Choosing The Right House Plan
Everybody would like to live in a mansion or a sprawling ranch
but there are many factors to consider when choosing a house
plan. There are also a few pitfalls that can be avoided by doing
your homework and making the right choices.
Before you commit to buying a stock or custom house plan, you
should know how much of a house you can afford to build. A good
place to get this information would be the bank that you might
use to get your loan from.
Once you know what your budget is, you can determine how much
house you can afford and pick a house plan that fits that
budget. One way to accomplish this is to call several
homebuilding contractors in your area. Ask them what the
building costs per square foot are. Not all contractors are
willing to volunteer this information, but you will find enough
of them that are willing to help at the prospect of gaining a
customer.
With this information you will be able to determine the square
footage of a house plan you can afford. If your budget is
$200,000 and the cost per square foot is $100, then a 2,000
square foot home is in your budget($200,000/$100= 2,000).
Another consideration is the size of the lot you intend on
building your home. You don’t want to invest in a blueprint for
a house that won’t fit on your lot. Check with your municipality
or county on the distances you must have between the building
and the lot lines. Most have rules on how much backyard you must
have and how much your house must be set back from the street or
building line.
Some towns and subdivisions also have what are called covenants.
These are rules that dictate what you can and cannot build. Some
of these covenants might include the minimum square footage
house you can build, brick or frame construction, minimum roof
pitch, and types of building materials you are allowed to use.
These are some of the important things you must consider.
Building a new home the biggest investment you’ll ever make.
Doing a little homework will keep you from getting an unwanted
surprise and wasting time and money on a plan you can’t use.
(c) 2005 Mike Merisko www.sawkerfs.com
Tags: Choosing, House, Plan, Right