Tis the season to plan for building a new home in 2018!

Find your expert team

Three experts are needed here – house designer or architect, general contractor, and a bit later along the interior designer. These three working together with you will create the team that can get exactly what you want and for the investment you want.

Every month I meet people that had a house plan drawn, or even submitted to permit then when they approach contractors are surprised that it is 30% more than the funds they have. Unless you want to risk being one of these people, engage all three parties above, including your builder or general contractor because he will be able to project the costs as you design, and provide great insights for cost effective approaches. Also, the builder can develop a full budget including costs of permits, demolition of old house, new utility services, city bonds, tree protection restrictions and other costs you might not think of.

Depending what city you live in, the permit process will vary from 2 months to 7 months. So be realistic about expectation here. Majority of house builds start in the spring, so expect a bit of time to get the excavation and foundation in.

Most people find that it takes about three or four months to develop the house designs and get the interior specifications done. Your builder won’t be able to get accurate quotes until all this is done. Allowance are fine for initial estimating, but your budget is at risk if you go to construction and then get quotes and make decisions – so do it early.