From the Ground Up

Why the Square Footage of A Home Matters

Family Members

The size of your family is probably one of the first things you will consider when you are considering what the size of your home should be. However, the number of people in your family alone should not completely dictate the decision, families of all sizes have different living needs. A general rule to go by is that for every bedroom in your home, you should have enough room for at least two people to sit in any space. If you have four bedrooms, there should be enough seating room in the living room for eight people. If you have two bedrooms, you should plan for a dining room that can seat up to four people. It’s an easy rule of thumb to visualize how much room you will need to have comfortable living spaces.

Entertaining

It’s also important to consider how much entertaining you and your family like to do. If your family only really has company over around the holidays, you may not need an extra bedroom or a larger living room, if you were only going to use them for guests. However, if you love to have friends and family over every single weekend, you will want to consider how much space you will really need. Generally, putting more square footage into communal living spaces like the kitchen or living room where people can socialize, will be worth more than putting all the square footage in the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Budget

Your budget is obviously an important factor when considering square footage, but you do have a couple of options when it comes to actually using that budget. Some people prefer to have the largest home they can afford, while placing less emphasis on the interior designs and finer details. Others may purchase a smaller home but value high end interior furnishings and amenities. Either way is perfectly fine, it’s your budget and personal choice, you get to choose how it is allocated. However, making the decision about how to allocate your budget earlier rather than later will help you maximize your budget.

Utility Costs

Utility costs are something that is often overlooked or forgotten when considering the square footage of a home. Each area of the home will need to be lit, cooled, and heated. To get a close estimate to what you may be paying in utility costs, you can always ask some of the residents in the surrounding area. If you are purchasing a home from a seller, they can help give you a general estimate of what your utility bill may be.

Multi-purpose Rooms

One more thing to note is that all rooms do not just have to be for one purpose. Utilizing multi-purpose rooms can help you maximize square footage, especially if you are building your own custom home. You can still maximize square footage with multi-purpose rooms if you are buying an existing home, but with a custom home you can design it exactly how you’d like from the ground up. Your huge basement doesn’t have to just be an entertainment space, it could also be a craft room, office space, home gym. It’s completely up to you!

When it comes to square footage, remember that bigger does not always mean better. Each family has their own living needs, and if you plan ahead and work with your builder, you can build a beautiful home with the square footage that is right for you.

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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.