1. Expect some stress. As I have mentioned, building your new home is an overwhelming experience. So before you get started, adjust your expectations to be prepared for what is about to really happen. It is common for first time home builders to think that they are about to set out on an exciting and fun journey of making decisions and picking out material selections when the reality is that this can be a very stressful undertaking and even more so if you have not spent an adequate amount of time in the planning process. Remember, planning is king.

2. Contractors will not be on your project every single day. Once you have thoroughly planned your new home project you will be talking with contractors and collecting bids. Most follow through well but your contractors will be juggling your project in the mix of many others that they are working on, and scheduling is extremely difficult for these guys so they usually have honest intentions but are forced to work to a stopping point on project B to get to your project A. So expect there to be some delays along the way. Many of these delays can be addressed by setting your expectations with your sub-contractors. Let these guys know your weekly project schedule, give them start and finish dates and let them know up front that you expect them to stay within their work dates so the other contractors can get in and out as well. Don’t expect this to be automatic. Let these guys know upfront that you expect to run a tight ship.

3. There will be unexpected obstacles. So expect them. Remember that 95% of the home building process is completed by humans. They misunderstand, they make miscalculations, they miscommunicate, they assume. All these things result in a setback. Be prepared to work through some typical human error and remember that good planning can iron out most of these encounters but even with the best home plans money can buy, people still make mistakes.

4. Plan to go over budget. No one wants to spend more money than they have to, so spend as much time as you can in the design process and planning process to nail down your budgeting process. The better you know what you want and need in your home plans upfront, the closer your budget will be during construction. However it is typical to get your project up and running and walk through your freshly framed house, and then begin to see things that you would like to add, delete, and move. Change orders are always very costly so you will be better prepared for this if you already have additional funds built into your construction loan for such changes. And whatever money that you didn’t need for your project you simply don’t take out and it won’t go into your permanent financing.

5. Be prepared to disagree. This is a very unpleasant part of the construction process but there are so many people involved in the process and it is such a huge undertaking it almost inevitable. Someone is going to misunderstand something, and that will always come down to, "who is paying for this misunderstanding"? These misunderstandings are costly, they usually wind up slowing or even stopping a particular phase of your home construction and sometimes bring the entire project to a standstill. That is why it is so important to have everything in writing, on your home plans, on your contractor agreements, and in all change orders. This will reduce the amount of he said, she said and help you move past these mishaps and keep your project moving.