There’s nothing more exciting than getting the opportunity to build your home from scratch. Through this process, you get to explore your creativity and design your home just the way you like it. But the custom home building process is not always straightforward. Understanding the major steps you need to take is essential in ensuring that the custom home-building process is a success. Keep reading to learn more about the most important steps in building a custom home.
How to Get Started
Spend some time thinking about the various ideas you want for your home. There are some immediate decisions you’ll need to make like what your budget will be and your timeframe.
For reference, a custom home takes about 10 months to build in Canada. The next decision is where you want to build your custom home and look into the requirements to acquire property in that area.
Plan for Space
When building a house, you should think about your lifestyle and routines. How long do you intend to remain at this residence? Will you need to make provisions for younger kids’ safety features? Or will you need to consider your requirements as you approach the age of retirement and beyond?
Consider where you will be in the future and what you will require from your house. Interior design and planning are essential unless you want to create a really huge home. It’s important to have enough storage, but pay close attention to where you put it.
It’s important to have enough storage, but pay close attention to where you put it. Is it really necessary to have a huge walk-in closet in the master bedroom when the space might be used to expand your bedroom or master bath? Pay great attention to the placement of your closets. However, if there are too many, the storage space would take up valuable living space.
Is a closet in the entryway something you’d like? This is especially important if you host in your house and the front is the primary entry point. If you reside in a cooler region where coats are worn at least half of the year, this is a good idea.
Begin Working on Designs
Think about the habits and lifestyle of your household and find ways to come up with a design that accommodates the unique needs of your family.
This can include features like the types of doorknobs, countertops, or anything that makes life more convenient for your family. Also, think about how you want to use each space in your home.
Select Your Team
Who you hire to build your custom home is one of the most critical decisions you will make. You’re going to need an architect, a general contractor, interior designers, and possibly a landscape architect and a cleanup crew.
Make sure the people on your team are qualified and competent in their respective specialties.
Determine Your Budget
Your budget determines your options. If you have a larger budget, you’ll be able to incorporate some luxury features. On average, new homes range between $80 to $200+ per square foot.
Things you’ll need to consider include the cost of the land, local fees and taxes, design and engineering fees, construction, landscaping cost, interior design, and finishing.
Determine Size of Home
Think about how big you’d like your new home to be. The larger your home is the more it will cost, so keep this in mind as you plan. You’ll also need to find out what zoning restrictions and regulations you need to adhere to regarding the layout of your home, the height, and the square footage of your home.
Are you looking for a single-story or multiple-story home? Do you want a basement? What size will the rooms be? These are all things that need to be determined early on.
Consider Structural Features
Think about what features you want to be incorporated into the various rooms of your home.
This decision may have an impact on the layout of your home so decide what some of the features you want, for example, do you want a kitchen nook or separate dining space, an island, or a walk-in pantry? Do you want walk-in closets in your bedrooms or connected bathrooms?
Plan for Lighting
There should be plenty of light fixtures and outlets. As should be the case with windows. Every room should have a window that is as big as possible. When appropriate, natural light should be the primary source of illumination. Consider installing skylights as well.
Pay Attention to HVAC System
A poor design might result in moisture problems and dangerous mold development. This can lead to serious health problems. Furthermore, the size of your spaces should be carefully considered. Units that are too tiny will fail and will not properly chill and heat your house.
When your house is too chilly in the winter and not cold at all during the summertime, you’ll be unhappy. Those that are excessively huge, on the other hand, will consume far too much energy.
Choose Architect and Contractor
You need to be comfortable with the contractors you hire because you’ll be working closely with them.
Word of mouth is always a great way to find reliable contractors. Talk to friends and neighbours to get the best recommendations. Also, search online for qualified contractors.
Consider Interior Designer
Designers are fluent in the language of construction. When you employ the correct designer, you’ll save money because they’ll know how to decrease expenses to help you obtain the aesthetic you want, keep your project going, and avoid costly construction blunders.
Communicate with Builders
While there is no way to prevent errors, you can reduce the number of them by being detailed and clear about your objectives. Miscommunication is to blame for a lot of mishaps. The more explicit you can be about however you want anything to look like (showing or even drawing a picture if necessary), the better.
Assumptions are the source of many errors. Don’t take anything for granted. Explain everything, show a visual, go over this again, and then make sure you’re at the new place frequently so you can identify problems early and rectify them without wasting a lot of time or your money. When it comes to construction or renovation, good communication is essential!
Before you make a decision, do your research. After interviewing and meeting with a few builders, ask for referrals. To gain an accurate picture of how individuals felt about their building experience with that builder, ask for the contact numbers of the last three persons they worked for.
Look for hints that will reveal how they will engage with you. You’ll be working directly with these individuals and entrusting them with one of your most significant financial commitments. Take your time when deciding who to hire, and do your research!
Contact Us
NICKS Developments is a trusted custom home builder in Toronto and throughout the GTA. We specialize in residential construction projects and provide the highest project quality on the market. We are committed to delivering excellent craftsmanship with every project we take on.
Call us today for more information!
