Most of us remember playing Sims just to design our own home. 

But have you ever thought about doing that in real life? Why wait on creating your dream life? Design and build the home you’ve always wanted.

We don’t want to pretend designing your own home is all sunshine and rainbows. Designing and building a home comes with a steep learning curve and a few obstacles, but there’s nothing you can’t handle with careful planning and a little help. 

We’ve provided some help below with our guide on 5 things you must know before you build a custom home. 

1. Consider Your Future

When designing a custom home, it’s important to consider your future. Thinking about your future can feel frightening, but it’s best to plan ahead now. 

For example, if you’re married without kids right now, you’re tempted to only plan for you and your partner. But what happens in 10 years when you’ve added 2 more members to your family? 

Think about the path of life you want to take and how to design a home for it. 

2. Prepare for Endless Decisions

One of the benefits of building a custom home is being able to make your own decisions. However, this benefit may eventually start to feel like an endless chore. 

Designing a custom home means you’ll need to decide on everything from the shower tiles to the fan blades. It’ll feel like mental gymnastics so be sure to pace yourself. 

If you’re designing a home with someone else, learn how to compromise with each other. You won’t agree on everything. 

3. Don’t Forget Storage

As you start planning a custom home, there’s a good chance you’re imagining a large sunroom, spacious bathroom, or grand fireplace. 

While these things are the attractive parts of the home, don’t forget your storage. Humans buy a lot of stuff, and it’s mostly stuff we don’t want to leave on display. 

Have storage in your kitchen and bedroom, and don’t forget a few linen closets in the hallway.

4. Prepare to Spend More Than Expected

You’ve spent weeks preparing a custom home budget with financial advisors. That’s a great first step, but we must warn you to spend more than you expected. 

You’ll need to buy more screws, extra lightbulbs, and some spare tiles along the way. It’s best to give yourself the financial cushion now to avoid a stopping point in the future. 

5. Research Contractors

When it comes time to build your home, you’ll need a strong team working on your behalf. Always research contractors and building companies to find someone you can trust, much like Coregon Building Company. 

Look at past client reviews during your research, and contact contractors to arrange initial consultations before agreeing to anything. If you get a bad feeling in your gut at any point, find someone else to work with. 

Design Your Life, Build a Custom Home

It’s tempting to dive headfirst into creating your dream life, but take a step back to do some careful planning first! Re-read our above tips when planning to build a custom home. 

Be prepared to make endless decisions and spend a tad more than you planned. But also prepare to feel relieved and excited for the first night you get to spend in your new home.

For more home and real estate tips, check out the rest of our site! We have plenty of advice for sellers and buyers.