Building a Dream Home in California: Top 5 Tips

Building a dream home? Here is some advice you should follow!

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Dream homes in California aren’t just built haphazardly. Quite the contrary — a successful bespoke home requires meticulous planning, excellent craftsmanship, and careful addition of personal flare. 

Achieving all this could be challenging, especially if it’s your first time. There’s a lot of consideration going into the process, so let us offer some tips that could be extremely useful when considering constructing a dream home in California.

Find the Ideal Plot of Land for Sale

Finding the perfect vacant land is the most important phase in building your home. Luckily, there are plenty of attractive vacant lots for sale in California but you’ll have to determine your needs first so that you can locate the best acres of land to build on. 

For instance, you might want to construct your home on a sizable piece of land in bigger places like San Diego County or a more isolated place in quieter locations such as San Bernardino County. Similarly, having an incredible property with panoramic views and beach access might be a priority for you, so you should narrow down the search to that particular type of parcel. Or, perhaps coastal views aren’t the most important for you; instead, you’re looking for a forested land with an abundance of pine and oak trees and various water features that you’d turn into a recreational paradise.

Whatever your desire is, ensure that the land for sale you’re considering is appropriate for your purposes by letting your architect and contractor know. They will look into the land property zoning regulations and sales records and determine any characteristics that might make it more expensive to construct.

Choose Your Floorplan Wisely

When constructing a new home in California, orientation can sometimes be overlooked. So, before choosing a floor plan, consider the direction of your house. Orientation is the placement of a house with seasonal variations in the sun’s path and the direction of the dominant winds kept in mind. Proper orientation will increase your house’s energy efficiency; as a result, your home will be cozier and you’ll spend less on utilities.

When choosing a floor plan, remember that the arrangement of your rooms and living spaces will determine which portions of your home get the most daylight during the day. Bedrooms should be placed on the north side of a house since it is cooler there. The south side, which has more light, is the best site for a living room. When you correctly choose your floor plan, you will increase your home’s value and save energy consumption and costs in the long run.

Ensure You Can Afford the House’s Upkeep 

Landowners planning to construct a brand-new bespoke home along the Californian coast should prepare for increased maintenance expenditures and regular maintenance tasks. Homes near the ocean must be built and equipped to endure more severe circumstances. 

Additionally, coastal homes will need more maintenance and upkeep and will cost more to repair and insure due to their exposure to higher loads and harsh climates. Delicate equipment, furniture, and other aspects of the residence might become worn out from exposure to the sand, sun, wind, and waves. 

Hire a Professional Team From the Beginning

If you’re prepared to start building your ideal house in California, you need to hire your team right from the beginning of the process. But even though setbacks are practically unavoidable constructing a home from the ground up, hiring everyone upfront will save you money and hassle in the long run. This includes your architect, builder, interior designer, and lawyer. They are all essential during the stages of planning and construction since an issue in one place can affect the entire organization.

Be Aware of Building Permits and Inspections

Your builder will take care of all the inspections and permits; however, you should be aware that these steps will prolong the time needed to build your Californian home. They will schedule any specific additional inspections required by certain jurisdictions, such as those for fire safety. 

If you want a second opinion on your builder’s work, you can also hire an impartial home inspector. To avoid interfering with the building of your home or other inspections, be sure to talk to your builder about the best time to conduct an exterior inspection.

Final Thoughts

Building the Californian home of your dreams isn’t easy, but it can be a very gratifying experience. In the end, you’ll get to live in the home of your dreams, making all the effort ultimately worthwhile. Hopefully, these top tips have helped you get a better idea of everything that has to be done so you can turn your vision into reality.