Comments0 by in Building a New Home
July 25, 2014
6 Common Building Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Building a home is a tremendous undertaking and represents a significant investment. Although there are many different approaches to building a home, many people fall into the trap of making common mistakes when building a home. Identifying those mistakes and learning how to avoid them can help to make the process of building a home less stressful and help you to save on costs.

1. Not Establishing a Realistic Budget:

Among the most important steps that you can take when building a home is understanding how much it will realistically cost and how much you can afford. Keep in mind that there can always be unexpected expenses, so whatever your budget, it is important that you add some leeway. Unfortunately this is a major culprit of a building project going sour. People are often put off when we ask what their budget for the project is but when you stop to think about it, it is probably the single most important element of the build.

If you would like help working out roughly how much you are going to need to complete that dream home or home extension, complete our Home Building Cost Calculator. And yes… The first question we are going to ask is what is your budget. 😉

2. Going over Budget:

This is, by far, the most common mistake made by most people when building a home. In most instances, it is certainly not intentional and yet it still happens. One of the most common reasons that people go over budget is by changing the plans after they are already in place. The budget for a home building project typically includes everything down to the last nail. If you decide to make even a small change, it is usually going to result in a cost overage. This can occur due to the cost for additional building supplies, but it can also result in schedule overages, which can also prove to be expensive. To avoid such problems, try to make as few changes as possible.

By setting a realistic budget and not going over it, the whole project will run much smoother and you and your family will be much happier. Guaranteed!

3. Not Hiring a Professional Building Contractor:

In some instances, people make the mistake of thinking they can save money if they act as their own contractor. Unless you have significant experience in the contracting business, this can prove to be problematic and expensive. By choosing to work with a professional contractor who has been in the business for a long time, you gain the benefit of their years of professional experience. Professional contractors are also often able to negotiate prices and even avoid expensive mistakes. Due to their experience, they are also typically able to anticipate potential problems and avoid them.

4. Not Allowing Enough Time:

The process of building a quality home takes time. Additionally, unforeseen circumstances, including bad weather, can result in even more delays. Yet, many people become disappointed when their home is not completed on time because they did not allow enough time for the project from the outset. You can help speed up the process by working closely with the different trades that are working on your home and give them access to your property when it is needed.

5. Expecting Perfection:

One of the best benefits of building your own home is that you can have what you want. Even so, it is important to be aware that your vision may not necessarily correspond with reality. For this reason, you should be open-minded and realistic regarding what will take place during the construction process.

Now, by no means are we saying be happy with poor quality work as that is not what we are about. That you should and can definitely have!

6. Doing Work Yourself to Save Money

Just as it is important that you not act as your own building contractor, it is also crucial that you do not fall into the trap of performing work yourself in order to cut costs. We can probably thank shows like ‘The Block’ and ‘My House Rules’ for this who make it look so easy. But unless you are actually a skilled tradesman, you should leave the work to the professionals or run the risk of never completing the build or doing low quality work.

Now make the correct decisions

Hopefully this article has and will help you avoid common building mistakes that we encounter on a weekly basis. Unfortunately we do have lots of horror stories of people making the above mistakes and it costing them a small fortune to rectify the problem. So to recap, work out a realistic budget that you are going to stick with, get the plans drawn up with what it is you want and look to hire a professional building contractor. You will thank us in the long run. 🙂

I hope that helps. Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Cheers,
Shane Caldwell
0414 446 572

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