5 Mistakes I Made In Our New Build

Do you feel like you’re decisive? I’d say I’m a pretty quick decision maker, unless you’re asking me where I want to eat for dinner 😅. Over the course of our build we made over 500 decisions. And I’m not talking about obvious choices, like paint colors, I’m talking about light fixtures for every room, pulls for every drawer, the number of grids in a window, the color of mortar between our bricks. Things that I didn’t realize even had options…had options! And trust me, I’m grateful for the opportunity to make our home just how we wanted it with all of the selections but it was a lot. Add in keeping track of all the discussion we had on site with the builder, a project manager, or a selection coordinator and the thoughts in my head about our new home were piling up higher than the construction dumpster out front.

With all the choices and options we had and the info we had to keep track of, there are a few things we should have done differently with our new build. If you’re thinking about building, or are even in the middle of building, here are 5 mistakes we made while building.

Asking about additional options we weren’t presented

During our build we got to make a lot of decisions. There were some selections though that I wish we’d asked a few more questions about. The biggest one I can think of is the finish level of our concrete. We assumed it was either broom finished or stamped concrete. We didn’t realize there was an option in between. I wish for our front porch we’d gone with a trowel finished to make it a bit smoother and give it a little more of “polished” (like nice, not shiny) look.

Takeaway: Ask if there are additional options if you don’t love the ones you’re presented with. The worst the builder says is “no, these are the two we offer.”

Not sending follow up emails after every meeting

During walkthroughs and some meetings a lot of things were discussed, and we assumed written down. On more than one occasion though we were met with resistance or a lack of recall about something we knew we had discussed previously with the builder or a staff member but it didn’t get passed along to the next person in the project and therefore wasn’t complete. Most things were small and could be fixed but there are a few items we still look at in our home that we aren’t in love with and we plan to fix ourselves.

Takeaway: A best practice when you have a verbal discussion during your build it to follow up with the builder via email. That way if you misunderstood you can clarify and if it gets missed you can refer to the email as a point of reference.

Not adding blocking behind our towel bars

Working with a custom home builder we assumed (incorrectly) that they would make recommendations for practical items - like adding blocking behind our towel bars or insulating our pipes to make the home quieter. With little kids, we definitely should have added blocking to make sure those towel bars and TP holders stay right where they’re supposed to.

Takeaway: Do your own research on things to add to when building. Some things we found ourselves and did (like insulating between floors.)

Doing our walkthroughs too quickly

When I walk a home with a client prior to moving in I’m looking at all the small details - does the trim lineup, is there paint on the stairs, do the faucets all run hot water? Unfortunately, being my own agent and doing our final walkthrough solo (my husband had to work) I missed some details that I normally would have called out for a client. We have trim that needs to be fixed, paint in places that it should not be (think overspray on cabinets) and some details that need to be refined.

Takeaway: Bring an extra set of eyes to your walkthroughs and take your time. It can feel like your taking too long when the builder is around (I get it) but this is. your chance to catch the mistakes and add them to that punch list. Don’t rush it.

Not taking off more options

When we were making design choices for the house I got to a point where I just wanted it done. There were a thousand things to make decisions about. Let’s call it decision fatigue. That lead to me saying yes to $30 shower rods that are basically hollow aluminum with caps on them. I would have preferred to pay $20 for the tension version kind from Target if I’d known that what I was getting. I did have the good sense to say no to $200 plate glass mirrors for all the bathrooms though, so still a win in my book.

Takeaway: Try to make every decision, even the smallest ones, with some intention. All decisions are not equal (you can swap out the curtain rods) but if you’ll be disappointed with a lack of quality take the time to consider all options and alternatives outside of the vendors choices.

I hope my experience and these tips help you think through your building process and what things you might add or change. The decision fatigue is real when it comes to building but with the right guide and key list it can be quite fun. Have questions about what else I’d do differently? Leave your questions or shoot me an email!

Your Friend,

Jess