How to Overcome the 5 Biggest Challenges of Designing a Home
While designing and building a home is a dream come true for some, creating a custom design doesn’t come without its challenges. Making the vision in your head come to life can prove to be stressful, intimidating, and just plain nerve-wracking. Here are some ways to overcome your biggest challenges when designing a home:
- Budget
Budgeting for a home build can be a difficult task. With building, it’s difficult to account for so many variables. First, look at your monthly income and decide what you are comfortable spending on a house payment. From there, have conversations with your architect and contractor. They can help you estimate costs like foundation work, foundation, framing, interior finishes, and other building costs. Be sure to leave some breathing room in your budget, since there are always some unknowns in construction. From here, your architect can help you determine what size house fits your budget and design your perfect plan.
- Waiting
Between finding the right team to work with, drafting the perfect plan, and the time it takes to construct the home, waiting can be the most challenging part of building a new home. Having realistic expectations and an ample amount of patience is the best way to tackle this challenge. Your architect and contractor can give you an estimate on how long it will take to complete their areas of the project but know that building a house can take anywhere from 6 months to a year.
- Design issues
Decisions, decisions, decisions! Many people struggle with the number of design choices required when building a custom home. When building a house, even the smallest details can require a decision. Creating a physical or digital scrapbook can be your solution to this problem. Creating a scrapbook will give you a clearer picture of your design style and help you make design decisions that you’ll be happy with long-term.
- Finding the Right Architect
Finding the right architect can be the key to a smooth designing process. Since they are knowledgeable about layout, budgeting, and an array of creative solutions, an architect can be your greatest resource. Architects consider the variables that go into creating a home, and they are vital in turning your wish list, budget, and lifestyle into one cohesive design. Most importantly, an architect helps ensure that you are spending your money wisely. Between building materials, layout, and understanding your needs, an architect’s knowledge secures your investment.
- Finding the Right Contractor
Finding the right contractor is another important aspect of building a home. A contractor is a determining factor in the overall satisfaction of your home, so finding the right one can be a challenge. Knowing what you want before talking to a contractor will give you the most accurate time and costs estimations. Talk to friends, family, coworkers, and your architect to find a few options. Interview at least three contractors and ask several questions before making your decision.
A Smooth Experience
While designing the perfect home comes with its challenges, following these tips will create a smoother experience. In the end, making your vision come to life is worth the obstacles.
