The Big Mistake Homeowners Make Building a New Home

And How to Avoid IT!

Everybody wants that Pinterest image of a finished space, the kids rolling around on the new sofas, fire roaring in the background as the neighbors stroll in with some fresh baked goods or a basket of fruit.

Well, hold on to the crumb cake, there’s plenty to do first.

The biggest mistake homeowners make happens to anyone, since the essentials of the process are the same, no matter the house.  This is the first of several common mistakes in this series, so stay tuned!.  

Planning As You Go

Contractors complain their customers can't make a decision, but we know that's really not the case. You are a perfectly capable adult, right?  You know what you want from your design, and you know what you want for your home and family.  Hell, you make decisions all day long. You’re ready to charge forward!

However, this is a whole new ball game.  If you aren’t in the business of designing and building homes everyday (and sometimes, even if you are!) there are lots of moving parts and TONS of potential pitfalls. 

Some of those moving parts include:

Choosing the right architect,

financing and budgeting,

hiring a designer,

finding the right 

location, design,

finishes,

furniture,

all while hiring contractors, securing alternative housing, budgeting, scheduling deliveries, shopping for materials and overseeing construction progress.  Oh yeah, and your day to day responsibilities.  

Are you freaking out yet?  I do at the beginning of every project.  It’s totally normal.  Don’t try to eat the whole elephant, take a bite.

I get it, you have a life, a job and responsibilities.  That's why you hired professionals, right?  Have you checked their job descriptions? 

There’s a big hole you gotta fill.

Nobody mentions the loooonnng list of decisions you need to have made or will need to make, yesterday! so the job can keep moving forward.

The bulk of the choices are yours.  Siding, fixtures, heating, tile, and the one that stumps us all, what paint colors go where???

At first, that sounds awesome!  

My stuff, my home, my way, right?  Your decisions will make the home yours.  It’s just that nobody mentioned that there are thousands of decisions to make.  Not all of them are fun or sexy,

HVAC, need I say more.

Architects and designers take years to learn their craft and get licensed.  As do good contractors and builders.  You want serious, educated and competent people designing and building your home.  So, you need to take your role seriously as well.  

The more you know:

• The better design you will get for your lifestyle
• The easier, faster and less expensive the process will be 
• But, most importantly, the END RESULT will be better than you dreamed. And I say, dream big! 

Ever been scuba diving?  How many hours of classes does it take to get certified to scuba dive?  Got a new phone?  How long did you spend getting the settings just right?See my point?  You'd google the operation you were about to have before you went under the knife, wouldn’t you?  

I recently gave myself a stress induced hernia, thanks again, Covid.  I was lifting and staining hundreds of barn boards for a DIY project in my basement.  You can bet your ass, or mine at that point,  I knew what they were going to do when they cut into me.  

I googled the heck out of every possible type and outcome.  In fact, I even found out the surgeon’s golf stats and whether or not he was a drinker, all before we got that party started.  The basement and the surgery were both a thumbs up, btw!   

If you haven't given yourself the time to get educated, study the options and the means to get it done, your home design will suffer for it.   

It is that simple. 

That includes learning what things cost, how the process works and what you need to be doing and when.

You CANNOT start planning your dream space too soon.  The minute that baby was in my arms I knew that tiny little bungalow would not do.  I started to plan my new home three years before we ever had a nickel or hired a soul.  

Nothing goes to waste from dreaming or visualizing.  All the decisions you make during the design phase will simplify your “to do” list down the road. 

You don’t know what you don't know, but you better find out quick!

Now, building a house isn’t like riding a bike.  You don’t just do it.  And if you do, you’re gonna end up with more than a scraped knee.  

Mistakes, poor designs and poor hiring choices, overlooked items, delayed ordering and decision making will kill your project.  Learning on the fly doesn't work here. 

You know I’m right.  There’s plenty of crappy design to be found right outside our windows and it is so incredibly easy to fix.  That’s what makes me want to scream!  

Go for a walk at night.  Peek in the windows.  See any sofas pushed up in front of a window?  You know, the sofa’s just a little too high?  Easy fix, woulda saved a few bucks as well.  It's not their fault, they didn't know.

There are so many decisions to be made during the process, and far too many materials and subcontractors to coordinate and schedule if you are always playing catch up. 

Information on building techniques, codes and products change every day.  There are also tons of different trades (sub contractors) with unique skills, personalities and demands for your time and attention.  

Fun fact - there are at least five different subcontractors working on a job at any given time!  You need to have some clue about the job they are working on and how it affects the rest of the project.  Then you can speak intelligently about solving design issues that come up quickly and before the wrong work gets done. 

It isn’t a courtesy learning their "lingo", this is your home.  You will get better results if you know what is possible and what the heck is happening!

You get what you want, the right way, at the right price!

Start shopping!

Those faucets you buy aren’t gonna expire, so it's never too soon to start shopping!  Solidify the majority of your choices as soon as possible.

I had stacks of plumbing fixtures bought and waiting behind the front door before we even knocked down our bungalow. 

Planning in advance allowed me time to watch for sales and save thousands on the fixtures alone.  

My exterior sconces for the front porch were a fortune, too obscene to even mention.  But, they were a non negotiable for me.  So, I waited and pounced like a Cheetah in the brush for a return or sale.  One did come and I bought the other at regular price.  Extra $$ to spend elsewhere.  Thank you Cheetah skills!  

It was odd to have a stack of plumbing and lighting fixtures in the entry hall for months, but at that point, I was knocking this bad boy down, so I didn't care what the house we were about to knock down looked like.  In fact, I think I may have stopped cleaning the oven that was also headed for demolition many months before the demo started!  

My 3 year old (at the time) shopped for everything with me during our construction.  After one too many plumbing showrooms, she knew her stuff.  If you ask her today, at 18 years old, she will recite, “We are looking for a 1 piece, chair height, elongated toilet” 

By the end of the process, you’ll be that kinda sought-after expert by all your friends and relatives.  

Lead times (The time it takes for a product to be in your hand), vary greatly from a few days for lumber to up to 16 weeks just for kitchen cabinets!  So you have to start shopping before you have a kitchen to shop for!

Start to get familiar with the products you like and their lead times and availability.  Current events can wreak havoc on a schedule and pricing of materials from month to month!

And remember, 

NO DECISION IS JUST ONE DECISION. The Ripple Effect

Your choices for a kitchen sink will affect the kitchen cabinets you must choose, the faucet that will fit and the way the plumbing is installed so be sure to think about the ripple effect of your options.

When you wait to decide on items, your options may be limited. 

Design elements that could have been easily included, avoided or changed with an eraser, pre-construction won't be easy to change once you have started building.  And by "won't be easy", I mean they will cost time, money or worst of all, they just won't be possible.

"You can use an eraser on the drafting board, or a sledgehammer on the construction site"

Frank LLoyd Wright

Action steps for Mistake #1 

(YES!  There’s more mistakes coming in future blogs…

• Research everything.
• Talk with the pros, lots of them.  Get every free estimate and second opinion available.
• Leave a note for homeowners’ with homes you love and ask to pick their brain.   I find people are thrilled to talk about the experience, especially when the home still has that ‘new car’ smell!   Ask what they would do differently.  Learn from their mistakes, not yours!
• Wander the showrooms, surf the internet with no pressure to buy, “Just looking, thanks!”
• Get familiar with brands and their offerings. Sit on it, touch it.
• Google renovation and new construction costs for your area.
• Get real with money.  What is a realistic budget for YOU!  And 
• Get on the same page as your partner.  

My husband was the easy upsell every time someone mentioned a new gadget or upgrades.  “What’s another five grand in the grand scheme?” he’d say.  Well, if he had his way, 100k, that’s what!  So, make sure the impulse buyer is in check and you’re on the same page!

• Get real with your expectations.  What do you want?
• What do you hope to be improved in your life as a result of this construction?  
• What do fixtures and appliances really cost?     
• What do I really need?  
• How will my needs change?
• What will make this design special for us?  

There is an endless source of information on the internet.  But beware!  Just like social media, you can lose days online searching for options for just one light fixture!  Trust me, there are weeks of my life gone to Bellacor.com.  But…..I found the perfect one!    

And of course, get help. If you can afford it, a good interior designer can save you time, tons of money and loads of stress.  

Now, I was in no position to hire myself when we were building, 

I was waaaaay too expensive, 

but you may be able to swing a few hours of a pro’s time here and there.  That extra set of eyes may see things you can’t because you're too close to it.  Dreaming of what you want and not seeing what's on the plans!  It happens to everyone.  Sometimes the answer is right in front of you. 

Everyone was packing the coolers for the beach but me.  I was struggling with a design for a week and trying to wrap it up so I could join.  My best friend (and architect) Krissy was visiting. 

But I couldn't see it.  I hated these plans.  She strolls by with a towel over her shoulder, glances at the kitchen of my nightmares and says, ' just flip it'.  Grabs the sunscreen and she's gone!  That's all it takes sometimes!

One of the best perks of a designer is that they only have your interests at heart.  Not the city, not the plan, the subs or the timeline.  An architect and contractor worry about doing their job, designing or building a house.  A good designer is an advocate for you in the process, your muscle.  

I know I’ve been hired on more than one occasion just to deal with the contractor and  don’t mind being the bad guy to get the results my clients want. 

You can be that advocate!  Channel your inner bad boy and go forth!  What do you need and how can you get there?  

Stay tuned, I know some shortcuts….

Best,

Liz 

xoxo

p.s. like my FB page, My Design Sherpa, for free tips, tutorials and much needed humor!