We all have a pretty good idea as to what our dream home would look like. But when you start looking for a house on the market, however, you’ll likely find that your dream is difficult to find in reality. Either what you want is too expensive, or simply just isn’t available in your area.
And that’s when you could consider building your own home. But building a house isn’t as easy as it looks on the TV, and it’s not for the faint-hearted.
If you find yourself pondering whether to build or buy, here are the pros and cons of building your own home.
The pros of building your own home
Your dream home is a reality
Of course, the major pro is getting the house you’ve always dreamed of in a location that works for you. Everything from the layout, the features, the materials used can be designed to your own specs. That walk-in wardrobe you’d always hoped for? Done. The cinema room you know the kids will love? Done.
Brand new everything
When you buy a home on the market, you’ll be stuck with old appliances and hardware. When building your house from scratch, you’ll have brand new everything – from the appliances to the wiring and plumbing behind the scenes. You can rest assured that everything is up to date with safety regulations, too.
Cost-effective
Building a property can often be more cost-effective than buying. As long as you’re willing to get your hands dirty and do some of the work yourself. Manual laborers can seriously hike up your build price, so ensuring that you and your family and friends do as much as you can yourself, you can cut costs and stick to a small budget.
Rather than apply for a mortgage, you can borrow money from a new construction loan company instead. You might find the monthly payments are a little more manageable, and you’ll end up paying less back in the long run.
The cons of building your own home
Temporarily left without a home
It’s no secret that building a house takes time. But estimating that time can be tricky. Building projects often take longer than the original plans, which can cause a lot of issues for you if you’ve not prepared. You may already have a move out date in mind or have sold your current property and need to leave for the new buyers. All of this means that not only will there be a delay on your new home, but you’ll also need to fork out for temporary accommodation.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to get quotes from a variety of builders and project managers and add a few months to their projections.
Very hands-on
Even if you hand over the manual work to others, building your own house will still be very hands-on. You’ll need to regularly visit the site to ensure everything is going to plan and to smooth out any issues that are arising. You’ll also have to be available to make a lot of choices regarding the scheduling of work and different construction choices and designs.
If you plan accordingly and are prepared for the hard work, you could be living in your dream home by next year.
