Your home should be as unique as you are. It should fit your needs, your lifestyle and your tastes perfectly. And the only way to make sure a home is 100% you is to build it yourself. But building a custom home can be a confusing process. From choosing a piece of land to finding a builder to getting financing in place, there are a lot of hoops to jump through. At Alair Homes Scottsdale, we’re here to help you through the process every step of the way.
Should I buy land before contacting a home builder?
As custom home contractors, we normally work with clients who already own land and are planning to build on their lots. The layout of the land will determine your home’s style. You should buy land before you start speaking to a contractor about architectural plans and building costs.
Is it cheap to use an existing set of plans?
Generic plans are developed to suit a vast array of requirements to attract as many prospective home-builders as possible. With a generic plan, you’ll struggle to fit your tastes and preferences into a house that wasn’t developed with your lifestyle in mind. With every square foot costing thousands of dollars, having over 200 square feet of squandered space in stock plans can be very expensive. With a custom house, you can eliminate 100 to 200 square feet and save over $12,000.
What if your land has bad soil?
Building a structure can be tough due to bad soil quality. The type of soil will figure out the stability of your home. The subject of soil mechanics is very complicated, and you must leave it to a proficient Geotechnical Engineer.
What is an overdig?
An overdig is an over-excavation that goes beyond the depth required to install the footings for walls and columns. The typical depth of an overdig is 4 feet or the depth required to eliminate all the loose soil, whichever is less. It is easier to excavate the expandable soil until you find the bedrock than to cover the overdig with a backfill. Once you amend the overdig, you will have to compact the soil that you imported from somewhere else.
How will you get the utilities?
Ensuring that you know exactly how you are going to power your house and get the water is very important. Utilities such as power, water, and waste can be a deal-breaker in many cases. Before you buy land for development, make sure that you know how to get the following utilities:
• Find out whether you will get water from municipality or a well
• Think about the waste disposal regarding garbage, septic, or sewer
• The cost of electricity depends on the distance to the existing power lines
• Think about other utilities include gas, HVAC, phone and Internet services
For instance, you may have an interest in a lot that’s in a very remote location. If the seller indicates that the lot has access to all the utilities, it is important to verify these details before you commit yourself. However, if your lot is far from the main utilities, you might have to pay more in your quest to bring the services to your home.
What are tap fees?
Tap costs are the charges charged by utility companies for hooking your pipes to the existing water, drains system, and electrical supply systems. These costs vary depending on the location and can be significantly higher than you expect since every utility company is unique.
Feel free to contact Alair Homes Scottsdale to help you with all of the logistics of building your dream home.