Pre planning your custom home project can save you time, money and stress

Pre-planning for your custom home will save you time, money and stress during the build

When you start the process of getting a custom home built, you should take the time to make as many decisions about the house as you can before you even start constructing it.

Once you have had the plans drawn, you should work with a designer on what you want the interior and exterior of the house to look like. If you can manage it, you should even have the interior paint colours chosen before your contractor breaks down the price of the project. If you make these decisions then this will free you up to make a lot of the choices that come up when you are building a house.

Choosing everything that you need and want in your home does a couple of things;

·         It allows you to enjoy the building process, instead of being overloaded with decisions during the build.

·         It allows you to make smarter decisions when unexpected things come up that you didn’t foresee.

·         It allows you to set and follow a budget.

·         It allows you to consider upgrades, comparing them to the budget and the existing choices.

·         It allows the general contractor to build your home quicker because they don’t have to wait for you to make decisions that slow the build process done. It also allows the builder to pre-order things that might save you money compared to ordering at the last minute.

·         When you make decisions under pressure, you run the risk of making a snap decision that you will regret later.

·         It allows the builder to source out the proper trades for special installation.

·         It allows the builder to turn the house over to the homeowner completed with all the finishing’s and fixtures hung, instead of homeowners moving in and then shopping around for some light fixtures and paint colours. There is always an added expensive if trades have to come back after the homeowner’s furniture is in the house. Special things have to be done to help protect the homeowner’s things and that takes time and time costs money.

If you find a designer that you can work with, this can make everything run smoother. Think of the designer as management for you. Then the builder calls the designer first with questions, leaving you to focus on what the designer wants you to focus on.

Remember that building a custom home will be the most expensive investment that you ever make in your life, especially if you want it to be your retirement home. With the cost comes stress. Stress muddles the decision making ability of most people. So the more choices that you make before that stressor of the house being constructed happens, the better your decisions will end up being.

So find a builder that you can do a lot of pre planning with and a designer that can help you with the style choices of your future home. Remember the more planning you do now, the less stress you will have during the building process.

If you are looking for a builder or an interior designer feel free to contact me at robabbott@villagebuilders.ca or check out our website at www.villagebuilders.ca

Rob Abbott

Operations Manager

Village Builders Inc.