6 Mistakes to Avoid When Building a New House

Whether you’re building from the ground up or revamping a place in need of some serious love, constructing your dream home is a project like no other. It will take effort and energy, but at the end of the process, you’ll find yourself in a beautiful house made just for you. You’ll want to keep some of the key mistakes to avoid when building a new house in mind though.

While it can be tempting to jump right into the process and rush through so you can sit in your beautiful bathtub or cozy up in front of your amazing fireplace, planning and intention are key with a project this big. There are plenty of mistakes to avoid when building a new house, and paying a little extra attention to them can make your plan smoother and more realistic.

Building your house is all about using your creativity to make a space that’s exactly right for you. While you do that, you can learn the mistakes to avoid when building a new house that new homeowners often fall into.

1. Skipping Inspections

If you’re flipping a fixer-upper, inspections are a must. Finding a qualified, licensed home inspector to check out your new place before you make the move could mean the difference between knowing a clear picture of the project you’re walking into and running into surprise problems in the middle of your build. Inspections are a part of the necessary groundwork.

2. Idolizing the Schedule

Little roadblocks pop up, projects lag, bad weather rears its ugly head and sometimes genius new ideas slow the process. Schedules rarely run exactly as they’re laid out, and that’s OK. While a consistent slowing can be cause for concern, it’s best not to sweat over a couple of lost hours or days. Rushing to catch up could mean compromising quality of work, which is a fate much worse than a little tardiness.

3. Not Knowing Your Builders

When starting from the ground up, there are three main types of builders — production, semi-custom and custom. Production builders have blueprints set in place that you can choose from, semi-custom builders allow modifications to existing plans and custom builders work completely from scratch. It’s important to understand your options so you can choose someone who will work with your visions and provide you with something you’ll love. 

Get to know the builders you’re considering. Look at their work and walk through their previous projects if you can. You deserve to put your home in good hands. 

4. Blowing the Budget

Only you know exactly how much wiggle room is right for you, and if you have some, that’s wonderful. If you don’t, that’s what budgets were made for. Even if you do have a bit of stretch, it’s important to keep your budget constantly in mind. Little things can add up quickly, and sometimes professionals will suggest something that looks appealing but ultimately isn’t right for you. It’s essential to be realistic with your build, and that comes with considering what’s really worth it to you.

5. Disregarding Lighting

Windows, outlets and lighting fixtures are easy to slip your mind during the build, but they certainly come to the forefront if you’re sitting in the dark in your new home. Lighting is often the key to creating uplifting, inviting spaces. It’s so much easier to plan lighting with the build than solve the darkness issue once the house is up and finished. 

6. Devoting Energy to Wasted Space

As you consider your build, remember who you’re planning for — you! It might be tempting to add rooms and extra spaces all around, especially if you’re upsizing. If you plan to expand, it’s useful to ask yourself if the area you’re adding serves a purpose you’ve been yearning for. Do the kids desperately need a playroom? Do you constantly gripe about your tiny bathroom? By all means, build a bigger one.

However, if you find yourself tacking on extra rooms and square footage just because you can, you could be wasting time, money and resources — and you could be drawing out your build. Nobody needs unused rooms in their house, no matter how nice they are.

Your Dream Home, Realized

Building your dream home is all about working with your lifestyle to create a space that truly works with you, and you deserve for that process to go smoothly. Planning with intention, research and creativity will help you construct your ideal abode.