As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, building is quite the experience. Not only being a very emotional experience for my clients, but an expensive one at that. There is always something to chat about as the timeline moves along and you must try and fit all those answers in while living your everyday life with work, kids, family etc.
From my experience building with my clients and for myself, here are a few things I would like you to keep in mind while going through the process.
- When creating a floor plan with an architect it’s not a bad idea to have the designer there to help with layout as well! Try and think about several things when you are building that floor plan including functionality of your family, if your family is growing, how often you host etc. Also, don’t completely forget furniture when you are creating this floor plan… so many people think of it after the fact and are sad that a sectional can’t work in their new living room!
- Expect Delays – This is inevitable and if a builder or designer tells you a hard date and thinks they’re going to hit it, they’re lying. This is an area to be realistic that it’s not always in the hand of the builder or designer – there are a lot of moving parts and different vendors that are in charge or everything coming together. It is the builder and designers’ job to keep things on track as much as possible and to notify the client so there are no surprises!
- Get a break down of how much furniture to fill the house will cost before you build with certain materials and custom features. Yes, we want the house to be beautiful, but furniture isn’t something to cheap out on after putting all the expensive materials in first!
I hope a few of these tips help if you’re looking to build a custom new build for your family! It’s an exciting process and such a special moment to make your home, exactly what you want!
-Natalie