Congratulations! You’ve finally made the decision to build your new home! Let’s not beat around the bush, get ready for a deluge of items you’ll have to make a decision on. Here are the top three things you’ll need to decide at the very beginning of this process. Aside from financing, the top three things you’ll need to nail down (pun intended) will be What, Where and Who. You’ll need to decide WHAT kind of house to build, WHERE the house will be built and WHO will build it.
In this first installment we’ll discuss the What. This one may be the easiest, since you probably have some ideas about what you are looking for in a new home. You’ll need to determine how many bedrooms and baths, one floor or two, garage or carport. Your list will probably contain those “must haves” and then the optional “nice to haves.”
Typically, here in the flat lands of the Coastal Plain of South Carolina, your home design will not necessarily need to conform to a certain geography, so that opens up a wide range of options.
You have stock home plans, which are widely available for sale at bookstores and on the internet. These are usually good starting points to help get the project moving in the direction of your wants and needs. You’ll soon be an expert at examining those layout drawings and symbols, to find the best triangulation of bedroom to bathroom to kitchen. Your budget will also impact what type and size of home you can afford.
If you decide to employ an architect to design your home, be prepared for that extra cost. Many times you can take your stock plan that’s close and the architect can make the necessary changes for less than a complete design. The benefit of this will be the surety that the changes will be structurally sound and up to code.
Look around and take note of the homes in your area that you admire. Consult friends and family for advice on what they like and don’t like about their current homes. Also, check out home shows and tours in your area, where you can experience several homes in a short period.
Just remember, there is no perfect home! If you wait to get that perfect plan and layout, you may never break ground! With enough pre-planning and advice, you’re sure to find that your new home is pretty close to perfect!
Next up… Where to build.