Stages of New Home Construction

Part 2

Marla Renner

Preface

Building a home, for the average person, is something one can only wonder at. For a professional, it is second hand. No two homes are built exactly the same, but generally speaking, they are. Every home has a foundation, walls, ceilings, a roof, doors and windows, but have you ever wondered just how you go from raw land to the all important "certificate of occupancy". This article is the second in a series of your "lesson" in building.

Land Selection

The land that you choose to build on directly effects the type of home allowed to be built on it. Land/site selection can either be done prior to or after design of your home. However, it is recommended that the design of a home is tailored to a particular lot.

Some families are very fortunate to have land that has been handed down thru the generations, but the vast majority of people that wish to build their dream house, begin with land selection. Site or land selection is based primarily on the clients' desired location. Many people wish to live close to where they work, while some base site selection on the school district their children would be in. Additional items on the land wish list can include: being close to shopping, doctors, and other family members or in some cases, being away from the rush of the urban living and migrating to a more private area. All in all, area is up to the client, but proper site selection is something entirely different.

Prior to purchasing ANY piece of land, it is highly advised, although not mandatory, that you have your builder, a general contractor and/or your designer/architect look at the land with you. While information on a plat for the property can be used to determine property lines, varied degrees of topograhic information and vegetation information, only a trained eye will determine the feasibility of building your particular home on that individual parcel of land. For example, your plan calls for a walk-out basement, but what if the slope is comprised of a large slab of stone that is not necessarily visible to your eye? Your plan may call for an in-ground swimming pool - are you aware of where underground utilities such as electrical and water are running? Professionals are trained to look at the demographics of land and land surrounding a parcel to determine any potential pitfalls prior to purchase of the land. The last thing you want to do is to buy a piece of land, with your heart instead of your head, and have to re-design your home.

Home Design

At some point and time, everyone sits and daydreams about their dream home. Now it's your turn. You've already crossed that big hurdle of finding out what your available financing and options are. Now you can begin to work with the next important person - your architect, designer or draftsperson. Picking a design for a home used to be relatively simple. Go visit an architect, they show you designs and depending on your needs and budget, that's it; or some tweaking may have been done to the original plan. Today if you do a search on the internet for home plans, there are literally THOUSANDS to choose from. Now add to that mix that you can have your home drawn by an architect, a designer or a draftsperson. There are even websites and software that let consumers design their own home. But wait, drawing your home has way more to it than a few lines and corners. And, do you want to 'buy" your plans online and settle for the footprint to build OR do you want a true custom home and work with someone whom can take your ideas, whether from rough sketches or from description, and put it on paper? Decisions, decisions!

If you are choosing to go totally custom with your design, it is very important to select your architect, designer or draftsperson very carefully. This person is literally responsible for one of the most imortant decisions in your life - the house that you come home to every day. Everyone needs to be on the same page. Without the perfect fit of personality and consideration for your budgert, much time, and potentially money, will be wasted. Select a person that understands what your wants and needs are and is willing to listen, yet provide a gentle, but judgmental eye for potential problems with a design based on your wants and needs, all while maintaining a scope and design that fits your budget. Many people only get the chance to build their "dream" home once, therefore, proper design to fit with your budget is important.  

Pickens Chamber

Ultimate Auto Give-A-Way

Chamber 500

How would you like to wake up Sunday morning, August 28th, $20,000 wealthier or driving your choice of a 2011 Chevy Extended Cab Silverado Truck or 2011 Chevrolet Equinox from Lawson Chevrolet? This could be you ONLY if you purchase one of 500 tickets being sold for the Chamber 500 Auto Give-A-Way. 

Your ticket also entitles you to attend the Give-A-Way Extravaganza, where you can enjoy dinner, fun with friends and watch the final drawing. In addition to the grand prize, the Chamber will give away $1,800 in cash, over 30 door prizes and a one week vacation in Panama City, Florida.

The Auto Give-A-Way dinner begins at 5 p.m. and the raffle drawing starts at 6 p.m.

To purchase tickets, please visit the Chamber of Commerce located next to Lee Newton Park in Jasper, online at www.pickenschamber.com or contact the Chamber at 706.692.5600 for a list of businesses selling tickets.

**NOTE**

You can purchase your tickets at The Renner Companies by calling Marla at 706.301.5609 x23 OR by clicking the official Auto Give-A-Way poster below.