Building your first home? That’s a massive undertaking filled with challenges and exciting events! Knowing this, you must know what you’re getting into. Plan ahead of time, map out your building strategy, and scout for proficient professionals involved in the process. But still, no matter how prepared you are, nothing in this world is perfect. Expect to encounter problems along the way. But do not fret! Here are seven mistakes to be wary about to ensure the completion of your dream home.
1. Not Doing Your Research
This should be self-explanatory. Before you even start looking for a design, you should know what your budget is. Find out how much area you want to build on and count the number of people who will be living in the house. You should also consider whether or not there you’ll be getting pets at some point. Look at picture catalogs of house designs you like so you can show them to the architect. Once all of these questions have been asked and answered, it’s time to find your building site.
2. Poor Overall Planning
Want to make your building more expensive than it should be? Easy. Just make poor planning decisions. Seriously, think things out carefully. You and your family will be the ones living in the house, after all. Decide how many rooms you want, what appliances and furniture to get, where entryways and windows will be located, and more. If you try building a house without first coming up with some plan or budget, troubles will haunt you in the near future.
3. Skimping on Materials
Many homeowners are guilty of this. It’s not uncommon to see a home built with low-grade materials. The problem is that while some places may have some decent materials at lower prices, their quality isn’t on par with more trusted suppliers. Good suppliers look out for your safety while maintaining their reputation. Reach out to them if you want your house to last for years without problems. Don’t settle for less!
4. Not Knowing Your Contractors
Every team member is crucial in your home project’s success. The worst thing you can do is hire people who will mess up because they’ve no idea what to do, and you didn’t investigate further before hiring them. When hiring a contractor, ensure that they have all the proper licenses required by your state along with insurance before you sign anything. This step will help avoid any disputes later down the line.
5. Miscommunication with the Contractors
You might not be directly responsible for the miscommunication, but the mistake is often tied to not doing enough research. To avoid project-breaking scenarios, ask your potential contractor for references from previous clients. This will help you confirm if you’ll like their work and you can trust them to do their job. The best way of finding a good contractor is by asking for quotations from multiple companies and compare. Once you have decided who will be doing your home repairs or renovation project, make sure that he can provide an accurate time estimate of the budget, expectations, and timeframe.
6. Having Unrealistic Expectations
Another essential thing to get right is having clear expectations of what you want and need from your home. If you don’t have a solid vision going into the project, it’s easy for things to go off track. You can avoid this mistake by taking some time at the beginning of the project to sit down with your family and discuss what you expect from a new home. Write a list of all your needs and wants and bring them over to your contractors. Workers work better once they have a better understanding of the deliverables to be provided.
7. Delay in Getting a Building Permit
A common mistake people make when building a house is not obtaining a building permit right away. That’s understandable since the process can be time-consuming and tedious. But it’s all worth it. If you process it as you can, you’ll encounter problems sooner or later. Without a valid permit, applying for insurance on your finished home will be difficult, if not impossible. Moreover, you could wind up in serious trouble if someone gets hurt on the job and brings a lawsuit against you. And if you build without a permit and do get sued, chances are the court will impose hefty fines on you or, worse, order you to tear down the house.
Nobody’s perfect, and people make mistakes. However, you can always choose to avoid them by staying informed. Make good use of the seven things listed above to ensure a smooth home-building process.