You’ve finally purchased your own property -congratulations! Whether it’s an open country plot at the foot of the Rockies or a tear-down home lot in a community of Calgary, now it’s time to turn that property into the dream home you’ve always wanted. Before you get started, take a look at these five common mistakes to avoid when customizing your home.
Not Knowing What You Want
Before you approach a Contractor or embark on this task yourself, you must have a home design plan. In fact, you can purchase books that contain a gamut of different home plans at any bookstore and even Home Depot so this would be a great starting point to zero in on the one that suits you. Questions to ask yourself are the following: Is this going to be the home that you plan to live in until you no longer physically can? Do you plan to expand your family or do you have existing children coming into their teenage years? Alternatively, do you plan to flip this home in a year or two? Whatever your answer, don’t start the process until you’re absolutely certain about what your intentions are, including your needs with your new home. Changes generated from initial uncertainty will only delay the project timeline and create additional unnecessary costs in the drawings stage.
Trying to Do it Yourself
It doesn’t matter how much HGTV you watch – custom home building is strictly reserved for the experts. Professionals are there for a reason – they know what they’re doing and they know all the building code restrictions. Tri-Link Builders uses the most effective building techniques and we work with the best Trade Partners in the Calgary area to provide you with the highest quality workmanship at a price that can’t be beat by our competitors. Save the DIY spirit for other projects and leave your home construction to the experts.
Not Doing Your Research on a General Contractor
When selecting a Calgary General Contractor to go with, it’s important to conduct a bit of research beforehand. You want to ensure that you’re placing the construction of your dream home in trustworthy and skilled hands. Ask around for some references, or look online for reputable names within your area. Meet in person with the Contractor, Designer, and Architect to learn more about their process and see if it’s a right fit.
Cutting Corners on Materials
It will cost more upfront to install higher quality materials, but it’s an investment that pays for itself. Not only are higher quality material finishes more aesthetically appealing but they offer the resale value potential that cheaper alternate materials and finishes won’t. Your R values for insulation and windows is important for energy efficiency cost savings, and all the electrical, plumbing and HVAC components are necessary to cover off because these things cannot be easily done later once the walls are closed up. Interior finishes such as flooring, countertops, cabinetry and all plumbing fixtures are things that should also be prioritized as these cannot be readily changed out later. Moreover, prioritize the kitchen and bathrooms to be aesthetically pleasing as they will be the most used, first noticed rooms in the house, and these rooms are the key components for resale value.
Having a Tight Deadline
Finally, understand that there can be delays throughout the process of building. This part is hard to avoid as Mother Nature can throw us some curve balls that are unavoidable to the builder. Customizing and building your dream home takes time and patience. Prepare yourself and work through each of these steps before getting started and when you are ready to embark on your new home building experience, contact Tri-Link Builders. Your new home construction should be an exciting and rewarding experience and we’ll make that happen!
(403) 217-5916