Building Georgetown Custom Homes

You’ve picked your lot, you’ve scrimped and saved, and now it’s time to make your dream home your new home. Wherever you are, many potential pitfalls of Georgetown custom homes are universal. Fortunately, that makes them easy to anticipate and avoid. What should aspiring owners do to prepare for designing their custom home? Today we feature a list of specific items to check on, and provides tips on overcoming homebuilding obstacles.

Location Issues

Believe it or not, the oldest Millennials are now well into their 30s, and lots of the Millennials living in Austin are starting families. When they try to find larger homes, many are finding themselves priced out of the neighborhoods they’ve had their eyes on. The greater capital region is being developed to accommodate the influx of people, and new challenges are cropping up. Between 2000 and 2016, the population of Georgetown, Texas has more than doubled!

In October 2015, Austin area NPR affiliate KUT produced this series about the nearby town of Manor, and the benefits and difficulties they are experiencing with the exploding population growth. It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to predict similar growth issues impacting other areas around Austin.

When you’re picking the site for your new home, it’s important to remember that an isolated and quiet spot may not always remain so. As more and more developments crop up farther and farther out from the Travis County Line, municipalities will need to keep up with the demands.
Always think a few years ahead: Will the road out to your new home be up to handling a few thousand more people on it every day?

Feature Creep

There’s a concept in software design called “feature creep.” In home building, it is very easy to lose focus and find yourself very far down a feature creep spiral.

When you first sit down with your designer, be sure to have very defined boundaries with regards to budget and land restrictions. While not everything is foreseeable, it’s possible to make room for potential issues that can crop up. Not having such a plan makes asking “Oh, but can we add one more thing?” entirely too easy.

“One more thing” can lead to thousands of dollars of overspend, and weeks of unanticipated construction time.

Storage

Many homes built in the mid- to late-20th century have surprisingly small closets! Aspiring homeowners have long been disappointed by seemingly fantastic looking homes when they learn just how little usable storage space is actually present.

Think about what you like to have on-hand in your home. Holiday decorations? Camping equipment? An extensive personal library? Even as we are advised to let go of extraneous possessions, the nesting instincts make us accumulate stuff. It’s important for your future home to have a place for that stuff!

By building a custom home, you can pick and choose the kind, size, and number of closets, shelves and other storage methods!

Don’t lie: You still want Cher’s closet from Clueless!

Accessibility

Are you building a two story home? Consider this option carefully!

Where will your washer and dryer go? Do you plan on carrying your laundry bag from the garage up to the top floor? (Spoiler: It’s not fun!)

Consider the issue of stairs if you plan on starting a family, or if you already have little ones. Stairs may be added difficulties (or mattress surfing opportunities!) you don’t want to have to manage.

Also be wary of steep driveways. Bringing in groceries, being careful while parking and the dangers of the rare ice storm make steep driveways a potential issue.

That said, they do have their benefits…

Drainage

Living in Central Texas, it’s very important to consider the property’s drainage capabilities. Because they are infrequent, the ground has difficulty absorbing heavy rain. If the property slopes down towards the house’s foundation, you may have many panicked late nights in the future. Slab foundations are the most common in the region, so this is a very important thing to pay attention to.

Know the potential issues with your property, and it will be possible to build around and plan for them. For example, landscaping with low walls to block or divert potential flood waters are a great way to work with your property to minimize risk.

It Can Be Easy Being Green

Central Texas offers a number of ways to build or refit a home to be ecologically resourceful. Solar panels, composting, insulation and rainwater collection are all ways to minimize your ecological footprint.

There’s even a 30% tax credit available for purchasing a solar panel system before December 31st, 2016! The time between March and December may seem like an eternity, but time will run out faster than you realize!

Building a custom home to own may require a lot of conceptual– and actual!– heavy lifting in the beginning, but smart planning can alleviate or prevent many headaches down the road.

Hiring The Right Designer

Building a home is a long and involved process. It’s important to make sure that the architect you are working with is one who understands and shares your vision. Vetting your builder through word of mouth, testimonials and sites like Angie’s List are all ways to make sure your money is going in the best direction!

Bonus tip: Don’t forget to make sure a lawyer approves the contract you sign with your builder. Many lawyers have mediated some pretty hairy situations, so they’ll be able to advise you against any potential pitfalls that may appear in a contract.

Flenn Custom Home & Remodeling is ready to be the right designer for you to help create a new trend of Georgetown Custom Homes.