Do It Yourself Home Building Tips
By HiLine Hal
The dream of building your own home on your own land is not a wild fantasy especially if you decide to go the “do it yourself” home-building route. The whole process is a rewarding challenge that can pay off with smart decisions. Picking the right “on your lot” builder to walk you through the process is a key part of DIY home building. They can keep you organized and on track as you pick out the ideal plan for your family, develop the perfect spot on your property, and decide what elements you want — all while helping you save money.
Pros of Building a DIY House
Building your own home has a lot of perks. When the housing market is hot, it may be hard to find a home. Some desirable areas may even see bidding wars over homes that favor cash buyers, making it hard to get the home you want. When you build your own home, you can skip the stress of searching for the right home to be outbid or miss the opportunity by multiple offers.
The other benefit is being able to choose your level of involvement. While our traditional building program is a complete home on your prepared property. Our Shell and Super Shell programs allow you to be more involved with your dream home. Offering you the freedom to personalize the interior – from flooring to light fixtures. Need an ADU for your aging parents or a guest house for frequent guests? You can include that in the design. Additionally, new homes have more energy-efficient systems and materials than existing homes, leading to lower energy bills.
Save Money with Sweat Equity
First of all, what is equity? Equity is the difference between the fair market value of your home and the amount you owe. For instance, if your home is appraised at $500,000 and your mortgage is $250,000 then you have $250,000 of equity in your home. When purchasing an existing home, it is often purchased at fair market value, meaning you move in without equity or very little. Traditionally, you may gain equity as you pay your loan down and as the market increases the value of your home.
Home equity can be the largest amount of wealth for many families. While it isn’t a liquid asset, it can work for you by being used as collateral for a high-interest debt or invested in other projects. By increasing your home’s equity, you can add value to your investment and know you are in a strong position no matter which way the real estate market shifts. One way to do this is to hire an “on your lot” builder that allows you to take on projects and contribute to building your home rather than handing those projects to them.
What is “On Your Lot” Home Building?
An “on your lot” home builder focuses on building a home on your prepared property – the builder never owned the land. With turn-key homes, the general contractor is responsible for completing your entire custom project, from land preparation to handing you the key, which drives the cost up. With HiLine Homes, you have responsibility for certain parts of the project, which allows you the opportunity to save money and build equity.
With an ‘on your lot” builder, you are responsible for the site development with specific requirements that will depend on your home building program. Never fear — you will always have a HiLine Homes representative as your resource to lean on through the steps. HiLine Homes’ unique building program helps homeowners maximize saving by integrating DIY projects like cleanup and painting – giving you the satisfaction of being part of your home build.
It is an amazing experience to see your vision come to life right in front of your eyes. If you choose a Shell Home package you have further opportunities to be hands-on by finishing your future home’s interior. By investing your time and energy into the process you have the potential to have a strong equity position and be a part of building your own special place to make family memories together.
Site Development
When you decide that you’re ready to tackle building your dream home, finding the right property is an important step. Our Home Consultants can provide guidance that will help avoid potential pitfalls and obstacles typical to property. Carrying out a land feasibility study on a piece of property will help you see if your project can be successfully developed for your home.
One way to save money on your home-build is to break down the home-building steps into smaller, individual projects, such as site development. Every home-building project starts with property site preparation. By developing the property yourself, you build in sweat equity to your home. Our Pre-Construction team can guide you through the process of obtaining construction permits, getting your land evaluated, installing septic systems, excavation and site preparation, and installing water systems, so you are ready for construction.
Traditional vs Shell Home
HiLine has been building homes for over 25 years, and we have honed our process to help home buyers make informed and confident decisions for their lifestyle. HiLine Homes provides a unique building program where you can choose your level of involvement by selecting either our Traditional, Shell, or Super Shell building program. The Traditional Building Program provides all our standard features, with the home plan you choose starting with the foundation and builds a complete home on your prepared property.
Do you relish the opportunity of being invested in the building process? A shell home is a great option. A Shell or Super Shell home will provide you the chance to customize the look and feel of your home. Learn more about our -Shell Package and Super Shell Program, allowing you to provide your own finish materials.
Shell Home Program
HiLine’s shell program are for those who want to be more deeply involved in their project. Building your own home is an adventure of a lifetime and being a part of making everything come to life is one of the joys of homebuilding. Being hands-on with the process helps you know exactly how all the inner workings of your home connect.
HiLine’s shell program – Shell and Super Shell – gives you two ways to participate in the process. With the Shell Program, HiLine takes care of the foundation, framing, roofing, siding, windows, exterior door, and interior framing then you take it from there. Leaving items like electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, painting, trim, interior cabinets and finishing touches are all yours to finish the way you like.
If you would rather have more completed before you take over, HiLine’s Super Shell Program adds rough plumbing, rough electrical, insulation, and sheetrock finished and textured to the completed details. You finish up with such things as trim, cabinetry, and interior details like paint, lights, fans, cabinet pulls, sinks, toilets, and all the little things that match your aesthetics and lifestyle.
Is DIY Right for You?
The decision to work with an “on your lot” builder that allows for DIY projects is something you will have to think through. Not everyone has the time or inclination to develop their land and be a part of the home-building team. Having a DIY home built requires time and patience as you deal with all the aspects and variables of a home build. Side-by-side with your Home Consultant and Project Manager, you will be devoting your time to parts of the projects over several months.
Take some time to weigh the pros and cons of purchasing an existing home vs. building a DIY home. Also, look at your future plans. Make a list of your wants, needs, and lifestyle, and decide if the potential budget savings are worth a little sweat investment.
The HiLine Homes Experience
HiLine Homes has helped thousands of homeowners get into quality homes at an affordable price for over 25 years. Our successful, “on your lot” building program assists homes in attaining the dream of homeownership while building potential equity in their new home. Our streamlined “on your lot” building program offers experts to guide you every step of the way, no matter if you own your land or are searching for the perfect lot.
Securing financing can be one of the most stressful parts of building a new home and we are ready to help. Together with our Home Consultants, our Approved Lenders can help you find the best financing solutions to find the right land for building or get into your perfect home on your existing property.
Don’t know where to start? No worries. Whether you are looking for a traditional home building program or a Shell Program our building process is designed to support you. Connect with a Home Consultant in your area to develop your journey to building the dream home to meet your lifestyle.
