5 Things to Consider Before Building your New Home

The decision to build a home is a big one- in terms of the money, time, effort and emotions you invest. This also means it’s not a decision you should be taking lightly. Constructing a home is a very routine exercise for a builder, but for you, it’s your dream home- You will have to play an active role in the planning as well as supervision through all the phases of construction. When you are planning on building a home, in addition to zeroing-in on the right neighbourhood, there are a number of things you have to take into consideration. Take a look at what these are.

Things to Look Into

#1 Don’t Lose Sight of the Numbers

Even before you start scouting around for a good spot to build your home, determine whether all the numbers fall into place. If you have a particular design in mind, your builder will be able to give you a rough estimate of how much your new house is going to cost.

Ideally, this should include construction costs, the initial down payment, tax benefits & other related calculations. Once all of this is in place, if you need financing, check with the financing institution that you have identified. Home construction lending norms tend to be different from standard mortgage financing

#2 Builder Reputation

You will have to find a good builder- there are a number of builders in the market, but you need to find one who will understand your specific needs and can sync with. Check the reputation of the builder. There are times when even smaller builders do an excellent job and those are the ones you should be looking for. Get recommendations from friends and family and also double-check the credentials of the person you are hiring

#3 Have Foresight

When you are building your home, it’s important to keep in mind that you may want to sell it at a later date. Do not add excessive upgrades and overprice your home with reference to a particular neighbourhood. Even as you add the features you like, think about what may appeal to potential buyers in the future

#4 Green Homes

With electricity charges on the rise, the need of the hour is to build using eco-friendly materials. This will maximise the energy efficiency of your home. Work closely with your draftsman and builder and understand how placement and sizing of windows impacts the energy efficiency of a home. Use eco-friendly materials in the construction and opt for solar power too. Choose your HVAC system and insulation materials with care and opt for energy-efficient appliances and bathroom fixtures

#5 Keep Scope for Expansion

If you are planning on living in that home for a longer period of time, ensure that the house plans leave some scope for expansion and additions. This will help you save on future construction costs

The Scalability Factor

It’s also very important that you create a detailed list at the outset- this list should make note of all the features you want included in your new home. So for instance, if you want a small spa added to the poolscape, add it to the list- those paver lights you need installed or a feature wall with special natural stone cladding, or the extra-large window in your bedroom- they should all go on that list. This will save you a lot of time and money when the construction is going on. The draftsman will include these things in the home plans and they will be added as the house gets built.

The Proactive Approach

As you can see, there are a number of things that have to be taken into consideration when you are planning on building a home. These are some of the most important ones. The best thing to do is to create a comprehensive list and add to it as you go along. Be proactive with providing ideas and ensure that the draftsman captures them in the house plans that he is making for you. Elementree Drafting Services is one of the leading drafting companies in the region. For more information, call us at 1300 566 873. Alternatively, you can contact us via this online form.

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Elementree Drafting Services
1300 566 873