New Construction: What Mistakes Not to Make

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While it’s common for mistakes to occur during any project, new construction mistakes can be costly. These are complex projects involving a lot of details that homeowners might not be aware of. Learning more about new construction mistakes to avoid can help lower your risk of ending up with costly errors. Being familiar with these mistakes and knowing how to avoid them can also provide you with peace of mind before, during and after your construction project is completed.

Poor Lighting

You don’t want to move into your newly built home only to discover that it doesn’t have enough lighting. While planning your new home, make sure there will be plenty of light fixtures, windows and outlets where lamps can be plugged in as needed. Consider choosing bigger or oversized windows to let more natural light into main living areas.

Lack of Storage

Storage space is essential, but it’s easy to make mistakes with storage areas when planning new construction. Your new home should have plenty of closet space for storage, as well as built-in shelves or cabinets for added storage space in kitchens and other areas. You might also want to add a mud room near your entrance rather than a separate coat closet.

Poor HVAC Planning

Your HVAC system is going to be a major part of keeping your new home comfortable all year round. When your new home is being built, make sure you choose the right size HVAC system to handle your heating and cooling needs. A smaller HVAC system might not be powerful enough to cool and heat your home. Having an HVAC system that’s too big can lead to energy bills that are a lot higher than they should be.

Unused Rooms

You might think that a game room or an extra guest bedroom will come in handy when planning your new home. However, this could end up being wasted space in your home. While figuring out your layout and home design, focus on including rooms or areas that you and your family will get plenty of use from.

Lack of Inspections

Inspections are important when you’re having a new home built. You should have an inspection done before you move in to make sure there aren’t any issues with your new construction that need to be corrected or handled first. Skipping these inspections could lead to headaches later on if you discover construction problems that should have been addressed before you moved in.

No Contingency Funds

Even with careful planning, issues can come up that end up costing you more when you’re having new construction done. When you don’t have contingency funds set aside, you might run into problems having these issues handled in a timely manner. Make sure you put some funds aside for potential problems that might occur during the home building process.

Poor Communication

When your home is being built, it’s important to make sure you stay in the loop in terms of how it’s going overall. While your builder should provide you with updates, you might need to reach out to find out how your new construction is coming along. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with the builder if you have any questions or concerns about your project.