Building a New Home – Questions Costs and Steps If You Build
Building your own home is certainly the best way of getting exactly what you want. What’s more, planning for the new home is a stimulating experience for most families, giving them an opportunity really to examine their own values and needs, and to share in making a dream come true.
On the other hand, building, unless it is done carefully and wisely, can be a tremendous emotional and financial strain.
Unless you are very sure of yourself, do not try to design your own home, nor do your own contracting. The architect and the building contractor arc both experts. You pay for their services but, generally speaking, they can protect you from costly mistakes.

Before you start planning your home, spend a little time studying. Many new developments have taken place in the building field – new materials and methods, new types of heating, lighting, flooring, new ways of planning living areas, sleeping rooms, new ways to equip kitchens and bathrooms. Many magazines and newspapers report on these new developments, and most manufacturers of equipment and materials will furnish you with information. Know as much as you can about your choices before you make up your mind.
If you are likely to want to expand your home as your family grows, tell your architect what your plans are before he starts designing. The extra room which is allowed for in the original plan will fit into the total home better than one that is simply an afterthought.
We doubt that any house was ever built without “extras.” After your architect has designed a home to your heart’s desire and told you what it will cost to build, prepare yourself for extra costs. You many want this room a little larger, that one with an extra window, better tiling here and better hardware there. Allow for enough leeway in your budget to cover these extras.
Although you are building your home for the satisfaction of your own family, there is always the chance that at some later date you may want to sell it. Resale value need not be your foremost consideration, but it should not be overlooked. The off-beat picturesque house, or the one with an unconventional floor plan, is not likely to be readily sold.
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