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Planning for your dream home

Posted by Clarum Homes on June 3, 2019 | Categories: custom homes, energy efficiency, high performance homes | No comment

Where high-performance houses are concerned, Clarum Homes believes the entire approach is important. This includes everything from design details, materials or installation methods. To ensure all these aspects work in concert to deliver a highly efficient home that lives up to the high-performance label, you’ll need a solid plan. Not to worry, we have some tips to help you plan the high-performance home build of your dreams.

Create a comprehensive budget

Building a green, high-performance home will typically always cost more than the same home built to standard building codes. The advantage is the return on investment – long-term energy savings over the life of the home and an improved quality of life (which for many, is priceless). The cost of building your home will vary, depending on the choices you make throughout the building process. By determining how much you feel comfortable spending, you will know what your options are in terms of the size and style of your home. It will also allow for a certain level of finishings and extras that may not be included in the building contract (furniture, appliances, landscaping, etc.). When determining your overall budget, be sure to include a percentage for unexpected expenses. Figure in at least 10% to cover unforeseen items.

Preparing to break ground

As you can see, there are a lot of steps to building a home before the foundation is poured. Below is a typical timeline for the days leading up to the actual construction phase. Keep in mind that every project is unique and subject to its own set of challenges. Our two-part series on developing a timeline for custom home construction provides a deeper dive into this crucial stage of the process.

How to speed things up

Throughout the design and build process, you’ll find that there are many facets outside of your control: multiple government agencies, lending institutions, material lead times, weather conditions and so on. This makes it very important to stay on top of the decisions that you can control, namely keeping on schedule with material selection deadlines that your builder sets and being cautious about design changes mid-construction. Having an experienced team in place will make the process of building your new home run smoothly from start to finish.