What kind of crazy did COVID stir up with our family? Well, we decided it’s time to move. And by moving, I mean we’re building a house. 🤪
We had every intent that our current house would be our forever home when we moved in 4 years ago. But after all the extra time spent at home, we quickly noticed all the things we wished we could change. Couple that with the uneasiness we felt from the June riots in Minneapolis, and moving farther from the city didn’t sound so bad.
Our process started out timidly. We weren’t 100% sold that moving was the right step for us. So we started by talking with a realtor to get an understanding of what our current house could sell for. Content on the estimated list price, our house hunt began.
Why we decided on building a house vs. buy pre-owned
We only looked at one pre-owned house before entertaining the idea of building. Since we started looking in late summer, the market was slowing down and less houses were coming on MLS. We quickly realized our only two options were building a house (which I didn’t really want to do) or wait for an unknown amount of time for the right house to come on and likely get in a bidding war. Well, neither myself nor my husband are super patient people so building was looking more attractive.
Wondering what turned me off to building? It really comes down to budget. I’ve heard stories from friends and family who built, or know someone who’s built, and blew their budget. I totally understand how it can happen – instead of planning for what you can afford right now, you try to cram every thing you want into the initial build. And that’s what I was scared me: that the purchase price at the beginning could quickly spiral out of control.
Building a house within our budget
I think what really helped us stay within our budget was building with a national builder vs. a custom builder. While I completely understand the appeal of a custom builder, adding all the custom options does come at a price.
That’s not to say a national builder doesn’t allow customized options – they do! But at a smaller scale. For example, with our builder, the floor plan options aren’t customizable. We started the process with a handful of predesigned floor plans to choose from. Each floor plan was a different price point based on square footage, layout, number of bedrooms, etc. Additionally, each floor plan had a few variations of how the front looks (porch or no porch and how the roof looks).
Once the layout is chosen, we really only decided on interior and exterior design finishes. There’s minimal changes that can be made to the structural elements outside of finishes with a national builder. For example, if you want to remove a wall, change the layout of a bathroom or move the laundry room, a national builder likely won’t allow you that flexibility.
With our builder, we made all our design choices during a selections appointment. It lasted about 3 hours and we went over everything from carpet color to light fixtures to the exterior vinyl and trim colors. We left that appointment knowing exactly what the purchase price of our home will be. And we were given a couple of days for any making any changes after that appointment. Once we hit that deadline, no changes could be made without incurring a hefty change fee.
I will admit, I do struggle a bit with not being able to change our selections from that early appointment. The whole process was quite a whirlwind after signing the purchase agreement. However, I’m still happy with my decisions and know the house is going to look amazing once it’s completed. I’m also thankful that I can rest easy knowing what our final purchase price is. I’m happy to report, we came in at budget, if not slightly under what we anticipated spending for building a house.
Where we’re at in the build process today
Since signing our purchase agreement in late September, our builders are just getting started with framing (mid-January). They broke ground the week of Thanksgiving and had foundation laid by early- to mid-December. We knew early on that framing wasn’t going to start until this month since there’s a backlog of houses to build.
So what’s the scoop with our current house? Well we weren’t planning to list it on MLS until February. But our realtor started networking and before we knew it we had two showing the first week of January. One of those, I’m happy to say, resulted in an offer we ended up accepting. As I’m writing this, we’re under contract, pending inspection.
We are very lucky with how everything worked out with the couple buying our house. They don’t technically need to move in until June, so we’re able to close on the house we’re selling to them in March and rent back until our new house is finished. I’m so thankful that we don’t have to worry about moving twice. And just as thankful that we don’t have to scramble the day of closing on our new house to ensure everything is out and cleaned for the one we’re selling.
What’s next?
If all goes well with the inspection (which I anticipate will be fine), we start getting ready to move! We have a few months to get ready, which I’m extremely happy about. And I’m really pumped about knowing the layout of the space we’re moving in to so we can get rid of furniture before even moving. The less stuff we have to move, the better!
If our weather continues to cooperate, and there’s no unforeseen delays, we’re looking at closing on our new house in April. We should have a confirmed close date toward the end of February. At that point, framing will be completed, drywall will be up and the first coat of paint applied. Once we hit that milestone, they estimate it to be about 6-weeks out.
And every new home owner knows that a new home means new decor! Be sure to check back frequently for my design inspiration. If you’re ready for some inspiration now, check out this post to see what I’m already dreaming of. Pinterest has been my jam too – follow me for all the home decor inspo and DIY’s I’m planning to tackle!
I’ll continue to post updates every couple of weeks so you can tag along on this exciting journey if you’re interested.