Building a new home in the Poconos doesn’t happen overnight. And while you, as a homeowner, may never hoist a hammer or cut a board, you’re still involved in the process. There are some essentials that you’ll want to grasp that will make the process—and the decisions you make—a lot easier.  Let’s take a look at Homebuilding 101 for Poconos residents.

Begin With the Budget: Most potential homeowners think about the cost before they begin, but they often wonder (aloud or to themselves): “What’s it going to cost to get the home I want.” A better question to ask, however, is “What kind of home can I afford?” Answering that question keeps you from setting your sights on a home that isn't within your range. That's why it's smart to qualify for your loan first so that you're operating within a realistic. 

This actually works both ways. It can keep you from over-spending, but it can also help you see where you might be able to spend a bit more for things that are really important to you. Spending too little on your home can be as bad as spending too much if you end up with a home that’s less than what you wanted. Here’s some additional information about how to establish a new home budget.

Choosing Your Plan: Unless you’re working with an architect you are probably going to choose from a variety of existing plans, such as the designs that we at Liberty Homes offer. In choosing a plan you’ll want to consider what kind of plan best fits your lifestyle. Do you want all sleeping rooms on one level? Do you want a floor plan that’s good for entertaining? Also, you’ll want to consider both your current and future needs before choosing your plan. If you choose to build with Liberty Homes, the good news is that we can modify virtually any plan we have to make it better suit your needs. That includes things such as adding rooms, changing the location of windows, changing the dimensions of rooms, and more.

Understand the Players builder is probably not going to be working directly on your home. He or she is more likely to be the owner and oversee all operations.

Your initial interaction will probably be with a sales associate. And even though they aren’t “hammer-and-nails” people, they should be well versed in the homebuilding process and should be able to answer all of your questions. The construction manager or foreman oversees everything pertaining to the construction of your house. If you have questions, you’ll address them to this individual—or to your sales representative. This can vary from company to company.

Craftsmen and sub-contractors are the people who will be the most “hands-on” in the building of your home. These are the people who actually build your house. They don’t, however, make changes to the plan. If you want to change something as it’s in process, you’ll want to talk to your sales rep or construction manager and get a written change order. That ensures that your specific changes will be made properly and that you’ll know how those changes will affect the schedule and the price of your home.

Inspectors

Get a Sense for the Building Process: Not everything happens at once. You’ll be understandably excited to get into your new home, but there is a specific process that has to be followed to build your home. It goes something like this:

Some things do happen concurrently, but as you can see, there are a lot of steps—and each step is important and shouldn’t be rushed (no matter how excited you are!).

It can be hard to sit back and wait for all these important tasks to be completed—particularly when it’s your house that you’re paying for. You'll have interaction with the people building, but for the most part, it's a hands-off process for you. That's one of the reasons it’s important to select a builder you trust to complete the process. Here’s a post that offers suggestions on how to select that kind of builder.

Those are some of the essentials you'll want to get a handle on before you get too far down the road in your new home building process. Understanding these essentials can make the whole experience a lot more enjoyable for you. If you’d like to explore some of these topics in more depth, click here to download our Free New Home Buyer’s Guide.