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What is the best advice you can give to someone building a home?

We recently polled homeowners and asked them one simple question – If you could give 1 piece of advice to someone building a new house what would it be? We received a lot of great feedback and thought it would be a good list of things to keep in mind for people who are building a new house.

Home Building Advice
  • Keep your punch list handy (a punch list is document prepared near the end of a construction project listing work not conforming to contract specifications that the contractor must complete prior to finalizing).
  • Make sure you have a good warranty.
  • Don’t be afraid to stand up to your builder to make sure you get what is in the contract.
  • Don’t sweat the small stuff, your builder wants you to love your home, but remember it’s just a home.
  • Use a reputable, custom home builder, the quality of materials and craftsman ship are worth paying more than a cookie cutter builder.
  • Tankless water heaters are the way to go.
  • Don’t skimp on the big stuff – electric, plumbing, insulation, HVAC system and foundation.
  • Never have carpet.
  • Hire the right builder, this is the most important piece of the puzzle.
  • Water is your biggest enemy. Ensure your house is protected from water.
  • Understand the materials that are being used.
  • Make sure you absolutely understand exactly what your contractor is proposing.
  • Don’t sign the contract until you understand everything in it.
  • Talk to an honest and reasonable person who has built a “custom” home previously about expectations and planning, pros and cons.
  • Make sure everything is in writing.
  • Get an electrician to wire a place to plug in a generator, make sure it is wired to things like your refrigerator and freezer.
  • Be open minded and listen to the experts.
  • Do your homework and vet the contractors/builder you are considering.
  • Natural light is important – don’t skimp on windows
  • Secure the correct type of construction loan.
  • Lots of walk-thru’s.

The overall theme was the process can be very stressful, but have patience, hopefully you will only do this once so make sure you enjoy it while it is happening.

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