Building a home can certainly be one of the most stressful projects you’ll experience in your life. However, it doesn’t have to be super stressful! Below I’m sharing 4 tips to help you reduce stress while building your house.

Spoiler alert … a lot of the stress of home building comes from poor planning and mental blocks.

TIP 1: YOUR HOME WON’T BE ‘PERFECT’

As much as I thought (or hoped) it would be true, a brand new home doesn’t mean ‘a perfect home’.

As we all know, nothing in life is perfect. Striving for perfection sets you up for disappointment and stress (over every detail)along your home build journey, so give yourself permission to make imperfect decisions for your home build.

Here’s one thing I did find to be true when I built my home several years ago. The things that bothered me (because they weren’t ‘perfect’) and seemed glaringly obvious while I was building (e.g. little dinks in the wood flooring or grout that appeared too dark) didn’t even faze me once I moved in.

I honestly forgot all of these little ‘imperfections’ were even there once we were actually living in the house. And when I did see them and was reminded, I no longer cared because the overall house turned out just the way I wanted it to!

TIP 2: DITCH THE TERM ‘FOREVER HOME’

I know that some people truly are building their ‘forever home’ and plan to live there for the long haul.

Here’s the deal though … the term ‘forever home’ can put A LOT of pressure on you to make the most ‘perfect’ decisions for your home.

When you have the burden of designing a home you hope to love for several decades, this can cause quite a bit of stress when it comes to decision making.

I was able to reduce stress because I have a (tentative) plan to live in my custom home for 14 years (i.e. until my girls graduate from high school). Knowing ‘this decision isn’t forever’ gave me more freedom when making decisions.

Again, I know that you may be truly building your ‘forever home’. If that’s the case, there is still a way to decrease some of the pressure and stress of making design decisions.

Keep in the back of your mind that you CAN make changes in the future. You CAN renovate the home in a decade or two. Keep this in mind and it should reduce some of the pressure of making decisions you’ll love ‘forever’.

TIP 3: PLAN! PLAN! PLAN!

Oh my goodness … I can’t stress this one enough. The more you plan BEFORE you break ground, the less stressful your entire home build experience will be.

Making design decisions ahead of time and really understanding your vision is very helpful in reducing stress as the decisions come at you quickly once you start building.

Learn more about how to build a solid foundation and plan for the big picture of your home build.

TIP 4: CREATE A REALISTIC BUDGET

If you go into your home build with a realistic budget, you’ll experience far less financial stress while building your home.

A ‘realistic budget’ refers to creating a budget that is based on your clear and honest vision for your home, as well as the amount of money you can comfortably invest in your home.

A ‘realistic budget’ can be created ONLY if you are upfront and honest with your builder about EVERYTHING you envision in your home. You need to communicate these details to your builder BEFORE he/she provides you with a quote.

Many people go over budget because they wait until they’re already building their home to really think about what they want (i.e. they make ‘upgrades’ in real-time while their house is being built). 

A realistic budget takes into account your financial situation as well as your SPECIFIC and CLEAR must-haves and vision for your home so that you get a clear quote of how much your house will cost. This reduces financial surprises once you are in the midst of building.

WRAPPING IT UP

Now you have four tips to help you reduce stress while building your house. Number three (Plan! Plan! Plan!) is a CRUCIAL step in a successful home-building journey.

If you want to dive deeper into *how* to plan in a way that sets you up for a home build with less stress, more confidence, and a strategic plan to stay on budget, grab my *FREE* ‘Custom Home Build Prep Guide’!