3 Tips for New Custom Home on Your Lot
Tip #1 – Make your lot purchase contract contingent satisfactory soil test and verification of utility locations. Most of our custom homes are built on 3 acre lots. They usually have water available but it is typically up to the home owner to provide a septic system for sewage. Septic systems can vary greatly in cost depending how much room you have for the drain field and the type of soil that the drain field is going in. The other item which can have a significant cost impact is the location of the utilities. For example if location of your home on the lot is 300′ away from electrical service this can add several thousand dollars of cost to your build. The same holds true for the water.
Tip #2 – Get good plans. We see many customers bring in plans they have purchased online. Many times these plans are inaccurate and don’t contain detailed information. They almost never contain detailed building code items which means you could have a builder take shortcuts unless it’s addressed. The bottom line is you can save a couple of thousand on the plan and it can cost 3 times that much when you build. Go to an architect that someone you trust has recommended and get good plans. It will protect you in the long run.
Tip #3 – Get a 10 year warranty. I see a lot of custom home builders that don’t provide their clients with a 10 year warranty. I think this is foolish on both sides. If your builder is providing a new home warranty then he has agreed with the warranty company that he will follow relevant codes. I believe that it also protects the builder in case something unforeseen happens if that builder has protected the home owner with a warranty then there is little likelihood of problems for anybody.
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