Building a new home has a bad reputation for being a stressful experience. Here are some common things we hear about the experience;

“I couldn’t wait until it was over.”
“It was the most stressful time of my life.”
“It put so much tension in our relationship.”

Building a new home doesn’t have to be a bad experience. If you hire a knowledgeable, professional design/build firm, building a new home can be a breeze! In our ‘How to Build a Quality Custom Home’ series we would like to share some tips that can help make the building process go well.

Our last post in the series was Mistakes to avoid Part I and it included the following;

• Focusing on a floor plan
• Choosing the lowest bid 
• Not allowing enough time 
• Settling on a used house

This week we’ll be focusing on a few different common mistakes people make and what can help to build a more positive build experience;

• Don’t be afraid of color – Color is a beautiful thing. Used appropriately color can help add depth, drama, and interest to a room as well as make the room appear larger than if beige or white colors had been used. Paint is relatively in expensive, and as such can be changed out easily if you decide you need a change of color in your home.

• Don’t focus on being trendy – While you should put some of your own flair in your home, following trends can be a costly mistake in the future. For more permanent items like tile, counter tops, cabinetry and flooring you should try to go for timeless materials and versatile colors, as changing them if the ‘trend’ wares off can be a pricey remodel for the future.

• Design with the future in mind – Don’t only live for today. A kids room should have enough space so that a full or queen bed can easily fit inside of the room at a later date. An office should also have a window and closet in case you’d like to convert the office into an additional bedroom at a later date. In addition, lower level family rooms should be able to transform into a rec room or entertaining space for adults.

• Don’t break the bank – Building a new home can be an expensive project, but there’s no need to spend a small fortune on the endeavor! Working with a professional design firm can actually help save you money on your home building process, they will help you save money by avoiding costly mistakes! A knowledgeable firm will help create the best home for your family with your budget. There’s no need to buy expensive products to get a well polished look.

When you decide to build a custom home, the process can be extremely overwhelming. The good news is; if you find a good firm that can design around your needs and budget, the process will be much easier and the home created will stand the test of time. Here at Pratt Homes we know that we need to integrate design into the process and will do our best to ensure your new home fits you.

If you’d like more tips on ‘How to Build a Quality Custom Home’, be sure to sign up for our free resource guide. This guide has more tips and tricks to help make building your custom dream home a breeze. Our free resource guide.