Before building your new home, you should have a checklist covering what you should know, way before your home design process can begin. Coming prepared with the essential information will save you time, money, and frustration in the long run. Knowing your all-in budget, lot building restrictions, and county requirements, are some of the main overlooked topics.
Our project managers have come together to create this essential checklist of what you should know before building your new home.
Before Building Your New Home Checklist
Develop an all-in budget
Develop an all-in budget considering the cost of land, site prep, design work, and, ultimately the assembly and finish of your home.
- Determine the level of finish you would like and range it between Good, Better, and Best
- A good square foot cost range would be – (Good) $200 to $250 per square foot, (Better) $250 square foot up to $350 a square foot. (Best) being $350 a square foot and up
- Do some homework on what that finish looks like for example:
- Pre-engineered laminate floors (Good)
- Pre-engineered hardwood floors (Better)
- Sand in place hardwood floors (Best)
- You can do this with all finishes ranging them from Good to Better to Best
Secure Your Land (lot, property, etc..) or Come Prepared
Ensure the land you own or the land you intend to purchase, can be built on.
- Check county for permitting checklist (If you find a checklist, have readably available when ready to talk to a home designer)
- Zoned for Residential or commercial
- Water, Septic, and Other Utilities are Accessible
- Talk with neighbors about the pitfalls or advantages of building in the area
- Talk with your selling agent about the potential for residential construction and where there may be difficulties
- Take note of the distance from the nearest stubbed utilities to the building pad
- Determine if you will be hooking to city utilities or needing to start from scratch with a water well, septic system, and electricity from the nearest transformer
- Engage with a civil engineer to get a topographic map created for the property
- Identify jurisdiction-specific rules and regulations on grade
- Sometimes the county will make this a requirement
- Helps ensure your bid on the clearing of the land
- Understand what is going to be needed/required upfront
- Flood Zones and Elevations of the Property Marked (Helps w/ Design)
- All easements and directional views are included
- Helps with the design of foundation and footings
- Consider any challenges like slope or driveways that may need to be built into the overall cost of the project
- Take into account how the location of the property will impact the overall cost
- Access to labor and utilities in remote locations can be minimal and will often require mobilization fees increasing cost
Buying in an HOA community
or Property Owners Association?
Things to consider:
- Design requirements in the specific Association; Do they match up with the type of home you want to build?
- Association design criteria and other external requirements may impact the overall cost of your project
- limitations within the community, will they allow you to build a prefab home? If so, what are the limitations specific to?
County requirements
When you choose to build with us, your Trinity Building Systems project manager can help you with this section, but some of the factors to consider are:
- Height restrictions
- Snow loads and wind loads
- Seismic zones
- Fire Hazard
- Energy requirements
Building with Trinity Building Systems
Now that you’ve got your property under control, it is time to start the design process!
Either:
A. Pick a home from our site
B. Use our homes as a template to be customized
C. Have us design your build from scratch
Get in touch with a Trinity Building Systems project coordinator by calling or filling out a form to get started on your project today!