As you can imagine, building a home can be quite daunting. Maybe you’re still just dreaming about building or maybe you’re already in the thick of it and the overwhelm is starting to creep in. Either way, there are a few things to keep in mind when building a house so that you avoid getting *too* overwhelmed!
I’m hopeful that if you keep these things in mind, you will feel more confident that you CAN get through your home build. Believe me, you WILL make it to the other side (the ‘other side’ is moving into that gorgeous home you’ve been dreaming about for years)!
Ok, let’s move onto the three things …
3 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN BUILDING A HOUSE
1. YOUR HOME WON’T BE PERFECT (but that’s OK!)
One big misconception when building a home is that everything will be ‘perfect’. I’m guilty of assuming this. I honestly thought that everything (e.g. cabinets, floors, etc.) would be clean as a whistle and just ready to move my stuff in.
Well … that was NOT true! Your builder might have a cleaning crew come through (mine did), but no one cleans a home like a homeowner cleans a home. I had to spend about a day going through the house and cleaning out cabinets, rewashing floors, wiping fingerprints off of cabinets, etc.
So … no, everything won’t be clean and perfect, but it’s still much better than cleaning up after previous homeowners if you buy a pre-owned house ;).
I also thought all of my trim work would be blemish-free (nope – there were cracks) and all door and cabinet hardware would be ‘perfect’ (nope – it wasn’t all perfectly placed).
There might even be some design selections that you want to tear them out and start over (but you can’t because … #budget).
However, keep this in mind … as soon as we moved our furniture into the house and started actually living in our home, all of the ‘blemishes’ and ‘messiness’ and ‘uncertainty’ no longer were even on my radar (and I am a ‘perfectionist’).
I was just SO happy to be in the home that I no longer paid attention to the negatives. I focused on what I loved about my house instead. This will happen for you too.
2. THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS THE *PERFECT* DECISION
I know, I know … my fellow ‘perfectionists’ out there are cringing at this statement! However, it’s true that there are no ‘perfect’ decisions when building a home (and in life in general 😉).
Feel free to take a little pressure off of yourself and give yourself permission to make imperfect decisions when it comes to selecting design finishes for your home.
I honestly believe that there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers when designing your new home. My best advice is to make selections based on what YOU love and don’t overthink it. Get the information you need (pros, cons, pricing, etc.) and make a decision with your gut. Then move on to the next decision.
3. YOU MIGHT FEEL LIKE GIVING UP AT TIMES
I’m not gonna lie … building a home is stressful and I imagine that every single person going through this process wants to give up at some point. I know that I did.
Just *know* that this feeling might come to you … but it will also pass.
In a way, building a home is like pregnancy and childbirth. It’s stressful and really kinda sucks at times, but it is SO worth it in the end when you get to hold your brand new baby (or move into your brand new home) 😉.
Just like pregnancy and childbirth, you WILL get through this! Just keep moving forward.
I hope that simply keeping these 3 things in mind when building your house will give you some encouragement and relief that it’s all going to work out just fine. It’s ok to loosen up on your perfectionism standards (with your home and life in general) just a little bit because this puts WAY too much pressure on you to make the ‘perfect’ decisions.
If you are in the very early stages of your home build, I encourage you to download my *FREE* Custom Home Build Prep Guide and learn the five crucial steps to prepare for a home build with less stress, more confidence, and a strategic plan to stick to your budget!
Thank-you Carrie for this post – especially telling us that no decision is perfect! This gives us permission to go with our heart and not stress out about it. This has been a fun process but the second guessing is taking that fun out of it. Thanks for putting me back on track! Your posts have been life savers in this process along with all your amazing resources.
Thank-you Carrie for this post – especially telling us that no decision is perfect! This gives us permission to go with our heart and not stress out about it. This has been a fun process but the second guessing is taking that fun out of it. Thanks for putting me back on track! Your posts have been life savers in this process along with all your amazing resources.
Aww … you made my day, Monica! You always have such kind and wonderful feedback :). I’m so glad you found this week’s blog post to be helpful! – Carrie
This was utterly perfect timing!! I needed to read this today. I had forgotten how draining building is (and during covid and shortages to add to the pain). I have been telling everyone the same thing about pregnancy and how it was the best way to describe the process. You just have to laugh sometimes at the things that happen 😆
Yay, Wendy! I’m SO glad this blog post was perfectly timed for you to hear it when you needed a little reassurance! – Carrie