Building a new home from nothing is one of the largest projects many homeowners will ever undertake. With a project of this scale, there are many custom home mistakes that people can encounter.
In this article we’ll be addressing some of the most common custom home mistakes and giving quick tips on how to stay aware and avoid them.
Working with an experienced, professional custom home building company will significantly decrease the odds of things going wrong, but nonetheless it’s good to be aware of common mistakes so you don’t fall into the same traps.
Mistake #1 - House Position
Mistake #2 - Basement Layout
MistakE #3 - Budget Oversights
MistakE #4 - Not Future-Proofing
MistakE #5 - Poor Planning
If there’s a concern you have that wasn’t in this article, give us a call at L. Patten & Sons. We can explain the whole process.
Common Custom Home Mistakes
Mistake #1 - House Position
Make sure your house is positioned to catch a healthy amount of sunlight.
The first and most fundamental of custom house mistakes is being too hasty about the position your new house.
Your house should:
Catch the Sunlight - We know sunlight is essential to the wellbeing of humans. It makes us happier, staves off depression, and is even related to how we regulate our sleep schedules.
As the sun always rises in the East and sets in the West, your house should be oriented to receive that sunlight, without trees blocking the light, and with windows in appropriate places.Not Be In the Way - What we mean by this is that your home should not interfere with accessibility of any other features of your property. For example, if it’s on a lake, the house should not block water access. See Mistake #4 - Future Proofing below for more info.
If your new custom is being built on a narrow suburban or urban lot, then you won’t have nearly as much flexibility about the orientation and position of your home. In that case, just make sure you have sufficiently large windows on the front and back of your house, as houses in denser zones are typically so close together that you won’t get much light from the sides.
Mistake #2 - Basement Layout
Basements can make great storage or entertainment spaces. | Image by ElasticComputeFarm on Pixabay
Basements are more useful than you may think.
They can double as hosting spaces, small living areas, or entertainment rooms. Based on each of these possible renovation styles, the layout should be different.
If you’re going to have people spending lots of time in your basement, it’s also wise to include a washroom.
In addition to the standard fire-escape egress windows, the basement should also have standard fire alarms and it should be easy to get to the stairs no matter where you are in the basement.
If you plan your basement to be used for storage, then a boxy shape is helpful, but the shape doesn’t really matter. Just make sure you have adequate lighting.
Mistake #3 - Budget Oversights
A remote location will likely increase your budget.
The expense of constructing a custom home can be broken into two categories: Primary Costs, and Secondary Costs.
Primary Costs simply refers to the price of the custom house project. This cost is usually established between the contracting company and the homeowner before work begins so everyone’s on the same page.
Secondary Costs are all the unforeseen personal costs surrounding the construction. This is the category people often forget to budget for.
Once the construction begins, you’ll need to consider things like:
the cost of gas if you need to drive to the job site
temporary housing if you had to move out of your old home
the price of installing amenities like internet once the house is built
transportation costs for all your furniture, and more
The specifics of what makes up the Secondary Costs will vary from job to job, but the point is it’s important to look beyond the mere cost of the construction of the house when considering your total potential expenditure.
Mistake #4 - Not Future-Proofing
Leaving plenty of yard-space allows room for future patios, decks, or gardens.
The fourth common custom home mistake is not building your new custom home in a way that is future-proof. A future-proof home would be a home that is built to accommodate change, improvements, or updates that the homeowner may want to make in the future.
For many homeowners, the construction of the house itself is just the beginning of developing their property. They may have ideas and dreams of future features they want to implement so their house and land should be built to be as future-proof as possible in the first place.
Here are some examples of features or updates you may want to add to your property in the future and what type of fore-planning those features would require:
Sheds, Gardens, or Pools - Each of these features simply require yard-space. Try to imagine in your head where you would like these items to go if you were to install one (e.g., a shed 20 metres from the house hidden by trees; or a pool directly behind your backdoor) and make sure the placement of your house on the lot will not preclude the placement of that item.
Patios & Walkways - If you spend a lot of time outside, make sure there is buffer space around your house for future paved walking space.
Green Energy - Installing something like solar panels will either require open land or a specific roof that catches the sun properly.
Outdoor Lighting - Rocky land or heavy foliage will make it difficult to install large-scale outdoor lighting around your property.
House Extensions - House extensions can’t be placed anywhere. If you think you’ll ever need more housing space, we recommend leaving a generous area behind your house.
Larger Driveway - Is the land around your current driveway stable and tree-free enough to allow for driveway expansions? Remember you also need enough visibility at the entrance for safe turning.
The general rule of thumb is to give yourself more space than you think you need. Brainstorm any far-future dreams you might have for your property and make preparations accordingly.
Mistake #5 - Poor Planning
This variety of custom home mistake doesn’t relate to budget or the placement of features on your property, but rather is about ensuring you have reasonable expectations going into your custom home construction.
Time Frame
Constructing a new home can take anywhere from 12-24 months..
House Style
There are numerous major styles of architecture for residential homes. For some examples you can browse our gallery, or check out our past blog posts. You want to have confidence that the end result matches your expectations.
Be as clear and communicative as you can with the construction company, and don’t be afraid about explaining your own preferences and design dreams.
Supplementary Installations
If you have a favourite gardener, or a business you trust to put in a hot tub, you’ll need to be clear with them about the timeframe and progress of your home construction, and not ask them to start prematurely. It’s easier if only one business is working at your property at a time.
Quality Custom Homes Since 1958
Professional custom home construction in collingwood, Creemore, and the Blue Mountain Area
Integrity, Quality, and Amazing Customer Service
L. Patten & Sons is the trusted regional partner you can rely on to avoid custom home mistakes and get the dream home you’ve always wanted.
“Jerry & the team at L. Patten & Sons did an outstanding job building our home. Building a custom home is complex with many challenges, the team went above and beyond. Our family loves the home that they built us. Honesty and Integrity comes to mind when I think of L. Patten & Sons.”
“They built our beautiful home, the service / schedule / budget was exactly what they told us it would be. The entire Team was GREAT to deal, they did not miss a beat. I would build another home with them tomorrow. THANK YOU!”