Avoiding the most common mistakes when building your new home

Building your new home is exciting! Creating a new home design and seeing it transform into what you had always dreamt and envisioned is the ultimate in rewarding. However, we see so many of these exciting times turn ugly when easily avoidable, common mistakes are made. Avoid the stress, added costs and frustration by following some of our simple tips for foreseeing and preventing these missteps.

Be realistic with your time frame

Finding the right designer/builder is critical, and settling for someone because they have availability to start your project sooner than others is the wrong way to start your project. Rushing to an arbitrary deadline that is unrealistic can lead to poor decision making in design, finishes and quality of the build. Allocate sufficient time to the design and selection process and be certain to have thoroughly communicated your wants and needs with your builder prior to signing a contract. Designing and building a custom home takes time, and rushing the process leads to feelings of regret and "I wish I would have done this differently" once the home is completed. As a builder, this is the worst thing to hear from a client after the home is completed.

Know your budget

Before speaking with anyone about your project you need to know your budget. Know what you can afford and what you are willing to spend. Communicating this to your designer/builder at the onset of the design process will ensure that time is not wasted creating a plan that will never be built. Building with a custom home designer/builder such as True North Custom Homes will ensure that you end up with a design that not only suits your lifestyle, but also your budget.

House suits the land

The land you will be building on will have a significant impact on the design. True North incorporates a site visit very early on in the process to understand how the land will dictate aspects such as orientation, dimension, natural light, privacy issues, floor plan functions and flow. If you are in the process of searching for that perfect piece of land, True North welcomes the opportunity to visit sites prior to committing to a purchase. Many of the homes we build are on lakes, and often there are specific guidelines and restrictions for things such as setbacks from the water, side lot setbacks and impervious surface area limitations. Our years of experience with shoreland zoning will allow us to guide you through the process and ultimately design a home specific to the characteristics of your site.

Building a new home home, especially one in the beautiful Northwoods, does not need to be an intimidating and stressful process. We pride ourselves in the lasting relationships we build with our clients. Finding a builder you are comfortable with and have the rapport necessary to engage in a custom home build is paramount to maintaining the fun and excitement of the process.