7 Mistakes to Avoid When Building a New Home

Building a new home is a huge project that requires a lot of planning, time maintenance, and patience. Some homeowners try to cut corners in some places to try to make the process easier, but end up making costly mistakes that set them back. At Deer Ridge Construction, our expert craftsmen want to ensure your dream home is built hassle-free. We’ll work with you every step of the way to give you a custom home while avoiding costly mistakes. To help you plan your new home, here are seven common mistakes to avoid when building a new home. 

Choosing the Wrong Builder

Choosing your builder is one of the most important decisions to make for these projects. You need to thoroughly research builders to find one that aligns with your vision. Choosing the wrong builder can lead to low-quality builds with bad materials, schedule delays, or financial losses. The right builder, like Deer Ridge Construction, will give you a positive home-building experience, providing you with a new home that perfectly fits your needs and expectations. When looking for a builder, conduct proper research on them before you contact them. Check their references and review their portfolios to see projects they have completed. Compare quotes you get from all your builders and find the one that aligns with both your budget and your needs. 

Not Planning Properly 

Several mistakes can happen if you don’t plan the project properly. If you don’t plan your budget, the floor plan, designs, etc., then you will have to account for mistakes throughout the project that wouldn’t happen if you planned for it. Dedicate time to thoroughly plan out a design, budget, and timeline with your builder before starting construction. A well-thought-out plan will guide you through each step of the building process to make your vision a reality. 

Not Enough Budget

You need to have a clear understanding of your financial limits. Set a budget and stick to it by planning every building cost you will acquire to ensure you don’t go over budget. Many people who don’t plan their budget often have to sacrifice in other areas, which can impact the quality of your home. Your building team at Deer Ridge can help you figure out your budget to find things that are within your budget but still high-quality. 

Contingency Planning

We recommend having a contingency fund as well to have a buffer for any additional or unexpected costs that come up during the project. In almost every building project, there are funds that weren’t accounted for in the original budget. No initial budget is fully accurate, so having a contingency fund prepares for these extra expenses. 

Poor Floor Plans

The layout of your home needs to flow nicely. A poor floor plan can affect the functionality of the home, making it difficult to be productive in your home. It can also affect how you design your home, you want to make sure your design flows evenly throughout the house. You should spend significant time planning the design and layout of your new home, so you can optimize how you will live in it. Talk with your builders about your floor plan ideas to let them give you expert insights to help you refine your design. 

Choosing Low-Quality Materials

Invest in high-quality materials so your home stays durable and is built to last. People may look to find ways to minimize costs, and choosing low-quality materials is a popular way to do it. However, it causes more costly mistakes than buying better materials originally. Cutting corners by using low-quality materials can affect the lifespan of your home, making the exterior or foundation deteriorate quickly. It can lead to higher maintenance and repair costs in the future. Higher-quality materials will safeguard the investment you’re putting into your home. To learn more about high-quality materials, check out our Choosing Construction Materials for Your New Home blog. 

Being Disorganized

Being organized will ensure every aspect of the project runs smoothly. You should keep records of all decisions, contracts, and communications with your builder to keep everything organized. When people do not organize everything for their project, some aspects can be forgotten about and the experience will be more stressful. Having proper organization will allow you to not stress about where your important documents are. If you have any questions during the building process you can revisit your contracts to determine what the plan is.  

Forgetting to Add Storage Spaces

Oftentimes the biggest floor plan blunder and regret among homeowners is forgetting to add adequate storage in their homes.  Not having enough storage space is one of the biggest issues homeowners face after moving in. You need to think about more than the living spaces and plan for how to practically and comfortably live your life. Plan for the storage you need, like a mudroom, walk-in closet, pantry, coat closet, etc. Homes need to have proper storage spaces to stay organized and decluttered. When creating your custom floor plan, make sure to add in storage spaces. 

Build a New Home with Deer Ridge Construction

Deer Ridge Construction will work with you every step of the building process to make your vision for your dream home a reality. We use the best quality materials and highly skilled builders to create a home that will last a lifetime. Ready to build a custom home? Check out our featured projects to get ideas of what we do and how we can build your dream home. For more information, contact us today!