Common Custom Home Building Mistakes- Part 2
Happy New Year! We hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful holiday season with loved ones and delicious food. We at JD Rock are back and excited to jump into another year of custom homes and #bloggieaugie.
Two weeks ago we left everyone hanging with part one of the most common custom home-building mistakes. Today we are concluding with two more common mistakes. Our desire is to help you avoid these pitfalls and enjoy the most smooth construction experience possible! Without further ado…
MISTAKE #2 – Not Hiring an Interior Designer
Some builders are specifically gifted with an eye for design and the skillset to bring that design to life on various software. The Lord did not gift me with an eye for design, and that is okay because I have met some amazing people who design for a living. A really good interior designer is more valuable than most people realize. They’re not just picking paint colors for your walls, they take a client’s fuzzy idea of what they want their home to feel like and turn it into an actual visible drawing. I’ve had clients, several times, send me a handful of Pinterest photos and say “we want our fireplace to look something like this.” No two photos will be alike, and I will be left with more questions than answers. This is frustrating for both the client and myself. The client is struggling to convey what they want their fireplace to look like, and the lack of clear understanding regarding what to install is delaying my construction schedule. A good interior designer will have the software to draw up exactly what the client envisions and clearly dictate what materials are necessary to execute the vision. If you are spending the money and time to build a custom home, it is worth the extra expense to ensure the final product matches your vision.
MISTAKE #3 – Hiring the Cheapest Guy on the Block
1 Corinthians 3:10 says “like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.” For every custom home, a plethora of trades will be hired to build the various components. It can certainly be tempting to simply find the cheapest guy in town for each of these trades. While not always true, it is safe to say that you get what you pay for. The cheaper the trade, the more handholding is required. The cheapest guy in town is generally horrible at timely and professional communication (specifically over text and email). They can be nearly impossible to find if their work is revealed to have problems. Conversely, I have a foundation contractor who is not the cheapest guy in town. I spend a significant amount of money on him for every project. But, he is one of my most dependable and honest trades. He is extremely professional and somebody I am proud to introduce to my clients. When engineers come to inspect his work, they commend his attention to detail. I never have to worry about his foundations, and that is worth every penny. So make sure to take your time and research to find the best guy, not just the cheapest guy.
We will continue to share common mistakes in an effort to spare others the headache. However, avoiding these first 3 discussed mistakes will already put you in one of the best positions for a hassle-free construction experience. Take your time and get a full set of plans, hire an interior designer, and don’t settle for the cheapest labor in town if it isn’t the best!
