Building your own home from scratch is ambitious, to say the least. You’ll need money, time, and know-how to get the job done, and even then you might find you need a little help. Even the best-laid plans can go awry at some point in the process and in that case, you will need a cool head in order to troubleshoot problems and keep moving forward.
When it comes to costs, building your own home from scratch costs an average of $428,000. While that can save you money over buying a home from someone, that won’t necessarily be the case. Plus, you need to put in months of time and labor. This isn’t the type of project you do for the sake of saving money. It’s a project you do out of passion.
There are a lot of upsides to taking on this huge task, however. You can make your home whatever you want when you build it yourself and live your dreams to the fullest. You will have intimate knowledge of every board and screw in your home. Plus, you’ll get the accomplishment of having built up your dreams with your own two hands.
If you are thinking of building your own home from scratch, keep in mind these 8 helpful tips to keep you on track and help you make the house of your dreams.
1. Lay Out the Plumbing and Electric
One of the first things you’ll need to think about when building your own home from scratch is new construction plumbing and electric. These two vital pieces will have to go in after you layout your foundation.
Your very first step will be things like the footings and foundation. A lot of your building costs will end up going to these kinds of services, which may require the help of some contractors and specialists.
The first step is digging trenches. Inspectors will take a look at these before concrete is poured in for the footings. You’ll also need footing drains.
After this, you can start thinking about plumbing services. You may need the help of plumbers and electricians to rough-in these services. Things like electrical lines and plumbing pipes might go through your actual concrete, so it’s vital to have a plan in place before concrete is poured.
These two important services will help heat, cool and power your home. They are part of the basic infrastructure of the house, so plan carefully around them when you are building your own home from scratch to make sure they’re done right.
2. Figure Out Heating
Speaking of heating, you may want to have a plan in place early on about how you plan to heat your home after it is constructed. There are more options than you may realize, including geothermal, home heating oil, solar heating, and under-floor heating.
For some of these heating methods, you’ll need to plan further in advance. For example, if you are going with solar heating, it could change how you decide to build your roof. Meanwhile, under-floor heating is something that can be installed after the home is built so you don’t need to make that decision right away.
No matter how you plan to heat your home, the important thing is to have a plan and know how that plan impacts the structure as a whole. You don’t want to find out halfway through building your own home from scratch that you forgot to account for something this vital and will need to change direction.
3. Consider Cooling, Too
Don’t forget about cooling. Often, heating and cooling can be part of the same system, but that is not always the case so you should consider carefully how you are going to cool your home.
It is not always necessary to have some sort of system for this. Depending on where you are building the home, air conditioning might not even be necessary. Alternatively, something as simple as window units may do the trick. That is something you’ll want to consider before beginning construction, though. Consider the environment and what your needs are likely to be.
Cooling is necessary for most of us though. There are even some places where not having a cooling system can be dangerous.
HVACs are a common means of cooling a home. You can install an HVAC system yourself or talk to HVAC contractors to get help with this project since it connects to the electrical system.
This isn’t something you need to do super early in the process of building your own home from scratch. Many people decide to add an HVAC system after years of living in a home so it is a decision you can delay. However, if you do manage to plan ahead, you won’t have unexpected costs in the future after construction is complete.
4. Windows, Doors, and More
Windows and doors are essential to the structure of your home. You need to plan out where they will go and how many you will have.
Doors can be especially tricky since they are both interior and exterior. For interior doors, you simply need to determine which rooms need them and which don’t. Obviously, they’ll be necessary for places like bathrooms and bedrooms.
When it comes to exterior doors, an additional concern is safety. You will likely want heavier doors here than the interior doors and better locks. Often, exterior doors will have a deadbolt for added safety. Plus, there are things like garage doors that are another concern.
Windows come with a whole slew of other considerations when you’re building your own home from scratch. They let in light and fresh air, or keep out cold air. They should be both sealed against weather and easily accessible, which can be a tricky balance.
One option more people are looking into lately is vinyl windows. Homeowners love these kinds of windows because they’re big money savers. They don’t chip like wood windows and therefore require very little upkeep on your part.
There are other options for windows. A common alternative is wood windows. Wood windows are more expensive but tend to last longer than plastic. That can mean they work out to be less expensive over time. They do require maintenance though, as they can require things like a new coat of paint after getting battered by the elements.
One of the advantages of vinyl frames for your windows is the lower cost and upkeep, but there are still plenty of reasons to choose wood. It is up to you and the look you are going for your home.
5. Get Fancy
You don’t need to stick strictly to what is necessary when building your own home from scratch. This is your dream project – you can embellish.
Are there things you always wanted in a home but never really thought you could have? Now is the time to plan for those things and try to make them a reality. It could be as simple as having a garage or as complicated as motorized gate installations. When you are building your own home from scratch, you get to call the shots.
While planning out your home, you have an opportunity to include additions like a pool in the backyard or a basement or a room entirely dedicated to your hobbies. This is one of the biggest advantages of building your own home from scratch, so don’t be modest. If your skills and budget can accommodate it, dream big and go for it.
It’s a great idea to consider these kinds of things while you’re still in the planning stages. Once concrete starts getting poured, you are going to be increasingly limited when it comes to making huge changes to the layout.
The planning stage is also a time when you can take chances with very little risk. When your dream home is still just a sketch or a blueprint, you can let your imagination run wild. This is the time when you can still undo something simply by erasing, so don’t hold back. You might be surprised by what is actually possible.
6. You’re Going to Produce a Lot of Waste
One harsh reality of building your own home from scratch is that you are going to produce waste, a lot of waste. The building materials you need for this kind of project will quickly pile up and therefore you need to think early on about how you’re going to deal with trash.
It’s a good idea to order a roll-off dumpster to have on-site during building. It’s not practical to try to handle the type of waste you’ll be producing on your own. You will definitely fill that dumpster – and fill it again.
You can also reach out for help in this regard. There are construction waste management services who can help you predict the amount of waste you’ll produce and come up with ways to handle it.
Even with all that planning, you still might end up with a ton of trash from building your own home from scratch. Be diligent about disposing of things properly, especially materials that are potentially hazardous. Not everything can simply get tossed in the dumpster and get carted away. You will probably need to reserve special receptacles for materials that can’t just go in the trash.
7. Don’t Forget Insurance
You will need insurance if you plan on building your own home from scratch. Even if you aren’t doing the building yourself and are just having a custom home built, you’ll still need homeowner insurance plans for this specific scenario.
Your insurance policy for this project should include some liability coverage, as well as builders risk insurance. These help protect both you and whoever is building the home.
This type of insurance is different from what you’d get if you weren’t building your own home from scratch. If someone had already built a home and you were just buying it, you’d get a different kind of homeowners insurance. So don’t think that those two things are the same.
The liability insurance, in particular, is critical. There are risks involved with being on any kind of construction site, even one for a home. Whether it’s you or someone else taking those risks, they should be protected – and you as the homeowner should be protected.
If you were working on building your own home from scratch and got injured, you would rely on that insurance to ensure you were covered. Don’t skip on this part. It may mean extra hassle and expense, but not having it when you need it would be a far larger hassle and expense.
8. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help at any point during this process. If a crew built a house, that crew would have a number of specialists in various fields. There would be plumbers and electricians, managers, and construction workers. They’d all be doing their separate jobs.
When you are building your own home from scratch, you try to take on all those jobs yourself. Sometimes, for a select few people, that’s possible, but for many of us that’s simply going to be an overwhelming task.
You may not need much help or help at every step, but it’s likely you’ll run into areas where you do need an expert. Don’t be shy about reaching out to someone like a plumber if that is simply not your field of expertise.
There are also custom home builders who may be able to help with part or all of the process. If you are more of an idea person, you can still build the home of your dreams by giving your vision to the right people with the right skills to get the job done.
Doing something as massive as building your own home from scratch can be just as challenging as it is rewarding. It’s important to have a clear vision, plan things out well in advance, and ask for help when and where you need it. By doing your due diligence, you can get a home you’ll love for your whole life.
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