Building a Custom Home on your land in Swift Current and Area

Before you decide to build a custom home on your own land, take our advice on how to choose a homebuilder to help ensure you don’t overlook any critical steps.

We can tell you right now, that building a dream home on your own land can be one of the most satisfying experiences of your life – as long as you are ready for the task! There is a lot of variable to consider, and you’ll need the help of home building professionals to confirm you don’t miss any important details before you break ground.

CONNECT WITH A CUSTOM HOME CONTRACTOR IN SWIFT CURRENT FIRST

The number one advice we can give for anyone who’s looking to build is to consult with a home builder in Swift Current before buying the land. Choosing to involve your builder will pay off tremendously down the road.

If your home builder is a professional, it will be very natural for him to communicate the position of how the house should sit as well as if it’s feasible to even build on the land. It is very easy to get caught up in the vision of your future home on a beautiful piece of land, but there is a chance there may be problems that you might not see right away.

CHOOSING A CUSTOM HOME BUILDER FOR YOUR LAND

There is a lot of work that goes into choosing a trustworthy homebuilder, especially when you want to build on your own land.

Look for a home builder in the Swift Current area that specializes in design-build custom homes. This will show the visible experience in building on home owners land. These firms will keep your custom home on budget and on time. They will also have valuable knowledge on zoning laws, restrictions and easements. Hiring locally can be rewarding as the desire to build in a rural area can be slightly different than building in an infill lot or where land is developed.

What to look for in a builder:

  • Experience – Have then done lots of “Build on your own land” projects? It never hurts to take the time and ask for references and ask those references of their experience.
  • Floor plans – If you are going to purchase your own land first, it will be beneficial to talk to your builder about what type of floor plan will work with the lot you are choosing to purchase. Each lot has different shapes, slopes and styles that could affect your floor plan.
  • Purchasing – Power – A builder with a reputable name with solid connections in the area is way more likely to get you a competitive price on building materials.

Starting with a site meeting to review the land, your builder must be transparent and up front about all the thing that will have to happen BEFORE construction on the land begins. Things like removing dirt, adding dirt, driveway, an approach, does the approach need a culvert?, any kind of special foundation work needed. All these things should be added into the overall budget.

*** Knowing the costs-up front will save you money on unforeseen change orders down the road. ***

Which leads us to one more point… Know your budget before you call.

HOW DO YOU GET TO KNOW YOUR BUDGET WHEN BUILDING A CUSTOM HOME IN SWIFT CURRENT?

Glad you asked. There is many components that go into deciding your budget for a new home and we have compiled a list of things you must know before even setting a realistic budget.

If you are looking to use a bank or lender for your custom home, they will tell you to budget for 15%-20% more than you initially think. As you make multiple design and styling decisions, things can add up quickly. This padding is there to prevent you from stressing in the build. And lets be honest, sometimes during the build that hardwood you chose in the design stage, isn’t the one you like, as you saw another hardwood you completely fell in love with. But it’s also $3.00 a square foot more. This happens all the time.

It’s not alway the easiest conversation, but communicating your budget to a professional builder up front in the design stage allows them to help you make the right choices throughout the build process, ultimately saving you money and whole lot of headache.