How to Avoid the Top 5 Mistakes in Building Your Custom Dream Home: Mistake #2: Getting the Bare Minimum On Your Architectural Plans.

MISTAKE #2:

Getting the Bare Minimum

On Your Architectural Plans

A.)            Getting the Bids.

Tip one leads directly to tip number two: put as many details as possible on the architectural drawing of your custom home.  Most homebuyers are incredibly anxious to begin the home building process.  If you are at this point, then you already feel that you are in a position financially to build a custom home and are ready to take the plunge.  A huge mistake we have seen countless individuals make is having the architect draw the bare outline of their home.  What the homebuyer fails to take into consideration is that when it comes time to getting the builders to provide their bid for the project, the bid is based solely upon those drawings. 

No matter how “experienced” your builder is, they cannot read your mind! What is quality to one individual may not be quality to another.  This tip is especially important in a “bidding war,” when you have multiple builders bidding for the project, and the builder knows that the home buyer will take the lowest bidder. 

B.)            Comparing Apples to Apples.

As you walk through a builder’s featured home at a home show, don’t automatically assume that the quality you see is the quality that the builder is bidding on your plans.  In fact, assume that there are countless “upgrades” that are not included in that builder’s general price.  In speaking with one of the premier homebuilders in the state, the homebuilder griped that generally the only reason he will lose a bid is because he is including in his bid a higher quality craftsmanship and/or materials than the other builder. 

So unbeknownst to the homebuyer, rather than comparing apples to apples, they are comparing apples to oranges.  In the end, in order to get the quality and craftsmanship they had in their minds, their bids will most likely come out much higher than the original bid.

C.)            The Devil is in the Details.

Start taking control of your project from the very beginning by asking your architect to include as many details as possible in your plans.  This includes (but is definitely not limited to): the level of granite you want to use (did you know that depending on the quality and cut of the granite- it can be anywhere from a level 1 to a level 5 with a significant difference in the pricing?); how tall you would like the doors; what type of flooring will be going where (i.e. travertine in the entryway?  Hard wood in the kitchen?); specify what thickness of pad you would like to see in your carpet; what type of material would you like the deck made out of; etc.  Basically, this is the point where you include as many of your due diligence items from Tip #1 as possible. 

Let the builder bidding on your home know that you want your home drawn exactly according to the plans.  That way, when it comes to placing the shutters on the outside of the home at the end, the builder won’t be able to say “I thought those were just something the architect threw on there so those were not included in your bid.” (Trust me…that exact situation has happened countless times!)

I promise you the more detailed your architectural plans are, the more accurate your bidding will be from your builder and the closer to your expected build price you will get.