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How to Plan Your Construction Project in 2020

by Craig Hoffman | Wednesday December 11, 2019 | Building Tips

How to Plan Your Construction Project in 2020

As the holidays inevitably give way to the New Year and for us now the start of a new decade, it may be time to look for a new construction project on your home. Spending more time indoors during the winter months provides a great opportunity to inventory what we like about our homes, and address any changes to the structure, design or construction of your abode. Whether it’s your domicile or any outdoor buildings like barns or garages, now is the perfect time to plan your construction project for 2020.

The coming year should be a perfect time to tackle that home construction project. 2020 is expected to be a prudent time to build. Mortgage rates are expected to hover in the 3% – 4% range all year, according to Freddie Mac. The strong economy coupled with low interest rates, modest inflation and a solid labor market should be a perfect storm for those looking to build a new home, addition or renovation. 

Plan Your Project Perfectly

Although much has changed in home construction and renovation in the past few years, there are a few basic steps to get the project off-the-ground successfully. Planning and preparation can make the difference between a well-built structure that’s on-time and on-budget and a money pit of lost resources and delays.  

Set goals

Creating a new home for yourself is all about setting goals and taking the steps to achieve those goals. You’ll want to establish the answers to a whole host of questions so that you can set these goals. Goal setting requires satisfying both left- and right-brain activities. So your list of goals will include two sides: a practical, meat-and-potatoes side and an emotional, ice-cream-and-pie side. Each is important, and each needs to be recognized so that the result will reflect a totality.

Questions to ask:

  • What do you want to achieve?
  • What will this cost?
  • Can it really be achieved?
  • Does plan A make sense?
  • What’s plan B?

Establish a budget

While a budget should be in any goal statement, it’s such an important piece that it’s included here as a separate task. When making your budget, of course you’ll begin with what you can afford, and how the cost of your project coincides with your overall plans. When you’re ready to get down to details, include everything that will go into the project: the cost of the project, local fees and taxes, design and engineering fees, construction of not just the physical structure but the landscape, plus furniture and decorating.

And don’t forget a healthy contingency. As with any complex project, things will happen, and the road from point A to point B will have a detour or two. Make sure that these little side trips won’t send you over the edge. A spreadsheet program such as Excel is a good tool to use for developing a budget, as you can continuously update and modify it as you work your way through the project.

Assemble a team

While you might think you can go it alone, assembling a team of tried and true professionals is the better approach. After all, you wouldn’t represent yourself in court. So why wouldn’t you entrust your single largest investment to an experienced team that won’t be learning on your dime?

Quarry View Building Group offers clients a skilled team approach from concept design to finishing touches on your project, taking the stress out of construction so you can focus on your life. We will act as guide, therapist, advocate and counselor throughout the journey that creating your home is. And, as with all good professionals, Quarry View Building Group will ensure that your journey is all the more enjoyable.

Create a plan 

After choosing a design firm, it’s time to start making a plan. There are usually at least two and sometimes three good ways to reach your design goals. The plans are called schematic designs; they usually involve a rough layout of the floor plan and some simple views of the exterior of the home if there is an addition. 

It takes time for the design professional to work these out, and then usually another week or two for the homeowners to consider them and make decisions. If the project is larger or the homeowners want additional changes made to the schematics, this initial design phase can take several months.

Get your permits

Depending on the scope of your project and where it’s located, permitting can take days or months. You should have some idea ahead of filing for permits about the length of the process, which will allow you to identify a likely start date for your project. Permit fees can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on where you live and how big your project is. By the time all these steps are complete, it may be four to six months or even more since you started talking with design professionals.

The planning process can be lengthy, but each step you take will put you closer to starting your project with a clear vision of what’s to come. That investment of time on the front end means your entire construction team and you can start a project on the same page with a clearly articulated plan. 

Plan Your Project in 2020

Plan your project the right way and invest in an experienced, professional builder that will work with you from beginning to end of your construction project in 2020. Unfortunately, horror stories of contractors going AWOL halfway through a project or doing unacceptable work while going massively over budget.

Quarry View Building Group is built on strong customer relationships and years of experience in the construction industry. We focus on creating stunning, high-quality structures that leave our customers with an exceptional result they can be proud of. Plus we have an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau. 

Planning your construction project in 2020 should start with a trusted partner to lead you through the planning and execution of your construction project. Contact them today at 717-656-3018.