Assembling Your Dream Home Building Team
An orange glow spreads across the morning sky as light gradually fills your room. You stretch your arms as your feet touch the floor, welcoming the day. The carpet is silky and luxurious, like a pillow for your soles. You raise your head to see the lake so still it mirrors the sunrise, your view bordered by beautiful evergreens. “This is the good life”, you think to yourself, taking in the breathtaking surroundings.
Homes and land with views like this don’t come on the market often, and when they do you are likely faced with a significant remodel or rebuild to tailor this house into your own home. Such a process includes land work, surveying, market analysis, negotiations, structure assessment, budgeting, interior design, engineering, soil tests, environmental impact studies, construction estimates, project management, supply ordering, and inspections (so many inspections).
If that list sounds like a lot, you’re right! There’s a lot of work that goes into designing and building your dream home — the one with that perfect view to wake up to every day, with just the right layout and amenities to suit your lifestyle.
It’s important to note the order you bring your team in varies depending on your individual situation; for example, some people may loop in their architect before their builder. Let’s start with the basics to understand who you’ll be communicating with to get the process started!
The Real Estate Agent
I recommend starting with a real estate agent who can help lay out the process before you get started and get you in touch with the right people. The agent’s role in this adventure is to handle negotiations, get you in touch with the right people at the right times, and make sure your best interests are represented through land purchase and construction.
The Loan Officer
You want to get your finances in order as early as possible. Understand how much you are willing to spend and how it impacts your overall financial health. Building from scratch often involves a lot of cash infusions throughout the process and a construction loan can go a long way in helping alleviate that cash-heavy burden. Work with your loan officer or bank to ensure you are getting the most from your money and you don’t end up in a compromised financial position.
The Builder
The third member you want to loop in early is your builder. The exact responsibilities of a builder vary from contractor to contractor, but they generally handle hiring and coordinating trades, project estimates, scope of work, and management of your home build from start to finish. Some builders also offer help in locating viable land for purchase if you don’t have the land already and likely know a good land developer in the area if your land needs putting together before construction. Some builders even have in-house architects to help with designing your home’s structure. Speaking of whom…
The Architect
Your architect is the professional responsible for designing your home’s layout, making sure the home is structurally sound, and/or fits on the land you want to build on. They make sure your dream home gets styled for your lifestyle, whether that’s an extended marble island for your kitchen, a thoughtful family room, or an infinity pool in the master suite balcony. Wondering about the cosmetics? Your architect will generally design the exterior, while the interior designer will design your interior spaces.
The Interior Designer
Interior designers make your home really feel like, well, home! Everything from color scheme to making sure a room flows with furniture placement fall under the purview of the interior designer. They also help choose materials for flooring, cabinets, countertops… it’s an important list! The interior designer expedites the selections process and reviews options with you as well, leaving you confident with your home’s final look and feel.
The End Result
There it is — the team you want when you undertake the process of building your dream home. Creating a vision and manifesting it into reality takes a village, but it’s worth the work. Contact your favorite real estate pro to see if designing a custom home is for you!
