High Meadow Homes, McMinnville Oregon

Before You Start: a Step by Step Plan for a Custom-Built Home

Considering all of the potential problems, whether real or imagined, in building a new home, why would anyone consider hiring a builder, buying a lot and starting a home from scratch, rather than buying an existing ready-to-move-in home?

The reasons vary, but many custom home buyers cite the personal satisfaction of the home-building process as a compelling motivation. Others want a home with the latest in modern architectural design and home-building technology or a custom floor plan and home design that fits their individual lifestyle and needs.

Many people believe a brand-new home will require less maintenance or appreciate faster in value.

And, naturally, some people simply enjoy the pleasure of living in a home that´s completely new from the foundation to the roof.

A successful home-building experience depends largely on following a workable plan from the start through the completion of the project.

Here's an example of a step-by-step home-building plan that might work well for you:
1. Establish A Budget	Before you start making plans for your new custom-built home, ask a lender how much money you can qualify to borrow and what the down payment requirements will be to finance the construction and purchase of your home.
2. Select The Area	Select the general area where your new home will be built. Spend some time investigating and visiting areas where you might want to live.
3. Choosing A Builder	Your budget probably shouldn't be among the top criteria in selecting a builder. No builder can quote an accurate price for a custom or semi-custom home until he or she knows the type, style, finishes and features of the home, the site conditions and the type of contract you want to use for construction. Rather than focusing on cost, you may well want to base your decision on the builder's competence, reputation, professionalism, warranty coverage and experience. See Builders Profile to read why High Meadow Homes is the right builder for you.
4. Choose A Site	Pick a site for your home. Choose the specific site on which your new home will be built.
5. Select A Designer	Hire a home designer. Select a designer whose work suits your taste and who will design a home that can be built within your budget on the site you've selected.
6. Finance Your Home	At this point in the process, you'll be ready to arrange the short-term construction financing and the long-term residential mortgage for your new home.
7. Obtain Permits	Obtain construction-related approvals and permits. Before construction can begin, you'll need official signoffs from the local government building department, utility services and the architectural control board or committee, if any, that has authority over your site.
8. Build Your Home	If your plan has been well-executed, the construction of your home could be the easiest part of the process.
9. Completion	Closing and completion of final work. After your home is built, the lender will fund your residential mortgage and the builder will make any repairs necessary under the warranty.

Many home buyers believe they'll be able to save money on their new home by performing some aspects of the construction work themselves. Typically, buyers want to paint their own home, install insulation, prepare part of the finish or trim or clean up the job site.

Few builders permit this type of do-it-yourself involvement.

The Construction of your home: A Job for a Professional for the following reasons:
1. Expertise	Even seemingly simple construction tasks can be much more difficult than they appear and all the work performed in building a home affects the quality of the final product.
2. Weather	Work on every construction site slows down during bad weather. Rain, snow, wind or excessive cold or heat can cause little or no work to be done and will delay completion of your home.
3. Warranty	Building a home requires a blending of talents and contributions by numerous subcontractors. That means it can be difficult to pinpoint precisely which subcontractor is responsible for any defect. Your involvement would make resolving job site conflicts much more difficult.
4. Insurance:	Most home-building insurance doesn't adequately cover construction work performed by the buyer because he or she is not involved in the home-building business. If you were performing work on the job site, insurance would be required not only for you, but also for any subcontractors or suppliers who could be injured as a result of your actions. Insurance for do-it-yourself activities is available, but very expensive.