KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Understand the importance of clear vision and collaborating with experts
- Uncover the benefits of collaborating with experts
- Discover how to budget smartly
- Learn about sustainable building choices
Once, Irish novelist and producer Cecelia Ahern said, “I’ve learned that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling,” and for me, that’s one hundred percent true, because it was I who planned and designed everything from scratch for my house, even though I was a first-time home builder.
For sure, this was tough. I had to make countless decisions, financial commitments, garden layout, and coordinate with dozens of professionals. Trust me, the desire to make a perfect home can quickly become stressful when unexpected challenges arise, especially if you are a home builder in Houston.
With the help of this article, I will take you on my home-building journey as a first-time home builder and share how I overcame challenges that arose during the journey.
Start with a Unified Vision: Blending Indoor and Outdoor Design
Clear vision is literally the base of starting any project. And no, it’s not that difficult, just imagine what your perfect day at home would feel like. Do you dream of having morning coffee on a beautiful balcony full of plants, or a big family dinner with an open view of your garden?
To clear things up more, I collected photos, videos, and sketches of how I want certain places to look. And I’m glad I did this because with the help of this, I successfully blended my indoor and outdoor design.
Choosing the Right Site and Orientation for Sunlight and Greenery
When I bought the land for my house, I spent hours there and observed the whole area. And one thing that I did, and every first-time home builder should do, is to check where the sun rises and sets.
According to my observation, I designed to place my living area where it will get good sunlight during the day and place my garden where it gets both enough sunlight and shade. In this, you can take help of the STACK construction management software for subcontractor too. Now, I have no shame to admit that I redesign everything a lot of times so that I avoid blocking natural views.
Collaborating with Architects, Builders, and Landscape Designers
Believe me, communication and collaboration are very important in any project if one wants the desired result:
- I talked to all the experts early, not just after the building process starts
- Shared my vision for both home and garden with everyone involved in the project
- I asked the architect about how indoor spaces can be open onto patios, decks, or lawns.
Apart from this, I also hired a landscape designer, and it was a great decision, as she suggested plants and design elements that suited my lifestyle and climate perfectly.
Budgeting Smartly for Home Construction and Landscaping
My neighbor, family, friends, and even colleagues, I have seen a lot of people making mistakes in the budget part. Some spend everything on the structure and then compromise on the interior, and some spend everything on the home and forget about landscaping.
A realistic budget is very important, and spending it smartly, too. To do this, I listed my priorities (what is must and what can be skipped), asked my landscape designer for different materials and plant options that look good but don’t cost much.
Smart planners also think about the future, so I designed my garden and home in a way that it won’t need much maintenance cost in the future.
Sustainable Building Choices for an Eco-Friendly Home and Garden
We are already living in a space where pollution and non-eco-friendly things are ruining our environment. Which is why it is our responsibility to at least not increase these things and move towards eco-friendly homes. Want to know how? Look at this:
- Pick building materials that don’t hurt the environment more (local wood, recycled products)
- Install energy-saving windows to lower energy bills
- Use solar panels and energy-saving lighting outdoors to save more energy
- Collect rainwater for plants. Believe me, plants will love it
These things might seem like a lot, but an environmental lover like me can not resist adding them to my house, and according to me, every homeowner should do this, too.
Finishing Touches: Creating a Seamless Indoor-Outdoor Experience
I would not lie, this part was a bit difficult for me. I take the help and ideas from a lot of people, and eventually link everything together with finishing touches that make my indoor and outdoor spaces feel connected:
- Use similar colors, patterns, or materials for both indoor and outdoor
- Pick big windows and doors to open up the view (glass windows and sliding doors are perfect for this)
- Add plants inside of home to maintain that greenery balance
- Use outdoor furniture and lighting to make the garden feel like part of a living room.
My simple advice for a first-time home builder would definitely be to dream big but plan the budget wisely. Also, going for looks is good, but think about functionality and environment too. Once you understand the above things clearly, you will be able to create the house of your dreams.
What process takes the longest when building a house?
In most cases, it is the planning and approval phases because it takes almost 3 to 6 months, and sometimes even more.
What are the common mistakes to avoid when building a house?
The common mistakes are poor planning and budgeting, picking an inexperienced builder, using low-quality materials, etc.
Where Not to Cut Costs When Building a New Home?
One should not cut costs on structural elements, foundation, and major systems like plumbing, wiring, and HVAC, etc.
What are some eco-friendly home products?
Reusable paper towels, stainless steel straws, reusable sandwich bags, compostable paper plates, etc.
