Building your own home gives you the chance to bring your dreams to life. You can choose your ideal location and design a house that offers you every amenity you’d always hoped to find. With a custom home build, you can control every outlet placement and cabinetry set placed on the property — which is a lot to manage. Most homeowners have limited construction and real estate knowledge which can lead them to make costly errors.

Keep reading to discover 6 top mistakes you should avoid when building your own home.

1. Making Assumptions

People often stick to what they know, and that can lead them to make costly assumptions. For example, if they want to customize their home design, they might believe the only option is to choose a stick-built home. In reality, many modular homes are also customizable and could save buyers time and money. Unfortunately, because people forget to research the process, they miss opportunities that could have better suited their needs.

2. Forgetting to Budget Not Setting

Budgeting helps to turn an idea from a dream into reality. If you know how much it costs to build a house, then you can begin saving and searching for lenders. People think about the major expenses and forget about the relevant soft costs. It’s crucial that homeowners factor in every step of the process to know what they can afford.

The second pitfall experienced with budgeting is that people forget to stick to the limits they’ve set before the build began. When they look at cabinets and countertops, expensive upgrades catch their attention, and they justify their purchasing items outside of their price range. This common mistake creates a snowball effect and can push property builders to spend thousands over their initial estimate. In the end, they’ll need to either pay the difference or cut costs somewhere else on the property. 

3. Missing Essential Permits

Once you’ve purchased your piece of land, it’s tempting to jump into the construction phase as quickly as possible. However, new construction requires written authorization before the building begins. The local municipality must approve the work permits to ensure that the construction will follow zoning and safety regulations.

Typically contractors take care of this step on the homeowner’s behalf, but if you don’t have a contractor or project manager, the responsibility falls to you. Even if you have a contractor, it’s in your best interest to verify that they’ve obtained all of the necessary permits.

4. Hiring the First Contractor You Find

When someone is making an expensive purchase, it pays to shop around to look for the best deals. This doesn’t mean always choosing the cheapest laborer, but it does imply doing your research before hiring a builder. If you meet with several contractors and receive bids, you have a chance to evaluate which option is the best. If you hire the first person you meet with, you’ll never know if you chose the most experienced and cost-effective contractor.

5. Ignoring Your Instincts

Sometimes homeowners have a nagging feeling but ignore it because they don’t want to complicate the process or question the builder or designer. However, it’s important to remember that they’re spending a lot of money to build the house of a lifetime. If they know the current layout won’t fit their lifestyle, it’s crucial that they speak up immediately.

Guest Contributor: Rose Morrison

Ignoring your instincts can leave you feeling upset about the final product. As the client, it’s your job to make decisions, so you should never let a contractor or designer pressure you into making a choice you don’t genuinely want.

6. Not Planning for Project Complications

In life, things rarely go according to plan. Project timelines are estimates that can quickly go awry from weather complications or material delays. Many first-time homebuilders forget to budget for potential delays and difficulties. To best prepare, homeowners should strike a balance between being understanding and setting high expectations.

It’s possible to reduce a lot of confusion by establishing project milestones and communicating frequently. When in doubt, you should always refer back to your contract and make amendments as needed.

It’s a Learning Process

Building your own home is a new experience for most people. Avoiding these six mistakes will help keep your project moving smoothly, but some complications will still arise. Remember that it’s a learning process, and to reach a positive outcome, you need to keep focused on your goals.