So, you have been planning to build your own dream house. Money-wise, you think you are already set, following consultation with an expert. The only thing that is lacking to make your aspiration fruition is to have it done.
Many who share the same goal as you do reach that part of the dream process. Some even take several years. But just as when you think that reaching that point is a guarantee for success, mishaps happen—often because of shortsightedness and misguidedness—and they become setbacks to an otherwise straightforward goal: mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house.
Here are the 8 mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house:
1. DIY (Do-it-yourself)
Some beginner homeowners fall into the trap of cutting out the experts to cut costs. DIY-ers as they call themselves, they take pride in being able to do stuff with their own hands. But while they may make the best dog houses, the planning and effort needed to establish a house for human living certainly take a lot more. Often the case (as many as 99% of them), fails in this regard. Thus, making it one of the most serious mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house.
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2. Listening to false advice
Lacking access to professional advice, some resort to becoming too “open-minded” to information where possible. This practice is not only faulty but also dangerous as well, especially in the context of house-building. Why? Because the person you could be getting the information from may not necessarily understand what they are talking about themselves. In the same manner that a blind leads a blind, listening to a layperson for a professional job is one of the mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house.
3. Mixed concepts of design
We live in an age where conceptual designs are aplenty, which serves as a thriving source of inspiration. Building a house from scratch, however, isn’t like a bowl of salad that you just mix and comes with a “palatable” result. That is unless you want to come up with something unusual—but ever heard of the Winchester Mystery House? Mish-mashing designs for a single building can be an anti-thesis to proper uniformity and good cohesion and is one of the mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house.
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4. Prioritize exterior rather than interior
When someone speaks of a house, for some people it entails something that others see, not the owner. In reality, it should be the complete opposite. While a building may gather praise from other people for its external beauty, at the end of the day, the real people who ought to be cherishing the quality of the household are those who live in it. Therefore, interior design should take paramount importance over exterior design. Likewise, going for the contrary is one of the mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house.
5. Dealing with an undocumented contractor
Establishing a house from the ground up is serious business and anyone who is into such can fall victim to bad actors in the industry. By “bad actors,” we mean individuals who engage in the trade but don’t do proper documentation that is typically attributed to the job. It is your money that is largely at risk when you deal with this kind of people.
The problem with having somebody do you a major job without anything getting written is the uncertainty of how and when the project will get finished. In some cases, they do not, as the necessary funds would typically run out before then. This issue could’ve been prevented if there had been an initial agreement on how much the entire project will have cost from the beginning. Therefore, a project without proper documentation is one of the mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house.
6. Not finalizing the decision for the design (could be a waste of money)
With literally thousands of possibilities as to how a household can turn out, it can be mind-boggling to make a final design. However, this isn’t a valid reason to forego the finalization of the design process. If anything, this is a recipe for a massive waste of both time and money. Because chances are, until the design is already set and final, multiple re-designs could take place, even during the actual construction phase. Save yourself time and money by avoiding this as one of the many mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house.
7. Dealing with an unprofessional
Another “bad actor” in the construction industry is unlicensed individuals. Considering the overall expenses of constructing a house, giving an incompetent person such a serious undertaking is a disaster waiting to happen. Just consider this: if licensed professionals themselves still could commit mistakes in their bailiwick, what more is unprofessional? Lesson: Only work with professionals and prevent an otherwise one of the several mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house.
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8. Not enough budget for the project
You’re probably too eager to kickstart your home-building project without the right budget. But herein lies the problem with lacking the necessary funds—you would get a grossly unfinished construct. Chance is good you would not want even to live in a house without working plumbing or lighting in place. Avoid this one of many mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house and get a full house instead.
We all fall in love with the idea of owning a house but sometimes we fall into the temptation of getting it through means that we think would cut us some costs. But only for the opposite to become true. There is nothing inherently wrong with being eager on one thing as it suggests a genuine interest. However, when you give in to the wrong practices, that is when matters become a concern—which shouldn’t be the case if you’re working with a pro and are avoiding many mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house.
Did you make the above 8 major mistakes homeowners make when constructing a house?
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