Thinking of building a custom home? Here’s what you need to know.
It’s not that scary. 😂 😂
To most, building your first home can feel exciting, daunting, and overwhelming all at the same time. But in truth; it can be fun, rewarding, and extremely fulfilling. Here is our advice for potential homeowners looking to build their first custom home.
#1 Slow down and take a breath
So you’re thinking about building a custom home? Stop, slow down, and take a breath.
Here at Cameron Contracting we recommend that you take your time. Take a weekend, a week, even a month, to make sure that this plan and the designs of your house really match your lifestyle and projects into the future.
We don’t want you to rush in and make decisions based on timelines. If you are thinking about getting in by Christmas or before school starts, although it might be achievable, we often see people making mistakes with their house plans because they’re trying to rush, rush, rush, and get everything done so that we can start construction.
Have a listen to Kristy, she shares some advice for those thinking of building their first home.
#2 Baby Steps
It can be daunting, but don’t stress about it. When you come meet with us we’ll walk you through the entire process and show you that in fact, this experience is going to be really fun and exciting. It would also be a good idea to verse yourself in some of the myths surrounding custom homes.
Crafting your perfect home takes time and consideration, and we guide you through every stage of the process. Here we have broken down the main steps and milestones you can look forward to when working with the Cameron’s.
Check out our process, for a detailed breakdown of what it’s like to work with us.
And we know it can get super exciting near the end of the build, you just want to get in there and get settled, we get that. But we like to stress we’re going to make sure that we’re not rushing our painters or trimmers to make sure that you don’t have anything overlooked in your house.
We always like to remind our customers;
“Never to sacrifice quality for time and never sacrifice quality for money”
#3 Can we buy our own plumbing fixtures or flooring materials?
“We found a great deal online for plumbing fixtures and flooring, is that alright?”
Issues that we run into with customers is the tendency to try and save a few dollars by going to less expensive options for certain aspects of the build. Say, to buy a plumbing fixture or flooring for example.
Comparing quotes for these services is hard. It is not apples to apples. It really could be a different product on the inside, we don’t know the quality of the products until it’s too late. We can’t really stress enough that we use and vet all of our suppliers for quality products.
In those cases, we like to recommend our suppliers and our products, because they’re tried and true. Additionally, because we know that they are backed with warranty, if anything goes wrong they will be there.
See related: Pros and Cons of Building a Custom Home
#4 Include us in your Designs
Browsing online in the idea-generating phase is important. We encourage you to do your research and come to us with ideas.
In terms of architectural drawings, while you have the option to do preliminary design work on your own, or with an architect, we often find it more beneficial if we can start this design process together. The reasons being that we can offer our experienced eye on some of the finer details, adding that extra ‘je ne sais quoi’, should we say.
We also want to prevent any potential setbacks, if designs need to be redrawn. We caution you not to purchase designs online, as they often don’t meet our Canadian/British Columbia building codes. While you might think that this might save time, in fact the opposite is true
Camerons offer the full experience, from ideas to design and through to build. It’s the best way we can ensure quality, timely completions, and build you the home you want.
#5 Interview multiple contractors
Meet with multiple building contractors. It’s an important decision and you want to be 100% comfortable and confident with your home builders.
Choose a contractor with a track record. While you’re interviewing them, do your due diligence and ask about their track record, the types of homes that they specialize in, and if they are backed by warranty. Check out this post with more tips for choosing a general contractor to build your home
#6 What to expect working with Cameron
At Cameron, the highest quality standards in service, materials, and craftsmanship are embedded into everything we do. Expect maximum attention to detail, creativity and seamless processes through your build. Caring about your home as if it were our own is the only way we work. You can learn more about us by checking out our values.
One thing you should know is that when you work with us you become part of our family, and we are here for you–from realizing your vision, to helping you make smart decisions that meet your goals to celebrating your completed home. Living your best life starts with heart and that’s what our family and team bring to the table when we build your home.
To get the juices flowing check out some of our complete custom builds, where we showcase our high end custom homes (aka our Infinity range), as well our Spec homes (aka Inspire Homes). The latter, our Inspire Homes, are great for those who want to skip the stress of the major build decision, while still having control over key features around the home.
Come Talk to Us
So now that you’ve slowed down and taken a breath, give us a call. We’d love to meet you and help you build the house of your dreams that will take you into the future.
Set up a meeting with us, or come visit our Home Centre showroom in Courtenay for inspiration.
