Is Building A House Worth It – 5 Challenges You May Have To Face
Currently, I’m in the process of building a house and if you’ve ever gone through this process you probably know exactly what I’m going to be talking about.
However, this article isn’t for those who have already built a house but for those that have not.
So in this article, I’m going to ask the question, is building a house worth it, and cover some of the challenges you may have not considered when building, and give you a birds-eye view of some things I dealt with while building my house and how I overcame them.
Buying Instead Of Building
The first thing I had to decide before I even considered the idea of building a house was if buying an older house would be a better route to go. Buying a house could save me countless headaches and a ton of money in the process. Unfortunately, the town I live in doesn’t have very many options.
Working with a professional builder such as Coral Homes can alleviate some issues, and open up more options for you. These kinds of professional home builders usually have ready-built homes available for first-time buyers and investors alike located in affluent or desirable areas.
I would recommend that should you not have the patience to build your own home or the difference in price isn’t going to be much, it might be a better choice to forgo the dream of building your own home and leave it professional.
Most home builders already own display homes and even entire villages that you can visit in order to get a sense of what their capabilities are and deals can always be worked out; maybe a better option if it is your first house.
My first house had around 1500 square feet with 3 bedrooms and one bathroom which wasn’t that bad but the problem is almost all the other houses in town were exactly the same so it wasn’t worth selling my house and switching to a house that really wasn’t all that much different.
Another thought was to move to a different town but the problem with that is we really liked the school district and the atmosphere of the town. On top of that, we have some really strong ties with family and the town we live in is a great central location between family and work.
In the end, if we wanted to continue to stay living in our current town we were going to have to build. On top of that after running several quotes and estimates the cost difference was only around $35,000 different. So if you’re wondering should I buy or build run an estimate with a builder to see what kind of cost difference there really is?
Nerves
The second issues my wife and I faced were nerves. I can’t really explain it but building a house is very nerve-racking and stressful. I can tell you first hand I was nervous every single day and I probably couldn’t give you a valid reason why.
In fact, I remember it keeping me up at night worrying about all sorts of things from trenching the sewer line to painting the walls, to handling the financing.
On the other hand, we were also very excited. It was awesome to see our house take shape right before our very eyes. From digging the basement to pouring the walls, to framing the house, it was exciting to see them construct something so massive from literally nothing.
In the end, it doesn’t matter how prepared you are but you will still get nervous.
Unexpected Cost
Another thing you will have to deal with is the unexpected cost. When it comes to the house there were all sorts of costs I didn’t consider from blinds for the windows, to cementing the driveway, to extra lighting, switches, and outlets, but those weren’t the cost that scared me.
The cost that really scared me while building our house were the ones that didn’t even relate to the house such as the $800 in new tires and vehicle repairs, and $3500 in medical bills due to the fact that my second oldest son had tubes put in his ears.
In the end, I know we’ll get these extra bills paid off but know things can get very stressful at times.
Rumors
One part of the process that I never thought would be a problem was when people started suggesting different things we should do with our house. Now I have to admit some of them were really good. One person suggested adding an extra 6 feet onto the side of the garage which would give us a little extra room and it was only an extra $450 to do it.
Then things got a little more out of control. People were giving us suggestions that were more like demands and telling us we have to build our house a certain way. On top of that, these people were going behind my back telling others I was not doing things the way they had suggested.
That’s when I had enough of it. Now I have to admit it got my blood boiling at one point and I had told a few people to back off, but once I set the boundaries the rumors and suggestions died off.
In the end, it all worked out but one thing I defiantly suggest is that you give others boundaries or they might just walk all over you.
It’s Not A Pretty Process
Finally, the last challenge you need to be prepared for is the fact that it is not a very pretty process to build a house.
Now I have to admit our builder has a well-laid-out process and knew exactly what they were doing but even at that, you’re going to see things and wonder how this is all going to work.
In fact, if you would look at my house you would see six-inch ruts through the yard from the cement truck pouring concrete, a dumpster full of junk, and in the back yard, I have a 12-foot mountain of dirt.
Not only that, we have all the little things we have to deal with from how to adjust a threshold so the doors close properly to how to touch up areas with paint.
On top of that, you have to consider all the things you have to line up. For example, when I had to get the gas lines installed it took me a week just to get them to send me just the right paperwork and another 20 days just till they came out to install the lines.
In the end, I know that some things may not look so pretty while your building your house but know that everything will work out in the end.
Is It Worth It To Build A House
When it comes down to it with all the challenges I faced it was defiantly worth it to build the house. By building a house we got exactly what we wanted and more.
However, I would have to say that buying a house is still a cheaper way to go but if the cost difference isn’t much different as it was in my case you may want to consider building a house.
So what are your thoughts, is building a house worth it or not? Share your comments, thoughts, and ideas below.
My brother is in the process of building a house right now. He purchased his first home, but they wanted to build their next home due to the customization that they wanted. He is going through the same questions that you have. We talked about it the other day. I think that if you have your ducks in a row, then building can be rewarding, but it will always be stressful. Good luck with the whole project Chris!
I think their is a good point that I didn’t mention either and that is it’s good to own a home before your build just as your brother did. This way it allows you to see the faults in what you have when your building your new house. I did this a lot with my house. For example, instead of having just a 2 car garage I made it a 2 and a half car garage because I know how tight a straight 2 car garage can be. Thanks dropping by Grayson.
I think a lot of it boils down to your personal situation and the costs. We thought about it with our first house, but timing was a factor. If/when we move we’re definitely going to consider it in order to have more control over the layout.
I do like the fact that you get to make the house exactly the way you like it. I would probably consider it if I knew it would last for the rest of my life
I totally agree with that John. If I would have decided to build out in the country instead of in town I would probably have to add $10,000 or more to my cost to build for the cost of a septic tank and to drill a well.
That was probably the best part about building Harry. We wanted to have our bedroom on the main floor and the kids bedrooms upstairs on top of that my wife got her walk in closet. However I’m just happy theirs more than one bathroom in the house. Thanks for the comment.
Building my own house has always been a dream of mine – but I won’t do it until I can afford to build the “dream house.” I fully expect the unexpected to be the norm. These days we also have to deal with all sorts of red tape, bureaucracy, codes and other rules and regulations when building. It’s kind of ridiculous and I don’t look forward to that part. But I can’t wait to one day design and build my own dream home.
Side note: you will be so glad you had the tubes put in your sons ears. My son never had another ear infection after he got his put in.
I completely understand with all the bureaucracy, I had to bring my house plans to the village administrator and it had to be approved by the housing board. On the good side though a housing permit only cost me $10 which was the only permit I needed to get. As for my sons tubes things are working pretty good but he does have some dried blood on one of the tubes and we are using drops to clear it up. If we can’t we may have to go back in to have them clean it.