6 Important Things You Must Consider Before Starting a Home Construction Project
It does not matter if you are renovating an old house or building a new one from scratch – creating a new home is a journey, not a destination. As such, it needs to be planned in steps that ultimately lead to your vision of the new place of living. While you can probably organize the whole job by yourself, these tips can help you put the ideas on a timeline.
Set the goals and have a clear vision
The goals involved in new home planning can be roughly divided into two groups – practical goals, related to funding, deadlines and logistics, and emotional goals, like your home location, position, and design solutions. When these two groups interlock, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve, where you want it to be, how much it will cost, is it realistic, and is there a plan B.
Establish a working budget
Although a budget is one of the goals, its importance puts it in a separate section. When talking about your budget, you will start with what you can afford, and how the cost of the construction translates to your future plans. The details include every aspect of the project: the price of the land, municipal fees and taxes, design and engineering fees, landscaping as well as interior details like decorating and furniture. Make sure to secure a substantial contingency as you will probably encounter hidden costs along the way.
Scout for the best location
By now you have probably decided if you are looking for a green patch of land with a molehill or two, or a neglected older house. If that ocean view location is beyond your reach, maybe a few peaceful acres of the countryside will make up to it. The good news is that the recent developments we have experienced globally in the last couple of months can work to your advantage in this case. For instance, if we take Australia as an example of a developed country, we can see that the real estate prices will drop by a sharp 20%. You can use that to get to locations you couldn’t access before the corona outbreak.
Work with experienced home builders
The quality of the work you are going to perform will largely depend on the experience of the team you are going to assemble. Fortunately, although the building industry has slowed as of recently, you will still be able to find seasoned professionals that will be able to put your plans into reality. If we once again take Australia as an example, we can see experienced builders from Melbourne going back to duty with no efficiency lost. Local labor will also provide useful insights about local climate, terrain particularities, and what separates temporary trends from quality, timeless solutions.
Set the stage for contractors
Before the workers arrive, you need to prepare the yard, lay dust and floor protection. This is the part where you discuss with them what parts of the landscaping and interior you want preserved. The other details include access to the site. If you don’t want to waste their time waiting for you to unlock, you may provide them with a key.
Start and end times
Neither you nor your neighbors like to be woken up by an angle grinder, or worse, a hammer drill. Agreeing on when to start and when to wrap up construction each day is important for your stress levels but also for keeping good relations with your neighbors. Also, knowing when your workers are going to arrive and when to leave rules out the element of surprise and lets you plan your routine.
Building from scratch, as well as remodeling, can be stressful. Having too many people working on a single project is as harmful as not having open communication with your contractor. Being receptive to professionals’ suggestions, while sticking to your vision is the only way you can be satisfied with your new home.
About the author: Mike Johnston is an avid blogging enthusiast and experienced content writer with a focus in business, technology, entrepreneurship, and real estate.
