Building your custom dream home in Carmel or the Northern Indianapolis area can seem akin to putting together a real-life jigsaw puzzle. Every one of your thousand decisions crafts a unique picture, one that your family will enjoy for a lifetime.
But like all puzzles, there are certain rules that you should follow to make the process go smoothly. Luckily, your builder should be an expert at guiding people through the building process. Although, it’s also nice to know this list of Do’s and Don’ts of Building Your Carmel Dream Home.
Do: Have Tangible Examples of What You Want
Some decisions on your dream home may come easy for you: the number of bedrooms, having a basement or not, open floor plan or traditional. But sometimes it’s easier to articulate what you want if you bring tangible examples. For instance, what a gourmet kitchen means to you may be different than someone else. Your design group could make the call for you, but they want to give you the custom home you envisioned.
Pictures from design magazines, a Pinterest board, or articles you find from the web will help others visualize what you see in your mind. You can explain changes (“Something like this kitchen, but with white cabinets”), but having tangible examples ensures you get what you want when you build your Carmel dream home. Pictures also help when you don’t know the technical term for a design element, but know what it looks like.
Don’t: Go In Without A Budget
Creating a budget is necessary if you don’t want your dream house to drain your bank account, but budgets also can serve a dual purpose. You are going to have to make decisions about everything from flooring to lighting fixtures and everything in between. It’s easy to make each choice in a vacuum, but every option comes with a price tag. If you’re not careful, these prices can quickly eat away at your bank account.
But when you have a firm budget, decisions become a give and take where you decide what’s the priority your home. Items that once topped your essential wish-list can get downgraded to make room for something that now seems more worthy. For instance, within the confines of your budget, you might decide that real wood flooring is much more important to your family than imported marble countertops. Without that budget in place though, you might have been tempted to get both — and then regret the counters when the price tag came.
Do: Involve Every Member Of Your Household In The Discussions
It’s easy to get lost when sifting through samples and finalizing every decision, but remember that this isn’t just your custom build. Having each person in your family — no matter how small — give some input will help your builder design the perfect house for everyone.
With everyone being an active participant in the design process, the amount of stress on everyone is lessened. For the little ones, there’s a family bonding moment when they can pick out wallpaper or lighting for their very own room. Planning the house especially helps if your family’s dream home means moving away from old friends or a different school system.
Don’t: Attempt To Manage The Project By Yourself
The first step in your Carmel dream house build is to find the right people that can guide you through the process. You could try to manage the entire home build by yourself, but by having a team by your side, the process becomes much less exhausting. Finding designers, architects, builders, and suppliers can become the difference between a build and a dream home build.
Some people prefer to start with an all-in-one group that consists of an architect, a designer, and builders. This way, all your experts are under one roof, and you can ensure that communication is seamless. It also allows you to tap into an unbridled knowledge base of what has worked in building in northern Indianapolis in the past. The result will be a much easier and quicker building process.
Do: Build For Tomorrow And Not Just Today
It’s exciting to build a house that works for your family today, but don’t forget that your Carmel custom-home might just be your forever house. By designing with the flexibility to integrate future tech and not relying on fads, you can ensure that your house will adapt to whatever comes in the future. Remember the 1990’s and the rage of having a built-in nook for your oversized tube TV? Now they are just large holes that won’t adequately fit anything, especially not your 50” LCD TV.
Don’t: Gloss Over The Details
As the build goes on, it’s easy to see some things as irrelevant. However, things like hardware, moldings, or stair railings help determine the overall look of your house. If they don’t fit within the budget now, don’t worry too much. Most of these details can be swapped out later, but you’ll be glad that you took the time to get what you want now.
Old Town Can Help You Keep To The Do’s And Don’ts For Your Carmel Dream House
Old Town Design Group is Carmel’s premier builder and can help you stick to the do’s and don’ts of building your Carmel dream home. We help you every step of the way, from the initial design to the time we hand you your keys. To discuss your dream home, contact our New Home Consultants at 317.816.3151.