The custom home building process can appear intimidating from the outset, but the good news is it’s a road you won’t travel alone. L. Patten & Sons specializes in custom-built homes in Collingwood, Creemore, and the Blue Mountains area, and you can trust our over 50 years of experience to build you the home of your dreams! Contact L. Patten & Sons today to begin the custom home building process.
2019 Guide to the Custom Home Building Process
Each stage of the process varies in terms of its complexity, but the general steps can be traced broadly as follows.
1. Establish a budget
It all begins here, as the amount of available funds determines what and where you will construct.
Land on which to build must be taken into consideration, as well as the scope of the custom build itself - the number of bedrooms, living areas, bathrooms, etc.
On top of those basics, you must remember to consider items that will not be part of a build price itself: permits, 2019 property taxes, development charges, septic (or well if applicable), hydro connection, landscaping, appliances, furniture, and HST. For reference, here’s 7 things to consider when assessing the cost of building a custom home.
Without proper budgeting, costs can accumulate beyond your ability to pay, and the project can go sideways in a hurry.
In order to get the house of your dreams, set a budget, and make sure your financial institution is willing to commit to it as well.
2. Select and purchase your land
You have a vision for your dream home, and you want to make sure it’s ideally placed, especially if you value outdoor space and want to take advantage of your surroundings. Consider what it will be like to live there in all 4 seasons, and also take note of nearby amenities, schools, and access to major thoroughfares.
Unless you’re in a rush to build, it’s important to take your time, do the legwork, and find the perfect lot. If you have a builder in mind, ask them to walk the lot with you and give you their opinion about building and living on that space.
Last but not least, look at the price of the lot and make sure you’ll have enough left in your budget to build the house you are dreaming of.
For more, be sure to read our post on things to consider when purchasing land for a home.
3. Get involved in the design process
As you enter this stage of the custom home building process, you should come prepared with a basic understanding of what you want.
How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you want? What sort of entertaining space do you need? What are your priorities, and what can you bend on? What style do you like? Make sure you understand the cost involved with all of these decisions so that the house designed for you fits within your established budget, as discussed earlier.
This is where the input of your builder becomes valuable, as they are the hands-on source for realistic material and labour costs. The design stage is too early for accurate pricing, but your builder - if you have secured one already - can certainly guide your choices wisely if you have made your building budget clear.
As you enter the design stage of the custom home building process, you should come prepared with a basic understanding of what you want.
4. Choosing the right builder
You can’t underestimate the importance of choosing the right custom home builder. We suggest you begin your search by doing some online research, assessing Google reviews, customer comments, and industry rankings.
Home Builder Digest suggests taking the following steps before committing to a particular builder.
Talk to previous clients. Ask about the communication, any misunderstandings or setbacks and if they would work with them again.
Get photos of past projects.
Meet the foreman who would be working on your home.
Ask about suppliers. The material that goes into your home is just as important as the people building your home.
Gather a few bids for your custom home building project, add up all of the above, and make your decision.
Trust L. Patten & Sons with the custom home building process!
L. Patten & Sons Limited brings over fifty years of custom home building experience to every project we undertake. We take pride in building custom homes that are as beautiful to look at as they are comfortable to live in.
"My husband and I decided to work with Jerry specifically because he was a local builder and had been in business for many years. When we started building our dream home we realized what a huge project we were undertaking, however, the many decisions, frustrations and second-guessing almost drove us crazy. That's when we understood how our decision to use Jerry had allowed us to keep our sanity!
Jerry's ever present smile, calm demeanour and professionalism was a bonus. His understanding of the process of building a home, his connections and experience has enabled us to build our beautiful home on budget and on time.
The quality of work is something that, 2 years on, we still appreciate. As I'm sure we will for many more years to come. The many decisions that Jerry helped us with are also appreciated - almost daily. We sometimes laugh about things we thought were great ideas and then Jerry very politely and always with a smile steered us in the right direction. We truly feel lucky to have found Jerry and his crew and are proud to say that our home is a L. Patten and Sons home!" - Sonya and Rob
See more testimonials here!
We make it our goal to help all our clients realize their dreams. Quality craftsmanship, attention to detail and complete customer satisfaction are what sets L. Patten and Sons apart in the Collingwood, Blue Mountain, and Georgian Triangle home building community. Our home owners can rest assured that their new home will be a source of pride and satisfaction for many years to come.