From the Ground Up

The Ultimate Guide To Home Building

Custom to You: The biggest reason why you should build your own house is that it is completely personalized to your wants and needs.
Brand New: Don’t like fixer uppers? With a custom home build, your house will be move in ready!
New Technology: Interested in home automation? With a custom home build you can get all new smart technology appliances built into your own home.
Energy Efficient: Newer homes are built following more energy efficient codes which not only saves the planet but also saves you money.
Lower Costs: You won’t have to do any upgrades or repairs for years since it is a new home built exactly how you want it.
No Need to Negotiate: You won’t have to worry about the closing process or any bidding wars because the home was made just for you.
Build Anywhere: You can build your perfect home in the perfect neighborhood, there is no need to compromise on the location with a custom home build.

How to Choose the Perfect Neighborhood

What are your priorities? Making a list of what you want should be your first step. Here are a few you should consider: schools, traffic, commute, neighborhood amenities, safety, nearby parks/paths, and walkability.
Close in on an area. Once you figure out what is important to you in a neighborhood, it’s time to actually find some neighborhoods.
Take a drive. Before making a final decision, take a drive around your new potential new neighborhood and envision yourself living there.
Close the deal. Once you find the perfect lot you can purchase the land!

How to Choose an Architect

The next step is choosing an architect or home designer. After doing some research, here is a list of questions you should ask your potential candidates before you commit.

What responsibilities will you handle? It’s important to make sure everyone is on the same page before you start.
What is your estimated timeline? Discussing the architect’s availability and start times, while also asking about any potential hold ups in the design is something you should ask before you begin.
How do you charge? There are several ways architects calculate their fees: time spent (hourly), based on square footage, percentage of the cost of work, or stipulated sum.
What is included in your fees? Figuring out what is and isn’t included in your contract is something you should do before signing. There are various levels of service or packages that architects offer so make sure it is clear what is covered before you start.
What is your involvement during the construction process? Not all architects are involved the whole time so asking about this in the beginning is an important step so you aren’t blindsided if your architect ends up leaving after the design work is complete.
How do you handle conflict? With any project, challenges always arise. Ask the architect how they have handled conflict between themselves and the contractor in the past, but also ask how they handled conflict between themselves and the client.
Do you have references I can contact? It’s important to do your research with a project this important. Seeing how satisfied previous customers are and if they had any issues with the architect is something that is crucial to do before hiring an architect.

These first three steps are just the beginning. For more in depth answers to the previous three topics and to find out how to choose a home builder, the home building process broken down step by step, and things to know before building a home – download our free ebook!

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5 Reasons to Buy a Spec Home

Spec homes are move-in ready homes that allow home buyers to see exactly what their new home looks like, rather than envisioning a home that has not been built yet. Here are 5 key benefits of buying a spec home:

Affordable Price

One of the key benefits of buying a spec home are the potential savings. The affordability comes from efficiency in the building process, not low quality. Home builders take time to carefully create their floor plans and design plans, which creates an efficient building process. There is also less customization in spec homes than custom builds, which offers excellent value for money.

Move-in Ready

Building a custom home is a very exciting process, however, it can be time consuming due to all of the choices available to the customer. Sometimes the process of building a custom home from start to finish can take over a year. If you’re looking for a home to move into sooner rather than later, a spec home is the right choice for you. If you find the spec home of your dreams, you could do a walkthrough, purchase the home, and move in a few weeks later. That quick timeline is unheard of in custom builds.

No Guesswork

When you buy a spec home, you get to see exactly what you are purchasing before you actually sign the dotted line. You have the opportunity to check every part of the house and ensure that you are happy with it. With a custom home, you may only see the blueprint or concept at the time of purchase, and you don’t get to see the exact end result.

You Don’t Have to Start From Scratch

With custom builds, you may need to coordinate with a design firm or architect to nail the home of your dreams and get it just right. However, with a spec home, it’s all done for you. Professional designers have already done the legwork to create a perfect combination of beautiful architecture and design.

Simpler Financing

The majority of spec homes are sold with settlement upon completion, which helps avoid complex lending structures and progress payments. The process of buying a spec home in general is much more streamlined and quicker than buying a custom home.

A special bonus of buying a spec home is that spec builders are typically small business owners, so when you buy a spec home, you’re supporting a small business and getting involved in your new community.

If you’re interested in learning more about spec homes, download our Spec Home Guide here!

What to Bring When Meeting With Your Custom Home Builder

Building a custom home can seem intimidating and overwhelming, especially if you’ve never done it before. When you first meet with your builder, you don’t have to have everything perfectly laid out, but a little prep work goes a long way. Here are five things you’ll want to bring to your first visit with a custom home builder.

Your Budget

This is the most important thing you can bring to your meeting. Although you don’t need an exact number, having a range will be crucial into knowing what can go into the custom home. All decisions will be based around your budget. Another reason it’s important is because the builder will know if the budget matches market pricing.

Potential Floor Plans

Having some examples of floor plans you like will be helpful in designing your home. Of course, this is a custom home, so you do not need to exactly copy an existing floor plan. You can customize it so it fits the needs of you and your family. Bringing a floor plan to your first meeting will give the builder a better idea of what you’re looking for and they can assess what will fit into your budget. You can download our Catalog of Floor Plans to get some inspiration.

Likes and Dislikes of Your Current Home

There’s a reason why you’re building a custom home. Make a list of what you like and don’t like about your current home because it’ll help you formulate an idea of exactly what you want in your new home. This list will help the builder come up with solutions and ideas of what to add to your custom home.

Contact Information

It’s important to designate a point of contact for the builder. Having one person be responsible will simplify things and make the process go quicker. The point of contact should be the person who is most familiar with the vision of the new home. Provide email, home phone, and cell phone information so the builder can reach you anywhere.

Relevant Paperwork

Bringing in relevant paperwork will help jumpstart the project. Bringing in sketches or pictures can help show the builder what you’re looking for. Bringing financial documents or if you’ve been pre-approved for a loan will also be helpful. If you’ve already purchased a lot to build on, bringing in county records will be useful as well.

If you’re ready to build your dream home, contact us to get started. We’d love to help. In the meantime, check out our Ultimate Guide to Home Building in West Michigan to learn more about the process.

What to Splurge on When Building a Custom Home

Building a custom home is an amazing opportunity for you and your family to decide the details of every inch of your property. While keeping your budget in mind, here are five aspects of your new home worth splurging on to increase your home’s resale value.

Countertops
Countertop space is prime real estate in the kitchen. The more you have, the better. Splurging on countertops can actually increase the value and appeal of your home if you decide to sell. Solid marble, granite, or wooden countertops are long-lasting if they are well cared for, making them as durable as they are beautiful. You’ll notice the difference a good countertop makes after just a few days in your new home.

Flooring
Flooring is worth splurging on not only for the look, comfort, and resale value of the home, but also for durability. Especially if you have pets or young children in the home, it’s smart to opt for wood, high-end laminate, or tile in moisture-prone areas like the kitchen, mudroom, and bathroom. Your home will be able to stand up to usual wear and tear longer with higher-quality flooring.

Storage
The longer you live in a house, the more things you accumulate. Between children outgrowing clothes and toys, to lawn and sports equipment, storage space is oftentimes overlooked when building a new home.

Energy Efficiency
A home is a long-term investment so it’s important to consider the property’s lifetime value as you build. Adding energy-efficient features like insulation, a high-quality HVAC system, and energy-efficient windows will help on utility bills and boost your property value. It’s easy to
incorporate these features when the house is being built rather than having to update systems post-build.

Appliances
Appliances can make a huge difference in the look of a kitchen. Spending a little extra on appliances can be a good investment and improve the overall aesthetic of your kitchen. The more frequently you use the appliance should determine which appliance you prioritize over others if you’re working with a tight budget.

Elevate your forever home by putting more of your budget into these five areas. You’ll increase your home value while providing your family with little luxuries along the way. It’s easy to replace lower ticket items along the way, so focus on these areas while building. If you have any questions about custom home building, we’d love to help. In the meantime, download our Ultimate Guide to Home Building in West Michigan to learn more about the custom home building process. Feel free to reach out anytime! In the meantime, download our Ultimate Guide to Home Building in West Michigan to learn more about the custom home building process.