re: Building A House - Where To Start?

We built last year. We purchased our lot 4 years ago. No way could we have afforded the house and lot at the same time. We spent 8 months on plans. We went with a certified home designer and saved a buttload of money vs an architect. Unless you are building something over the top, an experienced home designer has probably already built something close to what you are thinking. When you buy your lot, make sure to have them put a no work addidavit on property. It will save you some money when it comes time to get a construction loan. We basically got approved for what we thought everything was going to cost when we did the lot loan, that way we didn't have to do the whole process again when it came time for construction. We ended up 4% over budget and I was thrilled with that. If you spend the time on the plans, you won't have too much that needs to be changed during the process. Our builder told us that really starts getting expensive when you start back building, meaning that they build something and then have to change it cause you change your mind.