A custom-built home can be a beautiful and amazing way to create a home space that welcomes you and your loved ones. However, knowing what to expect when building a new home can be intimidating and frustrating because of how vague some of the answers are. We get it.
While it is hard to make general quotes for custom homes because they are so, well, custom, we put together some ballpark answers to help get you started.
For more pictures of the Milnes Project, check out our gallery.
How Much Does Building a New Home Cost
One of the most common questions people have going in is how much does it cost to build a custom home? This question warrants one of the vaguest answers because it all depends on just what kind of home you want to design: how big do you want to build it? What kinds of fixtures and finishings do you want? How much custom detailing do you want? Are you starting from scratch or renovating an existing home?
Long story short, a custom home can be as expensive as you want it to be. For a base starting number, though, you should plan on a budget of around $130-200+ per square foot.
How Long Does It Take to Build A Custom Home
Generally speaking, a custom-built home will take no less than five months and will average between five and eight months to build. Of course, much like cost, this will vary based on the details of the house itself. Some things that can have a major impact on build time, like weather, are out of your hands. Other things, however, can help the process move faster.
If you’re looking to keep things moving at a fast pace during your construction, here are two major things you can do to help. First, have a house plan ready before you go to a builder. A lot of people think finding a builder is the first step, but it’s actually the second. Some builders have an architect on staff or can help connect you with one, but a builder's job is to build the home, not design it. If you’re set on working with a specific builder but struggling to find an architect, it’s ok to reach out to the builders and ask for help. Just know that it will take extra time to design the home before you can start building.
Another helpful thing you can do to keep construction moving along is to know what you want. There are a lot of decisions that go into building a custom home. If the builders have to wait on you to pick out plumbing and lighting fixtures or what type of flooring to put it, it keeps them down from doing their job. Working with an interior designer can help make some of those decisions go faster and easier.
This gorgeously laid sink fits with the rustic and woodsy vibes of this cabin bathroom.
What Should You Look for When Choosing a Builder
It might seem counter-intuitive, but cost is not the number one thing you should be looking at. Nearly every builder has their own unique way of pricing together a project so it’s almost impossible to get a direct apples-to-apples price comparison. Unless you’re an expert in the field, it will be hard to understand the nuances of the difference in price. Additionally, if you end up with someone who’s constantly worried about making everything as cheap as possible, it will show in the quality of your home.
Instead, focus on finding someone you can talk to at length for the next five to eight months of your life. When you build a custom home, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with the builder so it’s wise to find someone you get along with. Building a custom home requires hours of meetings, phone calls, and walk-throughs with your builder. If you hired someone you can’t stand to be around, it’s going to make the process a lot harder than it needs to be. When things inevitably go wrong or get delayed, you want someone on your team you trust to help guide you through and around the obstacles.
How Involved Are the Homeowners
A custom home is special because it allows the homeowner(s) complete say over how their house is designed, created, and decorated. In order to make the home reflective of the homeowners’ unique tastes and desires, though, it requires a lot of communication and decision-making to make sure their vision comes to life.
For the duration of the build, you or someone in your household should expect to essentially be working an unpaid part-time job. Designing a custom home requires a lot of collaboration between the homeowners and the builders, so be prepared for that extra time and energy commitment.
Extra Tips to Keep You Organized and Breathing
If you plan on doing all of the design yourself, binders are a great way of keeping all of your sample paints, design ideas, and magazine inspirations together in one place. If you’re able to, clean out a spot in the back of your vehicle to keep larger samples, such as carpeting, with you and ready to go. You’ll be surprised by how much easier it can make your life by having all those things ready to go at a moment’s notice. If the designing aspect seems overwhelming to you, interior designers are great resources.
Start by talking to your bank. Construction projects are notorious for having unexpected additional costs come up. While we at J Thompson Builders are known for completing projects on time and on budget, even we can’t predict everything. Having a conversation with your bank about what kind of construction loans are available to you can save you a lot of unnecessary panic and worry should the unfortunate happen and you end up over budget. Knowing what options are available to you upfront will allow to you figure out where you can and should put some cushioning. That way, if the unfortunate does occur and you need to spend more, you can breathe a little easier knowing your options.
To hear more about what to expect when building a custom home project, check out our interview with the Heck family.