Building a custom home in the Wimberley area is an exciting new chapter in your life! Wimberley and the Texas Hill Country is a hot real estate market, so by building your custom home, you’re not only dodging a highly competitive bidding war, but you’re also making an excellent investment.
But, before you break ground, here are some things to know.
Tips For Building A Custom Home In Wimberley
When building a custom home, you’ll need to have things decided ahead of time to help keep your project on track and close to budget. Here are the top six things you need to think about when building your new home:
- Manage your expectations
First things first, building a custom home is hard work. It can be stressful, exhausting, and expensive, but if you manage your expectations (and your budget), you can end up enjoying the process–primarily the result.
While there are many things that you’ll be able to accomplish, it’s important to note that some things on your dream list or in your original plan may not come to fruition. It’s important to review your thoughts and ideas with your contractors before you begin the build so you can plan for changes and updates that may need to happen because of budget restraints or material availability. - Understand your limitations
One of the things you’ll hear a lot from others who have gone through this process as well as the professionals that help you along the way: You will probably go over budget.
How much you go over your budget can be hard to predict. Still, with good planning and communication with your contractor, you can prevent some of the typical budget pitfalls that come along with building your custom home in Wimberley, San Marcos, Dripping Springs and the surrounding areas. - Build your floor plan from a functional perspective
The most exciting part of the project, like fun additions and design, can often overshadow a critical part of home design: function. Here are some things to think about:
Storage: Linen closets, pantries, coat closets, and additional storage options should be considered.
Door placement: Where do you want to walk into the house? Garage access, front doors, back doors, etc. Consider where you’ll be coming in from the driveway, the garage, the backyard, etc.
Living spaces: Do you want the kids to have a playspace? Do you want a formal dining room and a breakfast nook? An entertainment room or one big Family space. You’ll want to think about how you’ll live (and possibly work) in the space.
These are just a few things you’ll want to think about. Don’t get distracted by the form before you nail down the function. - Design for now and later
If you’re building a custom home, it’s more than likely that you’ll be staying there for a significant period of time, so it’s crucial to think about how your life will change.
Are you looking to expand the family? Make sure you have enough bedrooms. Are you planning on WFH? You want to think about office space. Do you not cook a lot right now? Maybe expand on your small kitchen, knowing that further down the line, you’ll be home cooking for more people.
The main point is that you’ll want to think ahead when creating the plan for your home. If you have questions, be sure to get advice from your contractor or the people in your life who have gone through this process before. Ask people who have kids what they wish or don’t wish they have in their homes. - Select design options before building begins
One of the hold-ups in the building process is picking fixtures, tiles, floors, etc. Because of the pandemic, supply shortages and prices are higher than they have been, which may create more of a challenge than usual.
Be sure to try and do research on materials to check pricing and availability. This way, you can plan ahead and select second choices if the first choice is unavailable. Not only will a little pre-work help ease your stress, but it can also save your budget. - Be sure to work with someone you trust
The relationship between you and your architect and your contracts is important and should be built on trust and mutual respect. Be firm with your needs and be open to hearing advice or alternative plans from building professionals. As the homeowner, the people on your team will be helping you.
While there are so many things to think about when building your custom home in Wimberley and the Central Texas area, it’s essential to do as much research and preparation as possible so you and your home-building team can get the job done!
Let us know if you’d like us to walk the property with you to help plan construction and make the best use of your beautiful piece of land in the Texas Hill Country.