4 Benefits of Building Your Own Home

The debate between building and buying is fraught with advantages and disadvantages on both sides. Here are four advantages that come with building your own home.

1. You Can Go Green

When you build your own home, you get to customize the floor plan, the cabinet knobs, and everything in between. Which means you can also decide how energy-efficient you want your home and appliances to be. You can also choose to use sustainable or recycled materials. More green features you might decide to install in your new home include:

  • energy-efficient appliances.
  • low-flow sinks, showerheads, and toilets.
  • solar panels.
  • a rain collecting system.
  • energy-efficient windows.
  • programmable heating and AC units.
  • LED and FCL lighting.
  • a tankless water heater.
  • Eco-friendly wall insulation.

Going green doesn’t have to stop at your home: you can also implement earth-friendly features in your landscaping such as shade trees and drip hoses.

2. You Can Control Your Budget

Instead of finding a home that fits your budget but doesn’t have all the features you were hoping for, you can build a house with all the features you need at the price you can pay. Just be careful when you start planning; it’s easy to let that budget get out of control. Here are four tips to keep a firm hold on your spending:

  • Keep a list. Once your budget has been set, you are ready to design your home. Make two lists: one for the design elements you must have, and one for the elements you’d like to have (but could live without). Once all your needs have been accounted for in the budget, you can start on your list of wants.
  • Finalize all your plans. If you change your plans halfway through construction, your budget will have to change too.
  • Plan the right timeline. If you don’t have any deadlines, the project will drag on. If your deadlines are too tight, you may have to spend extra money to meet them. Take time to research what kind of permits and licenses you need so your construction doesn’t get delayed, and be patient enough to wait out bad weather and resist the urge to expedite shipping of the materials you order.
  • Don’t forget about non-construction-related costs. These can include land permits, utility hookup costs, and landscape excavation. Also be sure the land you are building on is suitable to hold a house, that way you won’t start building the home just to realize that bedrock or unground water will increase your budget or force you to relocate.

3. You Can Learn/Use Skills

“Building your own home” can be either metaphoric or literal. You can either hire some to do the building for you, or you can actually get the tools and materials and construct yourself a house.

Unless you already work for a construction company and know how to build a home, you will have to contract out many different parts of the building process. However, you’ll have complete control over that process.

If you have been trained in electrical wiring, you can save on hiring an electrician. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to do certain jobs like install plumbing into a house or install drywall panels, building a home gives you the perfect opportunity to do so. Just be aware your home will have to pass state-mandated safety inspections before you can live in it.

4. You Can Pick the Location

It’s not uncommon for people looking for a home to complain that they’ve found the perfect house, but they hate the location. If you are building a home you don’t have to settle on either the house or the neighborhood.

When you look for the perfect spot to create your dream home, consider both short-term and long-term needs. Do you like the community surrounding your building site? Do you plan on having kids in the future who will need quality schools to attend? Do you want to be within walking distance of restaurants and stores? How far are you willing to commute from work? Knock a few doors and ask people already living there how they like the community.

If you are thinking about relocating, imagine what you could do with the freedom of design, budget, and location selection that comes with building your own home. Think carefully about your decision between building and buying, and you will find yourself in the home of your dreams.

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