The idea of building your own home can seem daunting. And indeed, undertaking such a project will require a lot of time and effort. But there are some great reasons to choose to build a home instead of buying one, not least of them being that the process has only gotten easier over the years. Here are some of the arguments in favor of choosing to build a home, instead of buying one.
1. Choose an innovative design
There are plenty of home building and architecture trends that have only gained popularity over the last 5 to 10 years. This means that there aren’t many houses in the style of these new trends in the market today, but there is nothing stopping you from building a house that follows these trends. In fact, there are plenty of companies out there that specialize in just one type of home. These boutique companies are filled with specialists that can make the building process much easier.
Some noteworthy trends that have become popular over the last decade include container homes, tiny homes, small barndominiums, shed houses — also known as shouses — and more. These trends propose housing models that are more affordable, convenient, and/or durable than traditional alternatives.
2. Meet your own standards
Building your own home gives you more control over the final product. This allows you to splurge on quality materials if you want your house to last 30+ years with minimal maintenance. Or you can invest in sustainable housing solutions that will help the planet while also keeping your energy bills low. And of course, if you are in charge of the building project, you can also make sure no toxic or sub-par materials are used.
When buying a home, you can have it professionally inspected for structural problems, but there are things even a professional inspector can’t see. The best way to be 100% sure you’re getting a great home is to build it yourself with the help of an honest and experienced construction company.
3. Customize the layout
Being able to design the house from the ground up can be useful, especially if you have special needs. You can lay it out in a way that gives you plenty of space for your workshop, you can get yourself an office with a dedicated bathroom in the house, or you can build accessibility options into the blueprint of the house. It is possible to make changes and adaptations to an existing house, but you can’t beat the flexibility of starting from scratch with your needs in mind.
4. Save money
Yes, building a house can be more expensive than buying one. But it can be more affordable too. It all depends on the size of the house you want, the local housing market, and the types of amenities you are looking after. So make sure you at least run a price simulation before deciding to buy a house — you may find that building one is actually cheaper by a large amount. And banks do give out home construction loans, just as they give out mortgages.
5. You get a new home
One of the upsides of building your own home is that, well, you get a brand new home. This means it’ll last longer and require less maintenance than a used home. And on a more sentimental note, it’s also a brand new place with no history — your family gets to be the first to leave a mark on that house.