural lighting that fills preferred rooms. Other factors to consider, especially in Florida, however, is how much heat you want along with that light.
So, in addition to meticulously planning window placement, also keep track of the kind of windows your home will need. You may want to choose windows that diffuse heat, let in lots of lights, and are also tropical-storm proof, as well.
Inconvenient Kitchen Placement
The kitchen is a vital part of your home, especially if you plan on hosting regular dinners, parties, and other gatherings. For everyday use, your kitchen should be conveniently located and placed in an easily accessible area.
One often overlooked aspect when planning kitchen placement is proximity to entrances. You’ll want your kitchen to be close to home entrances whether they’re through a garage, back entrance, or front door. This will help when it comes time to hauling in the groceries, making your dream home a convenient one as well.
Unsuitable Bedroom Placement
As with the kitchen, placement is also important when it comes to the bedroom. The master is a place to relax, unwind, and get some much-needed rest. As such, it should not be near central or heavy-trafficked areas of the home where noise from household members can disturb the peace.
Alternatively, if the home is a second-story, bedrooms should not be placed above garages or loud main living areas, and should not share a wall with busy rooms to ensure peace and privacy.
Too Much Space
Yes, we did recommend allocating space to accommodate future happenings. However, another big spatial mistake that is often made is simply having too much of it. The key here is to find balance; otherwise, your home will run the risk of an underutilized room and wasted space.
To avoid this, really consider how much that home-gym or playroom will be used and for how long. For instance, once the kids no longer use it for play, can it be converted to a media room? An office? Consider a backup plan for all extra rooms to ensure a wise use of space.
Choosing Cost Over Quality
Yes, building a home is expensive and yes, there is a budget to stick to. However, when possible, it’s crucial to choose quality over cost. When building your dream home, you want the dream to live on for as long as possible, not show signs of wear and tear after a few months or years,
Decisions regarding flooring, electrical, building materials, and hiring professionals should be made with quality in the forefront. Many experts agree that if you’re looking to build your dream home on a budget, it is best to simply scale down and focus on quality. After a few months or years, your well-built home will thank you.
Not Assessing HVAC System
Let’s face it: Florida can get downright hot in mild months and boiling in the warmer ones. When choosing your home’s HVAC heating and cooling system, it is important to ensure it will completely meet all of your needs.
If your home will be large, consider a larger unit which will have little problem cooling the area. In homes of all sizes, ensure your system is energy efficient to save costs in the long-run from the necessary cooling your home will need.
Ready to begin building the home of your dreams? Unsure of where to start? Contact us today and let the experienced professionals at BG Southern help you get started—the right way.