At this point, it’s beyond argument that you win at life. You worked hard and are finally reaping the benefits–and you’re ready to live a little. It stands to reason then that you will need somewhere to live. Somewhere new that’s yours and only yours and that communicates the success that you have achieved.
It’s time to start creating a dream home. Often a better indicator of success than your job title or resume, your home is your castle, and if you can, it’s always best to build your castle from the foundation stone up. Depending on the complexity of your design, this process could take years–but don’t rush! Building a dream home should be a project taken on with relish. Below are a few logical steps to follow along the way:
Step 1. Pick A Kingdom
All seasoned custom home builders understand that the land one builds on is half the recipe for a perfect dream home. That’s probably why two thirds of luxury home builders acquire the land they’ll be building on as well as the raw materials for the home! If that’s beyond you though, make sure to pick a nice neighborhood amenable to home construction with property taxes within your price range. Also, if you’re building by the sea, it might be a good idea to research flooding and hurricane history in the area so as to make sure your investment doesn’t get swept away with the tide.
Step 2. Design Your Castle
We really recommend hiring luxury home contractors and maybe even an engineer in the long run, but the good news is, you don’t need the luxury home contractors to get the process started. Begin with a list of features you want your new home to have; general things such as “garage,” “pool,” “two floors,” “natural lighting,” etc. Then rank this list in terms of priority and start thinking about style. Pinterest, Google, and other image searches are a great way to figure out patterns in your own aesthetic. When you have a rough idea of the size your home will be and the features you want…
Step 3. Visit The Magistrates
Aka, the town zoning board. Some places have rules and regulations governing what you can and can’t build where. (For instance, a pool might be a problem in one area but no big deal in another). Before you go ahead and start hiring bulldozers, it’s important to sit down with a city planner or town official and go over your rough blueprint, so that they can provide you with guidelines. Finally…
Step 4. Recruit The Best Masons
Unless you yourself are a master engineer, luxury home contractors are going to have to come into the picture eventually. Our advice is to not just choose solely based on their Angie’s List reviews, but to interview a short list of contractors and engineers and pick the one most committed to your vision. Remember, this is your castle–it deserves the best brick and mortar!