What Should I Consider When Building My Custom Home?

Whether you’re just getting started in life, entering your golden years, or somewhere in between, there is a lot to consider when thinking about luxury home building and all the myriad decisions you’ll have to make. Having a custom home design expert on your team will help to ensure that things go smoothly, but there are still plenty of choices that will fall on your shoulders. It takes planning and careful consideration to bring your vision to reality. Here’s a general guide to ensure that when you’re ready to start planning your custom luxury home, you have all the information you need to make it a success.

Budget

This is a blog about luxury home building, so we aren’t really talking about building a home on a budget. In this context, budget is more about adequately planning for all of the unexpected or less-than-obvious costs that will be included in the home-building process. These could be costs that go beyond materials and labor, such as land acquisition costs, permits, and unforeseen changes in market conditions that could lead to higher material costs or other changes. You’ll likely also want to landscape your new property, and potentially add other outdoor features. Building in a buffer to allow for these what ifs can make the process more streamlined.

 Now, this is your luxury home, so the goal is to squeeze in all of your wants and needs. However, it is still valuable to be realistic and take a practical approach at times. Regardless, we will work with you to incorporate everything you’ve dreamed of, making adjustments if and when necessary. For a more detailed rundown of how much custom home design costs, check out our recent blog post.

Location

There are plenty of trending locations in and around Cleveland where you can create your dream home, some of which are highlighted as part of our featured communities. But regardless of where you choose to put roots down, there are some key things to think about prior to buying land and breaking ground.

Location, location, location. You want your dream home to fit the bill on what it offers you in your day-to-day life, and plenty of those considerations include factors that have to do with location. Think about distance from work, school and other places you go to on a daily or weekly basis. You want to be sure that your preferred spots for shopping, recreation and other community resources are nearby. On top of the practical aspects of location, think too about the general atmosphere in your area, and whether you feel comfortable there. Safety, potential future development of the area, environmental factors, resale value and whether this location fits into your family’s lifestyle will also help you to narrow down your options. Ensuring that you thoroughly consider location before all else will help you to enjoy long-term quality of life in your dream home, and also make the most of your investment.

Design & Materials

While location may be a category that’s easier to settle on, the endless possibilities that come into play when choosing designs, layouts and materials could feel never-ending and overwhelming. That said, they still need to be given adequate consideration, and with the help of your custom home design team at Otero Homes, it will be as smooth as possible. 

Together we can define your key priorities and non-negotiable needs, like the numbers of various rooms and living spaces you require. Our experience comes into play when suggesting ideal floor plans and layouts for seamless, comfortable and intuitive movement throughout the home. And though you want your layout to work for you now, it is also a good idea to build in flexibility for potential future needs. Storage solutions, considerations for lighting, entertainment spaces and more customized features are all on the table as well. 

Besides layout and features, you’ll also need to make time to think about the right architectural style for your new custom home. Your preferences will come into play, but so will the surrounding neighborhood and the history of your location. The goal is generally to harmonize your new home with the location’s existing environment. Style choice can also impact room layout and other design fundamentals. Depending on local regulations, you may need to follow certain codes or meet certain requirements, so it’s always good to work with someone who is in the know. 

What about materials? Clearly you’ll want high quality materials that are durable and will stand up to the rigors of daily life. But you also want to choose materials that bring the right aesthetic flavor to your home while still being practical and functional. Many modern materials are also made with sustainability in mind, and this is another key consideration when settling on the wide array of materials that go into home construction and interior design.

Legal Requirements

Local building codes, zoning regulations, and required permits are not optional, they’re a must. But the average homeowner isn’t likely to know much about these or have the time needed to track down everything necessary for a smooth homebuilding experience. Thankfully, luxury custom home builders like the team at Otero Signature Homes handle every step of the legal process for you. We know the technical requirements and where to obtain needed paperwork and permits and our work and material options will always meet or exceed quality standards–just leave it to us. We’ll do the legwork to ensure you won’t have to deal with legal issues, construction delays, or potential liabilities.

Current & Future Needs

Start by focusing on what you and your family need now, but leave room for future wants, needs, and changes. This is especially important if you are building your forever home and have a family. Eventually, children move out and aging safely and gracefully in place is a very important consideration in any phase of life. If you plan to add to your family or envision multigenerational living in your future, we can work to incorporate these needs in creative ways that will still allow you to get the most out of your space now. When considered from the beginning, flexibility can be custom built into every aspect of your luxury custom home design.

Timing

Every aspect of building your custom home will take a certain amount of time. And the factors that affect timing are often outside of your control, so it can be difficult to know what to expect going into the process. Once you have made all of the relevant design and planning decisions, your timeline starts in earnest. That said, material availability, the complexity of designs, and adverse weather conditions can slow things down at times. Obtaining permits and approvals, site preparation, breaking ground and doing exterior work, interior work, and then ordering final inspections can take a total of a year or more to complete. So before you begin, you need to carefully consider your living arrangements in the meantime, and whether you will need to sell your current home as well.

For more information about the various stages of custom homebuilding and the expected timeline, check out our recent blog post.

Choose Experienced Luxury Custom Home Builders

What’s more important than any of the above considerations when it comes to the decisions you’ll need to make as part of your luxury home building journey? Well it’s who you choose to work with, of course. As luxury custom home builders in Northeast Ohio, the professionals at Otero Signature Homes are well-versed in what it takes to carry out a successful building project in this area. But more than that, we’re also dedicated to your satisfaction and happiness in your new living space. We pride ourselves on our customer service and will always work hard to maintain open communication across the duration of your project and beyond. See what our customers have to say about our work, and check out our portfolio to learn more about what you could enjoy in your own custom home design. Contact us today to get started!