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Why build?
Zach and I have owned two homes together. The first was a newer split-level. The second is a renovated 1950s ranch-style home. We downsized when we moved from the split-level to the rancher, but we traded square-footage for location.
I’m glad that we have lived in other homes. It has taught us what we value most in a home and what we can live without.
It has always been a dream of ours to build. And while we have considered buying land and doing a custom-built home in the past, we decided to use a builder in a community instead.
Living in a neighborhood is a good fit for our current season of life. We are looking forward to having that sense of community with sidewalks, a playground, a swimming pool, and close neighbors.
You’ll hear that it’s “not a great time to be building a home” given the rising costs and short supply of construction materials. However, we found that using a local community-builder has reduced that risk. We knew from the very beginning what our unchanging associated costs would be and what to expect from the building timeline.
So we prayed about the decision, evaluated the new stewardship that would be required, and have trusted that every open door was directing our steps in the right direction.
It has been exciting to see this process through from the very beginning. If you are looking to build at some point, or are just interested in our experience, here is what you need to know when building a home.
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Picking the best floor plan for your home-
Take your time. Deciding on the best floor plan for your family is one of the most crucial parts of building (and loving) a home. Consider how your family lives and what your biggest needs are.
- Are you frequent entertainers?
- How many kids do you want? Will they share a room?
- What about a guest room?
- Do you have enough storage space for your husband’s many hobbies? 🤪
- How do you feel about stairs?
- Would you use a formal dining room?
- Is it pet friendly?
Getting this part right will make the ups and downs of the long building process worth it.
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What to know about the home building process-
After you have decided on a lot and floor plan, you can prepare yourself for the construction process ahead. Here is a general breakdown of how it went in our experience.
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1. Construction begins– Footers, framing, and windows
This is kind of funny, but when our concrete slab was poured, I immediately thought- How does this look so much smaller than I expected?
Well, you know how they say a room looks bigger with furniture in it? Well, a slab looks bigger with walls on it! Once the framing was up, I was amazed at how everything was coming to life.
This is genuinely one of the most rewarding stages of the building process because it seems like it is all happening so quickly.
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 24:3-4
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2. Rough-ins– Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC
We would check-in from week-to-week at this point, and it just seemed like things had slowed down. But I learned that while this part of construction may not feel like a lot is happening- it is. Wires just don’t do it for me like framing does 🤷♀️.
Zach took pictures of everything- smart! He wanted to know what was happening inside our walls, should we ever need that information one day.
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3. Exterior– Roof, brick, siding, and gutters
Wrapping and finishing the exterior are happening simultaneously throughout the entire building process.
And thankfully our Tennessee weather has cooperated enough through our winter construction.
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4. Walls– Insulation and sheetrock
5. Interior finishes– Paint, trim, cabinets, flooring, fixtures, appliances
We had our design meeting about a month after we signed the contract to build our home. We were able to make upgrades and custom select every detail. And for some of the options we didn’t prefer, the lighting selection, for example, we stuck with the basic builder-grade and plan to update that ourselves later. Read more about that here >> A Tip for Coordinating Home Lighting + Our Light Selections.
I think I have been most surprised by how quickly these interior finishes can be installed. All of the sudden the puzzle pieces rapidly come together. And just like that this house you’ve been picturing for months feels like your home.
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6. Walk thru- Touch-ups and final walk-thru
We have just about a week left of construction and are eagerly anticipating our walk-thru!
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What you need to know when building a home-
Stay aware of the construction progress.
Often builders will post progress updates through an online portal. We had this type of access and visited the property in person about once a week. Check with your contractor or realtor for permission though, as builders see this as a liability.
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Don’t hesitate to ask questions.
Ask if there is a material escalation clause. Will your contract price be adjusted based on the changing costs of materials?
You are putting a lot of money and faith in the hands of your builder or contractor. So don’t feel like a burden when something seems unclear.
Asking the right questions helped us get a window in our bathroom that was mistakenly left out during the early phases of construction. Had we not voiced that concern, I am certain it would have accidentally been overlooked.
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Give yourself a budget for upgrades.
Understand what level of finishes are included in the builder’s price or contractor’s bid before signing contracts. Just about anything can be upgraded- paint, countertops, flooring, cabinetry… Establish a budget you are comfortable with and get a priority list in order for your must-have upgrades.
When choosing between upgrades, ask yourself what projects you could easily save and do later on your own.
Some builders offer a design center credit for upgrades that are already built into the contract price of your home. Others will establish a baseline contract price and all upgrades are extra. Ask and decide- Will you roll those upgrades into your mortgage or pay for them out of pocket?
Be confident in your decision-making.
Building a house means you are going to be making a lot of decisions. From where you want outlets to be placed to which direction you want the flooring to run. So if you aren’t always the best at decision-making, you’ll have to get used to flexing that muscle. There will be fees and delays associated with making changes in many cases.
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We have less than a month until we get the keys!!
Stay tuned for the final product + fully furnishing and decorating the home.
>>You may also love A Tip for Coordinating Home Lighting + Our Light Selections