Renovate Or Create: Your Options With A Custom Home Builder

When the time has come for you to step foot on the property ladder, you're likely to have a long list of requirements, high expectations, and a restricted budget. After viewing several houses, you may find that none are meeting your needs. If your hunt is fruitless after several months, alternative options such as hiring a custom home builder or renovation of an existing space can be viable. Few people even think that hiring a custom home builder is even an option due to the already high costs of property and land, but it can be achieved and it can meet your budget.

Renovation is a great way to take an “almost” perfect house and tweak it until it becomes what you want. You also have the luxury of time when adding additions or making changes. You can wait until your income steadies, increases, or when you've saved up enough money. By adding onto a house, you have the potential to increase its value. It can be an especially great deal if you do some of the work yourself. There is plenty of potential available in most houses as long as you have an open mind.

You may be tempted to choose renovation over a new house due to costs. While it can be less expensive to put on an addition rather than start from scratch, it can also end up costing you more. It's best to have any house you are interested in buying evaluated by a professional first and get an estimate on any expansions or alterations you have in mind. You'll also likely need permits from the city, which can be very time consuming, and if done improperly you can be slapped with large fines and even have to tear down your efforts. There may also be the issue of available space. You might have to be prepared to cut into your yard area, or be forced to build upwards instead due to restrictions. Unless you plan on small changes such as adding an extra bathroom or converting a garage space into a room, you should contact both a renovation specialist and a custom home builder. They can help you determine if you can meet your expectations with an existing house, or if you're better off starting from the ground up.

If the renovation route isn't going as planned or doesn't seem feasible, a custom home builder can take your vision and make it a reality. You can work closely with a team of professionals to design the house to your exact specifications, from the width of the doorways to the built in shelves in the master bedroom. You will find yourself less constricted by regulations (although permits will still be required) and you'll have plenty of budget control as you can choose the materials. A custom home builder isn't all great though. It is not uncommon to go over budget and over schedule as climate and the marketplace can have a great impact on your original financial plans.