There are several common mistakes to avoid when planning custom built homes. Read on to discover a few of the most important, and trust L. Patten & Sons to steer you in the right direction in the custom home building process. We specialize in custom built homes in Collingwood, Creemore, and the Blue Mountains area. Contact us today!
Common Mistakes When Planning Custom Built Homes
Poor financial planning
Deciding on a budget is your first and most important step. You want to enjoy living in the home, and you'll enjoy it a lot more if it hasn’t dragged you deep into debt through the building process.
Create a budget as soon as you decide to build, and stick to it. Do some research to find out just how much comparable custom built homes in your area typically cost, and if you discover that you can't accommodate the price, consider waiting a few years to build.
At the same time, you want to make sure you’re not pinching pennies too much, as hiring a low-budget, low-rated builder could come back to haunt you. We're all trying to save money these days, and an extremely low bid from a seemingly friendly builder may seem like the perfect way to divert a significant chunk of money elsewhere. However, a smart consumer is always wary of a too-low price.
Low, low bids can be a sign of inexperience, poor workmanship, and use of shoddy materials. A builder may also offer a limited-time, up-front deal where they end up taking a load of cash up front and don’t end up following through.
All this to say, your money is well-earned and deserves to be invested in a dream home that will last.
Don’t settle for anything than premium bang for your buck - accepting the lowest bid isn’t always in your best interest.
Settling for less-than-deal location
It's important to consider some key criteria before you purchase land on which to build your custom home. These criteria will affect the building process itself, the future value of your home, and your quality of life as a resident. Here’s a few key items to keep in mind, with help from Trusted Pros:
Busy streets might seem convenient if they're close to your job or your children's' school, but they're almost always a negative. Not only is it harder to perform any construction job with vehicles flying by, but the value of the completed home will be much lower. Look for land that is easily accessible but also relatively peaceful.
Terrain plays a big role in how quickly and easily construction can take place - hills, soil conditions, any bodies of water on the property, the slope of the property, the underlying water table and any wooded areas, for example. In essence, anything which will impede the movement of workers could end up costing you more in time and labour.
Nearby structures can cause you a lot of headaches down the road. If you're purchasing land in a development, you're fairly certain to end up surrounded by residential homes. Many properties are priced below market value due to unwanted neighbouring structures. Consider all the adjacent properties before making a purchase.
Utilities aren't an option, and so it's a good idea to find out the cost to connect before you buy. Prices vary wildly, even in neighbouring towns, so call to get the figures before you fall in love with a piece of land.
Wise decisions with respect to the purchase of land are crucial with custom built homes.
Too much DIY
Professional home builders and designers (architects) exist for a reason; it's their job to build you a solid, dependable and enjoyable home, taking every single aspect into consideration.
Their years of experience are well worth the investment; the result is a high level of attention to detail, and catching potential problems you may not have noticed or even been aware of.
DIY custom built homes are not recommended for the inexperienced. Chipping in on smaller jobs is one thing, but unless you are trained and licensed, leave the bigger, more fundamental jobs to the professionals.
For more, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Building Your Custom Home.
Trust professional builders when planning a custom home.
For Custom Built Homes Near Collingwood, Trust L. Patten & Sons
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.
What L. Patten customers are saying:
L. Patten & Sons consist of a great team of people that share the same work ethics as Jerry. He has a great staff that will easily guide you through the whole process. All of his skilled tradespersons on the job site were very professional, polite, conscientious, showed up on time and the site was always clean and in order. After the house was built Jerry followed up to make sure every detail was perfect and that I was happy with the end result.
My home is now 3 years old and I couldn’t be happier! I have people all the time asking me who built the Beach House and I am very proud to say L. Patten & Sons. If you are looking for a custom home builder that will make your dream home a reality I would not hesitate to recommend Jerry Patten to make that happen for you.
- Lisa Mantella
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.