Building A Custom Home: What You Need To Know

12/06/2021

In our last blog post we discussed the advantages of building a custom home compared to buying a prebuilt property. The flexibility of designs and therefore costs, the eco-friendly nature of custom homes and the value for money are all evident when you choose to employ a custom home building service. After you have made the decision to start building a custom home, planning for construction will commence. This part of the process can be a little tricky, so we have prepared the following guide to help you finish planning as efficiently as possible.

Find The Right Lot

As mentioned, building a custom home tends to afford a high degree of design flexibility in contrast to prebuilt options. However, the size and quality of your lot do impose some restrictions upon what’s possible in terms of home design. In this regard, it’s necessary to double-check zoning laws in your area; to ensure that you are able to legally build precisely what you want to. It would be very frustrating trying to build a multi-storey house in a zone that only allows multi-family homes, for example. U Homes can help you find the right plot of land, manifest your dream design and ensure you stay compliant with zoning laws and building codes during the planning stage of construction.

Consider Your Lifestyle During Design

Making allowances for lifestyle requirements is an important part of building a custom home. The features that are important to you must be carefully planned during the design phase; proceeding construction. From large features like smart home automation to smaller considerations such as storage and organisation features, ensure you take the time to plan every element of your dream home that you and your family want. Don’t just write a list of your lifestyle requirements once, review your list multiple times and come back to it after taking some time to relax and review your choice of features. Your brain will surprise you with what it comes up with when you’re not directly concentrating on a task.

Build For Future Generations

A custom home poses a significant investment of energy, time and money. It’s likely that you will live in your home for the next ten or twenty years, perhaps even longer, so it’s a smart idea to plan ahead. Using eco-friendly building materials is one way to ensure your house remains resilient and durable. Using sustainable resources during construction can also help you save money on heating and cooling if the materials used are effective at insulating your property. Investing in solar energy systems is another way to ensure a sustainable future when building a custom home. Solar systems can offset up to 70% of your energy bill (with a battery, a 100% offset is possible) which compounds to offer rather significant savings over time.

Avoid the Fantasy Trap

This is your dream home, so don’t be afraid to spend a little on the aesthetic features you want. However, if you go all out and splurge, then you might run out of funding before construction on your dream home is complete. It’s wise to invest in features that will increase the total value of your property, such as energy efficient living or additional spaces for relaxing in. When shopping around, we advise you to focus on good-quality items that are priced within your budget.

Contact U Homes

If you are interested in building a custom home, contact U Homes today for a professional consultation. U Homes has been building and selling custom homes in Melbourne for more than 10 years now and offer a wide range of tailor-made solutions for first home buyers looking to enter the market. We are available to speak to you from Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Contact our friendly consultants on 03 9048 5737 today or reach out via our contact page to ask about how we can help you build the home of your dreams.