WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?
There are many ways to build your home, depending on what your needs are.
Here’s a quick rundown that we built with our friends at AIA:
This guide was built in partnership with AIA. fact-checked by licensed professionals and building experts. Consult a builder or architect for specifics to your situation.1.
BUILD “LIKE FOR LIKE”
What’s involved: Hire an architect or design/build firm to make something very similar to what you had (up to 10% bigger, but same rough footprint, height, and placement)
Pros:
Quicker permit process
No tax reassessment on the original square footage (any added square footage will be reassessed)
More likely to feel familiar
Tax reassessment = a county review that can change your property taxes.
Cons:
Limits what you can design
Means you have to either find a design/build firm or architect with plans that are similar to your old house, or hire an architect to make something custom, which would add cost and time
No adding bathrooms or bedrooms, etc.
2.
Use Standardized Plans
What’s involved: Use plans that have already been created and approved by your local permitting authority. You will then just need a site-specific permit package for planning.
Pros:
You pay less in design fees, and you may be able to customize them slightly to your liking
Standardized plans may be included with a builder and reduce construction costs even further.
You may also be able to build faster if you’re working with a builder who is using standard plans, as they have materials and labor ready to go.
Cons: Less flexibility.
3.
CUSTOM BUILD
What’s involved: Hire a team to create a custom-designed home to suit what you would like to live in.
Pros: You get to custom-design a house to your own desires.
Cons:
Longest permit process
Design process will cost more
Potentially longer overall build time
Far more decisions to be made down to a granular level, like what type of molding and doorstops you prefer.
4.
PRE-FAB
What’s involved: Your home is built in a factory in modules, then delivered and assembled on site. You’ll need either a company that does the whole job or to hire a contractor to do your site work, pour your foundation, assemble the modules, and connect you to utilities. There are a few ways to get a pre-fab home.
Hire an architect to create pre-fab-friendly plans, and work with a factory
Use existing pre-fab ready plans
Go straight to a factory and use some of their designs
Work with a company that offers full-service design, manufacturing, and installation
Pros:
Faster
Fewer people to deal with
Fewer change orders (expensive) and mistakes (very expensive)
There is also typically better quality control in manufactured components, which can result in a better final product.
Cons:
Can’t be delivered to some hard-to-reach areas.
If you don’t hire an all-in-one company to order and construct everything, you will need to hire a separate general contractor for the site work, and you will be responsible for coordinating between the two companies
If there are coordination issues, the owner may bear the risk of change orders.
If you hire an all-in-one company, they may mark up the cost of the modular or pre-fab structure in order to assume that risk.
5.
ADU/Temporary home
What’s involved: ADUs are smaller houses (custom or pre-fab) that are typically built to the same specifications as traditional homes. Typically, you can only install an ADU with a primary residence on your property, but the rules have changed for fire survivors. You can now install one of these in the back of your property and live in it for up to three years without any other structures on the property.
You’ll need to hire a contractor to run utilities, pour the foundation, install the ADU, and connect it to the utilities. Some ADU companies will do all of this work, some only provide the structure itself.
Pros:
Less hassle
Quicker process
Often very efficient and fire resilient out of the box
No change-orders for the pre-fab structure
Complete visibility into what you’re getting up front
You can sometimes visit a showroom and see them before purchasing
Cons:
Smaller
Often less customization possible
Will require you to either build a full house later, or re-permit.
If you don’t hire an all-in-one company to order and construct everything, you will need to hire a separate general contractor for the site work and you will be responsible for coordinating between the two companies; if there are coordination issues, the owner may bear the risk of change orders.
If you hire an all-in-one company, they may mark up the cost of the structure to assume that risk .
Make sure to check payment policies too–some require large up-front payments.
6.
A little bit of all of the above
Phasing construction as your finances come into focus, has worked for some people. That could look like putting in an ADU now and a bigger home later. Or building only some of the square footage you eventually want now, with plans to expand later.
Pros:
Easier on your wallet now
Might get you home more quickly
Cons:
Harder to get a grasp on the financial implications
If you only build an ADU, you have time constraints to add a home
TIP:
If you are ok with living in a smaller space, or in multiple structures, and as long as the ADU is built to the same code as a single-family residence, you may be able to get it permitted as a home.
7.
A little bit of all of the above
Phasing construction as your finances come into focus, has worked for some people. That could look like putting in an ADU now and a bigger home later. Or building only some of the square footage you eventually want now, with plans to expand later.
Pros:
Easier on your wallet now
Might get you home more quickly
Cons:
Harder to get a grasp on the financial implications
If you only build an ADU, you have time constraints to add a home