From picking the layout to determining all the finishes, building a custom home is a milestone many people dream about. But what exactly does the process look like?
While it may seem complicated, most custom home projects follow a similar process. Below, we detail the important steps in the custom home building process.
Purchase Your Lot or Property
This is arguably one of the most important steps in the custom home building process. While you can always renovate your home, switching locations is much more difficult. That’s why it’s important to choose a lot or property that is in an ideal location for you.
While researching your lot, it’s important to know how much buildable space it has. That’s because, unfortunately, not all space on your lot is buildable.
Buildable space can be affected by a number of things, including homeowner’s associations, environmental regulations, local jurisdictions, and existing infrastructure.
You may limited on what and where you can build, and if there’s no current infrastructure, you will have to install septic, water, and utilities yourself.
Purchasing a lot is an exciting time since it’s the start of your big project. With some dedicated research, you can find the right lot to build your dream home on.
Find the Right Homebuilder
With your new plot of land ripe for the building, it’s time to find the right homebuilder to make your ideas a reality.
This is another essential piece to research since the quality of your home will depend on the builder you choose.
Look up different builders online and read their websites and reviews. If you’re able, you may even want to visit some of their completed projects to get a feel for the quality and style.
The right builder will listen to your requests and use their experience to bring those ideas to life.
Design Your Floorplan
Now that you’ve chosen your builder, you can start designing your floorplan. You’ll likely work with an architect during this stage to collaborate with you and your chosen builder. This collaborative process will determine everything you want in your home.
Getting the right plan together is essential since it sets the tone for the rest of the project. You’ll need to decide things like:
The size of your home
The number of bedrooms and bathrooms you’ll have
Other essentials you want
The overall style
The type of materials you want to use
The budget for your project
If deciding all these details sounds overwhelming, you’re not alone. Many builders have existing floorplans you can choose from so you don’t have to decide every little detail.
Seal the Deal With a Contract
When all the building details are finalized, your builder can give you the price of the home. If everything looks right, sign your purchase agreement to start the building process.
If the quoted price for the home ends up being more than you budgeted for, your builder can help suggest smaller changes that can lower the overall cost of the home. By making several small changes, you should still be able to get the home you want at the price you can afford.
Secure Your Financing and Permits
Before breaking ground, you’ll have to get all the financing and permitting out of the way.
Talk to a local lender about your options. Since you’re building a home rather than buying one, you’ll want to find a lender who can help with construction loans specifically. You may even be able to do a one-time close loan on your home loan and mortgage, making the process much simpler for you.
You’ll also need to get the necessary permits to ensure you’re following the regulations of the county and municipality you’re building in. Make sure you get everything you need before you start building to ensure your project follows the legal guidelines.
Let’s Start Building
Congrats on making it to the construction phase! Now you get to see all your hard work take shape.
Building a new home typically takes 12+ months. During this time, your home will move through several stages before it’s turned into a functional building:
Site Preparation: excavating your land to get it level for construction
Foundation & Framing: you’ll start to see the shape of your home
Interior System Installations: all the important “behind the scenes” pieces like plumbing, electric, insulation, drywall, and HVAC systems are installed
Flooring, Painting, & Fixtures: the final pieces of your home come together by adding the flooring, paint colors, fixtures, and other accessories
Close On Your New Home
After several long months of planning and building, you can finally move into your new home. You’ll have a final walkthrough to make sure everything is correct. When you’re satisfied, it’s time to close on your new house and get your keys.
It’s Time to Take the Next Step
Now, you know what lies ahead of you when building a custom home. The only thing left to do is take the next step.
If you’re ready to start building your custom home, Hunt Homes Group is here to help.
We understand that picking the right builder to bring your dream to life is an important decision, and we want you to feel confident about your choice. You can see our previous work and visit our model home to decide if we are the right fit for you.
Ready to make your dream home happen? Let’s get started together.
