Building a Custom Home

Now that it has come time to actually build your new home there are surely questions to be answered. How big to build? How many stories? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Basement, crawlspace or slab? Be sure to take time with your builder to go over all the features you want in your new home. Building a custom home in Georgia is vastly different than building a new home from a set of pre-designed plans. Having conversations with your builder about how your home will compliment your lifestyle can allow you to accurately pinpoint your needs before it's too late.

Here are some points to consider when planning your next building project:

• Sit down with your family to accurately evaluate your needs. Ask questions about what your home will be asked to do for you. Consider the future expansion of your family (birth of children, in-laws that may move in, the need to care for elderly family members, etc.)
•  Consider the layout of your home's floor plan. Do you entertain often and need large open spaces; do you have children that need areas to themselves; do you have a home business/office that requires dedicated separate areas?
•  Find a way to prioritize which rooms will be more of a priority, financially. Kitchens and bathrooms can become expensive additions; luxury aspects of the home can require specific space needs (media room, home office, play room, wine cellar)
• Discuss the look and feel of the house, both on the outside and inside. Decide on building materials, siding, roofing, trim, etc. Once the house is built, how will you decorate (both through interior design as well as with landscaping) it to match the look and feel you desire?
• Plan for the unexpected: this includes financial burdens that could arise, a lag in the building process that puts the project behind schedule, items in the plans are mistakenly left out, etc.