Planning Your New Home!!
10 Steps in Planning your Home, Log Home, or Timber-Frame Home
Step 1: Research, Research, Research
Congratulations! If you’re reading this, you’ve already started the process of building the home, log, or timber home you’ve always wanted. Researching homes can be a fun process, and there are plenty of educational outlets available. Websites, magazines, home shows and local events are all available and dedicated to log, timber frame and rustic homes. Be sure to take notes! There’s more than one way to build a home, so you’ll be exposed to a variety of information. Keep a binder where you can store magazine clippings of articles and pictures or gather information directly from the Internet. Once you’ve identified a few companies to focus on, start digging into the details. Talk with their staff, visit their manufacturing headquarters (so you can see the product first-hand) and attend their seminars. This is a fantastic way to identify which company will best suit your plans and vision for your new home.
Step 2: Purchase Land Early
Purchasing your land and building equity into it is more important than ever because of lending practices. However, don’t rush into the choice. It may seem like the perfect property for you, but is it suitable for building the home you want? Zoning and environmental restrictions are not always obvious, so make sure there are no underlying issues. Other issues that may not be immediately obvious could be access to utilities and water, restrictive community covenants and land percolation suitable for a septic system. Finding that perfect piece of land is exciting and will motivate you to continue the process. Having as much of it paid for
before applying for a new home loan will certainly be beneficial. Contact us for help with that land purchase as well, as we are both licensed real estate agents as well!!
Step 3: Set Goals & Establish a Timeline
It’s important to have a plan, especially when building a new home. Some people build within a year of starting the process, while others may take several years. In either case, setting goals and establishing a timeline to build will help you reach important milestones for paying off the land you’ve purchased in time to build or saving for a down-payment on the project.
Step 4: Create a Budget & Pre-qualify
With a timeline in place, it’s time to set an overall budget. What can you afford? Take the first step with a lender and pre-qualify for the loan. It can be very educational and allow you to plan realistically and responsibly. A variety of lenders are available and will lend to qualified people building log and timber homes. If you need help finding a good fit, talk with us, we can help!!
Step 5: Start Preliminary Design & Wish List
Now it’s time for the real fun to begin! For many, this journey of building a home, log, or timber frame home started years ago. During that time, a whole slew of ideas and expectations have floated across your mind. Now is the time to get those on paper.
Separate the “must-haves” from the amenities you would include if the budget allows. Start playing with design ideas, and remember that most major manufacturers, including Honest Abe, will design a custom home for you with no added expense over a standard model.
We can help you with design elements as well, so contact us to help with your design. We can take your ideas and put them into a custom floor plan that is perfect for you!!
It’s also a wonderful time to head to the local hardware store to look at fixtures or start searching online for rustic design elements.
Step 6: Order Blueprints, Apply for Loan
It’s now time to decide on a floor plan and manufacturer for your home if you plan to go the log or timber frame home route. The design process will begin, and you’ll be able to start the loan process too. Working with the manufacturer to get your plans just the way you want them will be an exciting process!
Step 7: Get Construction Estimates & Interview Builders
With your new home plans in hand, it’s time to start getting estimates. This will help confirm that your plans meet your proposed budget and help determine your total loan amount. This is the perfect opportunity to interview general contractors. Ask for references on their work and follow up before making a choice.
Step 8: Pick a General Contractor
Based on your experience gathering the estimates and talking with contractors, choose a General Contractor to direct the project. Many banks now require a licensed G.C. to manage the construction, but in some cases, you may be able to serve in that capacity. Either way, there are numerous benefits and
responsibilities.
Of course, with all the help that we provide, we hope you choose Ozark Custom Country Homes as your general contractor! We can help walk you through all these steps and much, much more!
Step 9: Finalize Loan
You have the hard numbers, the G.C. is ready and the manufacturer you have picked is awaiting the deposit to create your new custom log home. Since applying for the loan in Step 6, you have been in frequent contact with your lender, which is key, because the time this process can take varies. It’s time to sign on the dotted line!
Step 10: Order Package & Place Deposit
A deposit is required to manufacture your custom log or timber frame home, with the balance due when delivered. It’s an exciting time! It’s been a long road, but one with great rewards at the end, and you are finally nearing it. In a matter of weeks, construction will begin. Another “Congratulations” is in order.
Places to Start – Designing your Home – Home Plan Sites
All these links will leave our site. Be sure and bookmark our site before leaving!
Contact us with a design that you like, and we can help walk through changes you would like to make.
Bring us a custom design, and we can work with you and that design to get you the exact home of your dreams.