The most difficult part of building a new home can be just getting started. This is the second part of a series on how to get started with your new home project. You have come up with some basic requirements on what you want in your plans. What is the next step? It is to start working on plans. There are two basic ways to get your plans. One is to purchase a stock plan from an architect or clearing house, the other is to have them drawn. It is very rare that someone finds the exact stock plan that works, but changes can be made. The original architect can make the changes, or many times, a local architect can purchase the plan from the original architect and make changes. That way if the original architect is in another part of the country, you can still meet with someone locally. Plus, the local materials and codes will be considered. The other method is to have the plans drawn by a designer or architect. This allows you to have an original plan, and it is designed specifically for your lifestyle. Sometimes the lot will dictate the plan, which may require a new draw. A new draw may be the more expensive option, but not always. This is what we are here to help with. Helping you decide if changing a stock plan or if an original design will work better for you. Next time, how to consider the size and options for a plan while staying in budget.

Lot Issues

If you are looking for a lot, I am sure you have noticed that lots are getting more and more difficult to find. The lots closer in typically have topography, tree, or other issues. They would already have a house on them it they were an easy build. The left over lots can usually be developed, it just may be more expensive and take more thought during the design process. Most of the local municipalities have tree regulations, so check to make sure you know what they are. If there is a large tree in the middle of the lot, you may be severely limited in what you can build. It will depend on the size and location of the tree. If you are in Austin, development regulations change depending on the location. The size of home allowed, height of the house, and even location on the lot can be restricted. Be sure you understand the regulations for that specific location before purchasing. We are about to start a house in the Austin city limits that has a large slope from the street, fill dirt, and a heritage tree. The slope determined the location and slab height of the house, plus defined the location and length of the driveway. The fill required piers for the foundation, and we obtained a tree permit to remove the tree. It is almost dead, so it was not a problem. Had it been in good shape, the driveway would have to have changed, and the house probably flipped to make it work. It helps to get input from people who have experience working on this type of project. We are glad to meet with you at a lot to discuss options and issues.

Lumber Costs Going Up

We are members of a buyers coop to help keep our costs down. Through the coop, we can track lumber pricing. One thing to note is that lumber costs have jumped big time over the past year. Local lumber costs have risen approximately 5% over the past month, and have increased 33% from March 2012 to March 2013. It seems lumber companies are trying to get their pricing back up to where it was before the recession. Hopefully the cost increases will slow down, but I doubt they will go lower. If you are thinking about building, now would be a good time to start.