Start your forever home journey the smart way
How exciting!!! You’ve reached a stage in your life when you’re ready to tackle building your dream home. Your finances are secure, you know where you want to live and you have firm plans for the future. This is a milestone achievement. So let’s just take a moment to celebrate that 👏👏
In fact, this might be the only time in your life when you tackle this journey. I know it was for us. Which makes starting this process off on the right foot, a no brainer!
The early stages of the home design-build journey are arguably the most important, but for so many homeowners, this is when the most costly mistakes happen. Mistakes that are very difficult or even impossible to rectify without big time delays or stressful budget blowouts. Which means that excitement we were just celebrating? Quickly turns into stress ☹️
So let’s get you prepared for a great start.
Here are our top tips for avoiding those common traps:
Mistake #1: Falling in love with a design that doesn’t match your bank account
It’s so very easy to get swept away by beautiful designs. I mean they’re everywhere now! From Instagram to Pinterest, to newsletters dropping into our inbox, there’s no shortage of design inspiration. But sadly, often these designs that are heavily featured are also incredibly pricey. And unless you’re knee deep in design and build on the daily, then it can be really difficult to decipher what makes certain designs so expensive.
Pro-tip: Use images for inspiration and to convey a particular aesthetic to your design-build team, but ensure budget is also at the forefront of the discussion. Be ready to brainstorm ideas on how you might be able to achieve a similar look in a simpler and more cost effective way.
The Maplewood Lane way: This is one of our main focuses everytime we design a new home at MWL. How can we bring that beautiful aesthetic, but also ensure we’re preserving the build economy.
Mistake #2: Not taking the time to assemble a design-build dream team
This flows on from Mistake #1. You need to build a team you can trust, a team who trusts and respects each other and who are great communicators. And your dream team MUST include both a builder and a designer. We were sent so many plans over at Aaron Martin Construction where a builder hadn’t been involved in the design phase, only to have to turn around and break the news to the homeowner that their build was 50% or even 100% over budget! This is obviously devastating to hear, and signifies months (sometimes even years) of time wasted and money spent on a project that will never see the light of day.
Pro-tip: Assembling a great team is no mean feat. You need to invest time into this phase to research who might be great candidates. We’ve pulled together the exact framework for how to go about this here.
Mistake #3: Waiting too long to make decisions
I always like to say that designing and building a new home is a marathon not a sprint. But within the marathon (and particularly during the design phase) you also need to be prepared to pick up the pace occasionally. The creative process works best when feedback is given quickly. While we definitely advise sitting with changes for a couple of days, allowing weeks to pass before providing design feedback can really derail the process.
These delays give opportunity for key communication to be forgotten, for the design direction to begin to falter and worst case scenario - for build costs to rise. So find that balance between hasty, poorly thought out decisions, and taking an international holiday between each round of feedback 😉
Pro Tip: You need to have your ducks in a row before you start designing - set a clear budget, be on the same page as your partner (or anyone else who is a key stakeholder in the build), know your non-negotiables, be clear on your design aesthetic and be ready to listen to the advice that you’re given (they’re the dream team for a reason right?!).
Mistake #4: Signing off before signing your brain on
The design process can be drawn out, which can feel incredibly frustrating. But it’s important to resist the urge to accept ‘close enough’ or hit go on the approvals process before taking the time to study your final concept plans in detail. While it’s true that small changes can be made even after the house has been approved, the more changes that occur after this stage, the more chance there is of confusion, mis-communication and ultimately a result that you’re not happy with.
Builders rely on crystal-clear documentation to quote accurately, schedule efficiently, communicate effectively to their team and ultimately to build with precision. So make sure you do whatever you can to assist in this process.
Pro tip: Block off some time, find a quiet space, and take the time to sign your brain on and review your plans in detail. If there’s something you don’t understand or you think something is missing - then don’t hesitate to ask the question. A dream team will welcome this level of attention to detail and open communication.
How Maplewood Lane Helps You Build Smarter:
Still feeling a little overwhelmed or uncertain about launching into design? We’ve got you. This is exactly why we developed our House Plan Toolkits - the ultimate shortcut to the result you’re hoping for.
No second guessing what the design *might* end up looking like
Know the true build costs right up front
Clear direction for your build team about what you want to achieve
The sweet spot of beautiful aesthetics meets build economy done for you
Documentation ready for your builder
Less decision making for you
Save time and money
Say less?
Explore our House Plan Toolkits here
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time,
Susie x
PS. Don’t forget to follow us over @maplewoodlane.co - where we share daily insights into our own design and build projects, as well as tips on how to make sure yours runs like clockwork too.
And if you have any burning questions about your own design and build journey that I haven’t covered off on, then let’s connect! You can reach me here. I’d love nothing more than a little ‘inbox distraction’ to give me a break from whatever task I’m currently tackling ;-)