Building your own home is probably going to be one of the biggest investments of your life, but well worth it for the chance to establish yourself in the property market and the freedom of owning rather than renting. You get to call the shots on the style of the construction, its situation in relation to the site, how many rooms you have, and the choice of fixtures and finishings.
There are certain aspects to consider before commencing work with your building contractor to ensure a hassle free experience.
Established Contractor
Established contractors will have a number of building plans they can show you that will work well for the size, ages and interests of your family. For example a family with teens will enjoy the fact that the main bedroom is on another floor or in a separate wing to the children’s rooms, whereas parents with toddlers need to be closer to them at night. The contractor may even be able to let you visit their construction sites so you can see what homes look like during the various stages and see what type of home would suit you.
Size
Everyone wants to live the movie star life with a walk in closet, designer kitchen and a home movie theatre but on a strict budget these are not always possible. Use the space wisely to gain maximum value. Extras like outdoor entertaining areas and a pool can always be added later- but do plan for these when siting the house on the property and consider roof lines for adding extensions easily. It is always good to consider the style of garden you are planning even though this may come later so that things like a fountain or koi pond will be easily accessible to water and electricity when construction of these eventually gets under way.
Bathrooms
If your home is on multiple floors make sure that a toilet/bathroom is on each level. Gone are the days of the older homes often seen advertised with up to five bedrooms and one bathroom –imagine the pandemonium in the morning with kids getting ready for school and parents going off to work! Functional bathrooms these days can be quite compact and cost efficient.
Kitchens
Your contractor will discuss the family’s needs – design the kitchen around your lifestyle with open planning allowing access to activity areas where kids may be doing homework while a parent is cooking, and convenient to outdoor areas. If into entertaining large numbers of people then your kitchen will need extra work spaces and storage facilities for appliances and groceries. For families that eat out a lot then the kitchen can be fairly compact.
Go Green
Besides saving on monthly utility bills designing your home to be as green as possible will also add value when you want to sell. Take advantage of a design that incorporates natural ventilation, correct alignment on the property to maximise the effects of cooling breezes, solar panels with battery backup, rain water storage and grey water systems, as well as the use of advanced materials for power saving. Sometimes these may be more expensive at the outset but will mean reduced utility bills for the lifetime of the construction.
Safety
Take note of the security systems to be installed like outdoor lighting to you don’t injure yourself in the dark, smoke alarms, and security features to protect family members.
Keeping to the Budget
When you engage a contractor to build your home remember that in order to keep to your budget you should plan and discuss details thoroughly beforehand instead of going on site and deciding you don’t like the tiles or the placement of a wall. Making changes adds to the cost of materials, causes time delays and the home will not be completed to the targeted budget.
Why Building is Better than Buying
Sometimes it’s tempting to buy a home to renovate, but this could take years and there may be all sorts of problems along the way. Building means you have creative control of the space you will be occupying and any defects in the construction will be under guarantee. There are also lower maintenance and running costs when green systems are used.
The Spectrum Homes Difference
Spectrum Homes is an Award Winning, locally owned and operated home building company in South East Queensland. We pride ourselves on having some of the most experienced staff, best trades and most innovative designs.
We are big enough to impress and small enough to care. We believe in our ability to build quality homes and back it up with a 30 Year Structural Guarantee.
Spectrum Homes takes pride as a leader in Sustainable Living.