Homeownership is a key piece of the American Dream, and building a custom home is a wonderful way to manifest it. While building a custom home—or even selecting the right floor plan for your new abode—may seem to be a daunting process; in reality, it’s simple to break it down into a series of easy-to-follow steps. Here at River Bluffs, we have a lot of experience helping new neighbors through the process of building the right home for the next chapter of their lives, and we’re always happy to explain our process to folks interested in what we have to offer. Here’s a basic guide to the fundamentals involved in turning your ideal home from vision to reality. We’re grateful to our friends at Herrington Custom Homes—one of seven River Bluffs’ preferred builders—for their guidance and advice on this subject.
Step 1 | Starting Out: Budget, Location, Time Frame
As with so many things in life, it’s essential to establish—and stick with!–a budget when embarking upon the journey towards a custom home. Your budget will depend on a great many things—your stage of life, your financial situation, your goals and needs for your home—so we recommend a careful examination of your circumstances and talk with your accountant or financial adviser.
Once a budget has been established, you’ll likely want to move on to the most critical aspect of any real estate venture: location, location, location. The right lot in the right neighborhood can make your dream home even better. What you want in a location will again vary based on your unique needs: a secluded lot surrounded by natural beauty, a bustling neighborhood filled with young people, a central location near the beaches, or social venues—the options are endless. Have faith—the right place is out there just waiting for you to find it!
Once the budget has been finalized, and the ideal location found, it becomes a question of time frame. While the popular belief is that building a custom home, even from an existing floor plan, is a time-consuming process. Herrington Classic Homes have perfected the art of getting your new house move-in ready in a timely manner while still maintaining the highest standards of craftsmanship and quality of construction. They’ll keep you posted at every stage of development as to what’s going on and when things should be finished—probably faster than you think! (Take a look at their new homes in Cottage Park!)
Step 2 | Let’s Get Building!
Building a home is a fundamental and noble goal for any construction team, and the process, while well-established, is interesting and worth discussing. In general, houses are built starting with the most critical components and then moving to the more cosmetic touches. First, the builder will prepare the ground at the site and will build or pour the foundation of the structure. After that’s complete, the construction crew will frame out the house, starting with building the walls and then the roof. After that, the core systems of the house—plumbing, electrical, HVAC, data—will go in before insulation is added, and the interior walls are completed. The next steps shift attention to the outside of the house: the driveway and walkways and patios. Then they’ll move back inside, finishing out the trim, the flooring, counters, and cabinets before adding the appliances, bathroom fixtures, and other niceties. The last step is the final touches: painting, installing carpet, and finally, the exterior landscaping.
Once all this is complete, the builder will take you on a final walkthrough, discussing and explaining every aspect of the home and its completion. If you’re satisfied, that’s it! Your new home is ready, and the process of moving in can begin!
Step 3 | Moving Day
Moving into a new home is always a bit of a hassle, even under the best of conditions. One of the chief advantages of a custom home is that you’ll know the floor plan, and you’ll have time to consider how to arrange and decorate your new space. With a solid idea of what goes where and a little bit of planning, settling into your custom home can be the most natural move of your life. It’s made even simpler by the fact that the cosmetic details—painting, light fixtures, bathroom fixtures—are all done in advance to your specifications, leaving you with less to worry about.
Step 4 | River Bluffs Makes It Easy
We’ve talked about the importance of a good location and how the right spot for your new home reflects your individual needs and wants. At the risk of sounding immodest, we’d like to point out that River Bluffs has something for everyone: a peaceful setting surrounded by natural beauty; a central location close to nightlife, dining, entertainment, and the beaches; and a fantastic set of neighbors of all ages and backgrounds. We can help you find the right lot for your ideal home, and our carefully selected builders will guide you to the right floor plan for you. Give us a call today—our friendly staff makes the process easy, and they’d love to show you what we have to offer!
