The First 3 Steps To Building a Custom Home: What You Need to Know Before Getting Started
You’ve found the perfect location to build your new custom home.
You’re sorting out your finances and you can’t wait to get started on your dream home!
But where do you start?
It can be difficult figuring out what steps you should take first when starting a custom home build.
To help you avoid making an expensive mistake in the early stages, we’ve put together this quick guide to building a custom home.
Check out our custom home building tips and learn the first 3 steps to building your custom home—designed to help make the custom home building process as easy as possible for you.
Step 1: Choose Your Team
You should always start a project with a team of reliable professionals you trust, so you know that your custom home is going to be built to the highest standards.
Custom home design and construction is a long-term commitment. The success of your dream home rests in your team’s hands—so it’s important to take the time to put together a team you know will work well with you.
Maybe you know a contractor you’ve worked with before, and they can recommend an architect they’ve had previous experience with.
Maybe you already have the ideal architect in mind who can help you find the perfect contractor or engineer to fill out the rest of your team.
You could also ask your real estate agent for recommendations on who to hire for your project.
Whatever your method of finding a team is, make sure you’re comfortable with them and can communicate openly and honestly.
You’re hiring them for their expertise and guidance—they should be able to tell you what will work best and make your dream home a reality.
When you decide on your contractor, architect, and engineer, don’t be afraid to take the time to ask them questions and review their information. Don’t rush into hiring the first contractor you meet—you want to find the right one for you.
You can:
Read their introductory letter and resumé
Look for any previous testimonials
Check any details about each firm and its processes
Take a look at a sample contract (or Letter of Intent used to formalize the selection of your contractor)
Step 2: Pre-Design Discovery
Now it’s time to meet with your team and be ready to answer all their questions about your ideas for your custom home.
Good architects and contractors should be asking you a lot of questions, so they can understand your goals and vision for your new home.
Be prepared to share all the information you can with your team, so they can get the right idea of what you want for your custom home.
Don’t forget to ask your team questions too so you can figure out their processes. Let them know any information you think is important, so they feel comfortable they know the project too.
Having this pre-design discovery will help both you and your team get off to a good start. It’ll help you create a plan that everybody can work to happily.
Some important topics to discuss in your pre-design discovery are:
Your budget
If you have a lender
What the total SF (square foot) is
What the expected cost per SF is
If you own your lot or not
Where your lot is
Have you got a design team and if so, who
What you need & want in your home
What style & level of finish you want for your home
Going through all of these topics will give your team a solid outline of what you want your custom home to look like.
Step 3: The Design
Now it’s time to develop the perfect design for your custom home. In this stage, you’ll have to clarify what the roles and responsibilities for your contractor, architect, engineer, interior designer, and any other team members are.
You’ll also have to go over the details for the design with your team and work out a preferred time frame for the project to be completed.
Now is also a good time to review your conceptual budget. You should finalize any architectural design so your custom home can start being developed exactly the way you’d like it.
Once the design portion is complete, you will want to review the final budget with your contractor to come to agreement on the final budget. Keep in mind that if all final selections for each finish material and/or system are not made, the budget could vary during construction depending on final selections made throughout the project.
There’s a lot to do before you start building your dream home. Talking to a professional early on in the process of building your custom home can help make the process a whole lot smoother.
Give yourself a head start building your custom home the right way by downloading our free Guide To Custom Home Building.
Or book a call with our team today and we’ll help you get started on the journey to building your dream home.
Coastal Craftsmen Construction specializes in custom-built homes in Southwest Florida. For more information or to discuss your project, contact Coastal Craftsmen Construction today.