When discussing house building, others often comment, “How fun!” While the house building process is exciting, it can also be stressful. The pressure arises from the fact that there are hundreds of decisions that must be made when designing and building a custom home. Because of this, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, losing the joy in house building. In order to avoid this, we utilize specific strategies and resources, which help our clients keep their joy (and sanity) during the design build process.
Strategy #1: Communicate openly and honestly about what’s important to you.
The only way your designer and builder will know what’s important to you is if you clearly communicate your expectations. In order to clearly communicate your expectations, however, you must know what’s truly important to you. Though you probably already have an idea about what you expect from your dream home, there are likely items that you have not considered yet. Because of this, we strongly encourage our clients to work through the information in the following resources, linked below.
Resources for Strategy #1
- How to Design the Perfect House Plans: Step 1 – Gather Ideas
- How to Design the Perfect House Plans: Step 2 – Organize Wants and Needs
Strategy #2: Design your perfect floor plan.
If you have worked through the resources for strategy #1, then you are already on the right track. Now, it’s time to take the information you’ve gathered and use it to choose a floor plan from the Elements Design Build House Plans Collection. Of course, we can make modifications to our plans in order to create the perfect design for you and your family.
Resource for Strategy #2
Strategy #3: Choose your finishes before house building begins.
Finishes… Paint colors, tile, hardwood floors, countertops, door hardware, light fixtures, and the list goes on… This is supposed to be the fun part, right?! But all these decisions can become overwhelming, especially if you are inundated with question after question during the house building process. Also, finishes greatly affect the overall cost of a home. (And nothing steals the joy like going over budget!)
To help alleviate stress, we ask our clients to choose finishes as soon as possible. In fact, we prefer that all finishes be chosen before building even begins. This allows us to more accurately bid the project, plus it helps keep the house building process moving.
To help our clients choose quality finishes that are within budget, we have created a Selections Showroom. Rather than spend hours trapesing from one store to the next, our clients schedule an appointment to visit our showroom located at Taylors Mill. There, you can see hardwood floor options, cabinet selections, door hardware, roofing samples, and more.
In addition to our Selections Showroom, we also utilize Elements Connect, an online construction management software program, which allows you to mark all your selections on your personal homeowner’s page. Everything from kitchen appliances to the color of bathroom faucets can be chosen via this program, which you can access anywhere you have Wi-Fi.
Resources for Strategy #3
- Elements Design Build Selections Showroom – 250 Mill St. Taylors, SC (Open by appointment)
- Elements Connect, your personal homeowner’s page
Strategy #4: Continue to communicate openly and honestly throughout the house building process.
Questions, and even concerns, are bound to come up during the house building process. Make sure to openly and honestly communicate these matters with your builder. There’s no need to worry unnecessarily. If you don’t understand something, just ask!
Strategy #5: Utilize Elements Connect throughout the house building process.
Make sure to check in at Elements Connect on a regular basis. There, you will find financials, schedules, photos, and more…
Strategy #6: Maintain realistic expectations throughout the house building process.
Even with detailed floor plans, selections made, and open communication, issues will inevitably arise during the house building process. Don’t allow these complications to steal your joy! Remember that nothing in life is perfect. Keep your sanity by maintaining realistic expectations, realizing that there are bound to be a few bumps along the way. That doesn’t mean the building process isn’t fun. It just means it’s real.
Resource for Strategy #6
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