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Published On: Sat, Sep 16th, 2017

3 Major Mistakes to Avoid When Building a Home

Have you ever glimpsed a newly built home and thought, “what were they thinking?” You don’t want this to happen to you, so knowing what to avoid is essential.

Building something from nothing can become a horribly messy process if you aren’t prepared. Massive construction projects come with a unique set of concerns. So keep an eye out for these project-ruining pitfalls.

photo Alina Ku-Ku via Shutterstock

Thinking in Short-Term

One of the most damaging things you can do to your project is to think only in the short-term. Building homes is an extensive business and the layout and design that you have in mind should represent your future. You don’t want to build a single-family home, and then produce 4 children in the upcoming years.

If you plan on keeping this home in the family for years, or generations to come, there are some details you should hammer out. Potential issues in the future could be a raised porch or an upstairs master bedroom. If you or a loved one breaks a hip or some other bodily injury occurs during old age, make sure you have proper access. Having to install a ramp in the future might put an aesthetic damper on your dream home.    

Ignoring Possible Delays

Depending on the time of year that your construction timeline falls on, you might be in for months of delays. If you’re in colder parts, frost and snow could cause a halt in the building process. As could hurricane or other natural disaster occurrences.

Other delays could be “red tape” or legal issues. Some areas take longer to permit the building of a new structure. Maybe their department is slow or understaffed. Maybe they’re asking for money that you can’t front right away.

Either way, delays are almost inevitable, so it’s good to expect a few. Being flexible with your estimations means that if something happens on time or costs less, you’ll be pleasantly surprised rather than frustrated.    

Choosing the Wrong Contractor

Take this scenario for example. You want to remodel your bathroom. Your brother-in-law used to work in construction years ago and he hasn’t had an employment opportunity in a long time. You feel like you can trust him, and you want to save some money, so you let him take on the job.

Unfortunately, when he announces that the work is complete, everything is wrong. The light switches are upside-down and the laminate flooring is already peeling. The toilet isn’t connected to the floor properly and the faucets were installed backwards. After all that, you’ll have to probably take out a loan and hire someone else to come in and rip up what he did, then re-do it all.

You don’t want this to happen to you. Choosing the right experienced and licensed contractor, will benefit you in the long run. Your contractor needs to be your go-to person when it comes to constructing your dream house. They should know the ends and outs of their business and what you plan to have done. Check out their work history, their current endeavors, their client reviews and references, and their subcontractors.

When building your dream home, you want it to be the best it can be. By considering these few things, you will prevent your home from failing. Now get building!

Author: Clarissa Caouette

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Have Your Say
  1. Gerald Bouthner says:

    Buying a home is a major financial decision. Building a home is a much more arduous project. Aside from choosing who to use to finance the transaction the choice of which builder to use for the project is very important. If possible get references from others. In all cases you should ask for references as well from each prospective builder.

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