Have you spent forever planning out your dream home in your head?  The one that's to your taste, for your lifestyle, just the way you want it?

Well then; it's time to stop daydreaming and start turning those dreams into reality.  Here are our top tips to help you get you underway on the road to owning your dream home:

Identify your vision

The first step to building your dream home is to figure out exactly what it is you are dreaming of.  And the best way to do this is to create a vision board.  You may think creating a vision board sounds frivolous and time consuming.  But in reality, it is a very important step, and it should not be overlooked! 

A vision board sets the tone and direction for your entire home.  It will help you to hit the nail on the head (so to speak) with a result that has a cohesive look and feel, and in the style that you are dreaming of.  So, the time spent on this at the start will pay off down the track when it comes to making tough decisions on colours and styles.  You’ll lay solid foundations for your build to help the project run smoother, quicker and deliver better results.

We suggest starting a build scrapbook on Pinterest.  And once a pattern and style start to emerge, take key images and ideas from there to create your vision board.

Location, Location, Location!

One of the most important steps in building your dream home is finding the perfect location.  After all, the location is even more important than the house itself.  Keep in mind the old saying “buy the worst house in the best street”. 

You may possibly already be living in your future dream home location and decide to demolish the house and rebuild, or even renovate. But if that’s not the case, it may take a while to find that perfect location.  Don’t panic; just spend whatever time it takes to look at different sections, until you find that one that your instincts tell you is perfect for you.  After all, this is a decision that should not be rushed!

Engage the experts

There are two main options open to you at this point; a building company, which will handle everything for you from design through to completion, or an architect (or building designer of some sort) and your own builder. 

While the certainty of price and ease of limited decisions that you get from going with a building company is appealing to some, the extra time and effort involved with your own designer and builder can pay in spades in the long run.  A skilled building designer can be fantastic at suggesting things you’d have never thought of and can really help to bring your vision to life.  And aside from the designer’s fee, it doesn’t necessarily even cost any more to build something that is designed from scratch for you than an off the shelf plan.

You should also work with your builder at this stage to write a clear and accurate budget for each part of the project.

Determine how to make it happen

The next step can be where things get a bit tricky, and often people put their build project in the ‘too hard basket’ at this point.  This is when you have to figure out how to actually make your plans happen. 

You need to get in contact with your bank to make sure you have the finance available for your build.  You also need to figure out where you are going to live during the build (since most people can't afford to pay both the mortgage on the build, as well as the mortgage or rent on their current home at the same time). 

Fortunately, there are options; finance options, sell up and rent, move in with family temporarily perhaps, or could you even live in temporary accommodation on the land while your dream home is being built next door?

There are mortgage brokers out there that specialise in build finance and they often can factor in your mortgage repayments on the loan for the build until completion so that you are not having to worry about paying the mortgage on the build until it is complete.

Shop till you drop

Finally, once all your plans are underway, it’s time to shop!  If you have chosen a path that allows you to choose the fittings and fixtures that you want (as opposed to standard options provided by a build company), then the sooner you start shopping around the better.  As you will soon discover, there is a list a mile long of things to choose.  But if you love shopping; what more could you ask for! 

Take inspiration from your vision board, and work with your builder and your budget.  Work your way through the project to choose cladding and roofing, joinery, wall colours and coverings (tip: Resene offer fantastic colour consultant services absolutely FREE), kitchens and bathroom fittings, doors and handles, light fittings… the list goes on. 

The more time you spend planning your build, the more it will reflect your dream home in the end.  If you would like further guidance to get you started on your dream home, contact the consultants at Movest: p 09 282 3202 or e stacey@movest.co.nz for a free telephone consultation.