Tips on Building a House - 7 Must Know and Tested Tips!

Building a house is such a “pinch me” moment in life…it’s exciting and so fun to dream about what your future life will look like in the walls of your home once it’s done. Going from a piece of land to a finished home is such a cool process. That being said…there is so. much. to. do. when building a home. It is all hands on deck from start to finish! We just wrapped up our second home build and below is our tried and true tips on building a house.

This post is all about tips on building a house.

#1: Tips on Building a House – Pick the Perfect House Plan

To pick the plan that is most perfect for you and your family, you’ll want to do a deep dive on likes/dislikes and wants/needs. There are thousands of house plans so knowing what you need to focus on will help you narrow down your search. Some things you may want to consider…

How many bedrooms are a must?
Will you need a home office?
Do you want a dining room and a breakfast nook? Or is the dining space better utilized another way?
Where do you want to the laundry room in relation to other rooms in the house?
Is a big front porch important to you?
Do you entertain frequently and want a designated space for that?

These are just a few examples of things to think about as you are looking. Really picture yourself living life in these plans, what will work best for your family, and ultimately make your home your happy place.

My favorite places to look at plans are:

1. HousePlans.com – Tons of professionally designed plans

👉 Huge selection of architect-designed home plans
👉 Lets you tweak designs to fit your needs

2. Architectural Designs – Stylish and customizable plans

👉 Everything from modern to farmhouse to luxury homes

3. Southern Living House Plans – Classic Southern charm

👉 Designed with that timeless, cozy Southern feel
👉 Features wraparound porches, open kitchens, and elegant details

4. Dream Home Source – Perfect for luxury and farmhouse lovers

👉 Specializes in luxury, farmhouse, and craftsman styles
👉 Customization options available

#2: Discover Your Style

Building a house will really make you discover your personal home style because you have to make so many decisions in this area. If you’re anything like me, you may be a little foggy in nailing down exactly what it is you like. Or maybe you know what you like you’ve just never put a name to it? My best advice and the most helpful app through this process is hands down Pinterest. Start pinning things you like to a board (try to be specific and make a board just for the kitchen, built ins, living room, bathrooms, etc.). After you have pinned several things, go back through your pins and you will most likely find you are pinning the same style over and over again. This will give you a good theme going into making your selections and will help so much with decision overload!

#3: Be Generous With Your Budget

If you’ve mentioned that you are building to anyone, they have more than likely said “You’ll go way over budget!” And while this is generally true for most people that build a home, it’s important to look at the expectations vs. the beginning budget when building a home. Are you looking at doing any kind of custom selections? Will you want custom cabinets? What kind of flooring will you choose? All these potential upgrades can add up and make a huge difference in budget.

So, from the very beginning, be very generous with your budget. It’s hard to give a specific percentage in how generous you need to be because everyones wants and locations are different, but understand there will be things you are wanting or that need to be done that will costs more than the “Level 1” selection of that item. That being said, there will be things you don’t really have a preference on and are happy with the lower grade. So, this helps balance it out. Overall, your most costly items will more than likely be:

Foundation and Framing
Roofing
Plumbing, Electrical and HVAC
Windows and Doors
Land Prep or Grading

#4:Be Generous With How Long the Home Build Will Take

This one is so not fun but…the reality is it will probably take longer than you are planning on. Building a house is a huge undertaking so it’s only natural that you will hit delays and setbacks. Have the mentality going into the process that it will get done eventually and just make sure you have living accommodations that can be flexible with a moving timeframe.

#5: Tips on Building a House – Expect Issues to Pop Up

This tip goes along with #3 and #4…expect some surprises for costs and timeframe. Sometimes there are just things you can’t prepare for…maybe a trade doesn’t show up, maybe material is backordered, or maybe there is just an issue you missed from the front end. It happens, it’s ok, everything is figure-outable. But, it is a lot easier to manage mentally when you go in with the mindset of expecting bumps in the road.

#6: Tips on Building a House – Have as Many Selections Made Ahead of Time as You Possibly Can

My husband drilled this into my head on our last build so this one had to be on the list! LOL. If you want to make the process smoother and quicker, have as many decisions and selections made as early in the process as you can. Also, make sure those selections are communicated to your builder. This can be tough, because sometimes you want to see a space framed before you decide on tile, or you aren’t sure how your cabinets are going to look with the countertops you selected….do your best and take pictures of everything! Canva is super helpful with adding different pictures of things in side by side to make sure you are getting the look you are going for.

#7: Tips on Building a House – Shop Around with Your Selections to Save Yourself Money

This one is overlooked in the home building process. Don’t be afraid to shop around on selections. If you find a tile that you are in love with but then see it’s $18 a square foot, there is a really good chance you can find something else extremely similar for a much more affordable price. Use the Google lens feature to upload a picture of what you are wanting and then search for what other stores carry. If you can be a little flexible on selections and look, you can save yourself a ton of money doing this. Our favorite places for affordable selections during our build were:

Buy Floors Direct – 💰
Floor & Decor – 🎨
Lowe’s – 🛠
Home Depot – 🏡

BONUS TIP #8: Tips on Building a House – Do Your Best to Enjoy the Ride

I’m not going to sugar coat it…building a house can be STRESSFUL. There are a ton of moving parts and you are usually living in a very temporary situation while trying to do normal life. But, at the end of the day, it’s a huge blessing. You’re getting to pick out everything for the house you will soon live in. Take lots of pictures, bring the kids to check on progress, dream together and enjoy the ride!