The most powerful American dream is to become a homeowner.  Selecting your ideal house plan, lot, and being involved in the building of your home can make this dream a reality.

People choose to build their own homes for varied reasons.  A self-built home allows the homeowner to add personal touches and modifications to the home design that makes a home truly theirs.  While most potential homeowners would think that this requires a custom home plan, there are many stock house plans in all styles that can be modified to suit most requests.   Stock house plans have the added benefit of being faster and easier to implement, and more cost effective.

The potential cost-savings of being involved in the building of one’s own home is another consideration.  If you act as your own general contractor, you can keep labor costs down by completing work for which you are able and/or qualified.  It will be necessary to find your own sub-contractors for electric, plumbing, HVAC, and others.  Hiring a general contractor is simpler, but more expensive.  The general contractor will be responsible for hiring sub-contractors and keeping everything on time and within budget.  After weighing the cost of a general contractor versus the time and worry saved, you can decide which is best for you.

When you build your own home, you can be sure that the quality is just what you expect.  As you will be able to select the materials from the roof to the flooring, your one-of-a-kind home will reflect your personal taste.   In addition, the property value of a self-built home is most likely higher than a mass-produced tract home.  Home buyers are often willing to pay for a home someone built themselves, knowing that the construction and materials are more likely of higher quality.
Before laying the foundation of your home, plan well. Ensure you have all the finances ready, securing funds early. This could be credit or from your own savings. Next, find the land on which you want to build your home. Check zoning ordinances and local municipalities to ensure your house plans are suitable according to local regulations. Inquire about what utilities are available on the piece of land where your new home will be built. Get all necessary building permits.

As your home is being built, visit the site regularly.  Communicate with your builder or general contractor about building milestones, progress, and any complications.  Do not hesitate to ask questions about anything you see.  This is your home, everything from building materials, paint colors, and trim should be exactly as you planned.  Finally, take pictures of each stage of the construction to preserve the excitement of watching your home rise from the foundation. 

Before moving in, walk through your new home and complete a “punch list”, which will be the items that need to be touched-up or fixed before you sign-off on your house.  Most common items to look for include paint finish, small spatters, nail pops, and trim pieces.  It is impossible to be too thorough and nothing is too small to be noted.  Then, conduct the final walk-through, sign your papers at closing, and get the keys.

Welcome to your new home!