You’ve decided to take that step and build a new house. It can be an extremely exciting time in your life, but there are many factors to consider when doing so. Building is a massive time commitment and so you need to know what you are getting into. Consider it your part-time job. Your morning, noon and night. Your only topic of discussion, to the annoyance of your family and friends. However, building your dream home doesn’t have to become such a frustration. Here are a few steps to consider before you begin this mammoth task.

Timing

First consider when it would be the best time to build. Can you handle a full-time job, looking after a growing family and having that extra job almost 24/7? The beginning stages of designing the home is not as bad, but once the house is framed and construction is moving forward, it can get pretty crazy rather quickly. If you are in a situation where you are already overwhelmed with work and children, as well as other life commitments, it may not be the best time for you to build. You’ll want to spend a lot of time at the house making sure things are being done correctly, so factor that into your decision. Building can be especially hard on any marriage. Money can play a huge part in this, as there are often unexpected expenses that will creep up, causing much financial stress – one of the biggest issues in any relationship.  

Do your research

Make sure you do your homework when it comes to your contractor and the subcontractors.  These people will be working closely with you, so make sure they fully understand that you are the owner, and what you expect from each and every person. Make sure that everyone knows and understands your timeline. If you have decided to take the “hands-on” approach, they need to know that you will be present throughout the process and that you expect a high standard for workmanship. Take your time making the decision about who to hire and do your homework! Once you have signed a contract, it may be difficult for you to get out.

Consider hiring a designer 

Whether you are remodelling your existing home or building a custom home, don’t rule out hiring a designer. Designers speak the language of building, which can often be incredibly foreign to those not in the know. Your builder can help with a lot of the building decisions, but he isn’t looking at things from a design perspective. He’s thinking about logistics, not how a decision will affect the style of your home. A lot of designers charge hourly so if you’re worried about the expense, you could use them when needed. More importantly, if you hire the right designer, he/she can actually end up saving you money because they know how to cut costs in order to help you get the look you want, keep your project moving, and keep you from making costly building mistakes. Metric Investments work with world renowned architect Robert Bertoli, contact us if you are interested in these services.

Furniture

This may seem strange, but it is important to think about cabinets and furniture placement early on. Whether you purchase existing plans or create your own, it’s important to think about how the furniture layout will work. Where will your couch and chairs go? Your beds? Is there really enough room to fit the furniture you want or already own? Think about how you will live in the spaces you are building. Measure, measure and measure some more. It may be a good idea to sit with a cabinet designer in the beginning stages when designing your home with the architect. This will prevent you from making mistakes as far as having enough space to accommodate the cabinets you are hoping to install is concerned. A designer will go over those things with you from the beginning so you can adjust your floor plan accordingly.

Floors, walls and other finishes

Time is money when you are building a house and it is extremely stressful ( and costly) to have to slow things down because you just can’t decide what tile you want in a specific room. Pick out as much as you can before you even start. This goes for flooring, counter tops, backsplashes, light fixtures and even appliances. Learn how to be decisive quickly; you don’t really have the time not to be, when you are building a house.    

You will make mistakes

While some things do work out, just know that there are going to be a lot of mistakes made. There is no way to build a perfect house with everything running smoothly during the building process. Building a house involves a lot of people and a lot of changing and moving parts. Know that you aren’t going to get everything exactly how you want it. Some things will be a miss and you’ll have to move on. That being said, other things will unexpectedly turn out a lot better than planned! Some of your favourite details may come from things that were not originally planned for in the beginning.

Communication is key

Communicate everything and don’t assume anything. While there is no way to avoid mistakes, you can minimise them by being specific and making it very clear what your expectations are. So many mistakes happen simply because of miscommunication. Never, ever assume. Explain it, show a picture and go over it again and then make sure you are at the new house often enough to catch mistakes early on, so they can be fixed or rectified without too much time or money being wasted. Good communication is key when building or remodelling.

Treat your workers with respect

Be kind to everyone involved in your building process. Framers, cement crew, drywall installers, electricians, painters, carpenters, etc. Get to know them, make them feel welcome and appreciated. You will be surprised to see how workers react when you are kind to them. Talk to all the workers on the site. They appreciate that you take the time to stop for a “Good morning”. You will work with these people closely and the better your relationship with them, the smoother everything will go. Building can be stressful and it’s important to keep your cool and remember that the people working on your house are doing their best too. Show them the kindness and appreciation they deserve.

Trust your instincts

It’s advisable to listen to the professionals, but know when to trust your gut. There will be so many things during your building process that you may not know and understand and that’s when it’s time to listen to the people you trust. Your architect, contractor and (if you’ve hired one) your designer. It is however, so important to know when to trust your gut. That little voice inside who knows what you really want but may be too afraid to say it because you’re intimidated, unsure or so overwhelmed with everything going on around you. There will be plenty of occasions where people have an opinion about something and it is not what you feel is right. Remember that at the end of the day, this is your house, and it is you who will be waking up in this house each day. You will actually have to live with all of the decisions made. Everyone helping will move on to other houses, and not have to deal with the problems or issues you may face by not speaking up.  

Remember to keep it all in perspective. Once you are removed from the building process, living in the house and moving on with life, it’s all just a drop in the ocean.

Try to enjoy the process as much as possible! While there will be mistakes made and many days may seem stressful, there will also be days of complete joy and excitement while you are building your house. It is an amazing thing to see your vision or dream come to life right in front of your eyes. Remember how fortunate you are to have the opportunity in creating this future home for you and your family and enjoy the little things during the process that make you happy. There will be lots of them. Happy building!