Everything You Need to Know About Building a Custom Home During COVID-19

Building a custom home has many advantages over buying a ready-built home. Building your home gives you complete and total control over the style, layout, building materials, and interior design of the finished product. But if you’re considering a custom build right now, the coronavirus pandemic could cause disruptions to your building plans. Here’s what you need to know about building a custom home during COVID-19 and how you can ensure everyone’s safety when working on this big project.

How the Coronavirus Could Impact Your Home Build

Although shelter-in-place orders have shut down many businesses, most states are still allowing construction to continue. ConstructConnect explains that residential housing is considered essential, so you can still get your home built despite lockdown orders. The pandemic might even work in your favor when it comes to financing your new home build! During the initial coronavirus scare, home buying decreased significantly. In response to this downturn, many home builders started offering incentives like signing bonuses, discounts, and free appliances to increase business. If you’re looking to build a home, this might be a great time to do it—these promotions could save you thousands!

Fortunately for home builders, housing demand is increasing once again. However, builders are still taking precautions to keep everyone safe and healthy on the job site. And even as states reopen, local offices are limiting staff to reduce human contact at work. The rebound in building demand could also put strain on the material supply chain. As a result, you should be prepared to face some delays when it comes to processing permits, ordering materials, and completing your custom build.

Home Builders Are Taking Special Precautions

Safety should be the top priority of any home building company that you choose to work with for your custom build. OSHA regulations require that construction workplaces must be free of health hazards—including COVID-19. So, home builders are encouraging social distancing whenever possible by limiting the number of laborers on a job, providing PPE and face masks to workers, and intensifying their cleaning practices. For example, many construction sites have made hand washing and sanitizing more readily available at entrances and break areas. Workers can further prevent the spread of COVID-19 by cleaning and sanitizing tools and equipment after each use. And if any worker tests positive for the virus, everything will need to be shut down until the site can be properly sanitized.

When it comes to your personal health, you can protect yourself by limiting your contact with the people on your building team. Use online search tools to find professionals and get estimates for your project instead of meeting with candidates in person. While planning and monitoring your home build, take advantage of virtual tools like video chat apps to stay in contact with your team and receive progress updates.

Ready to Build Your Custom Home?

Before you can get started on your custom build, you will need to hire some professionals to help you plan and manage your project. One of the most important players on your team is a home builder. According to HomeAdvisor, your home builder will manage your whole building project from start to finish, coordinating with designers and hiring subcontractors when needed. Take the time to find a reputable builder with the right credentials! You can even ask to see examples of their past work to ensure the builder will be a good fit for your specific project. Remember to ask your builder—and any other professionals you plan on hiring—for references so you can contact past clients to find out what it’s like working with them.

While you might consider postponing your custom home build until the pandemic is over, you certainly don’t have to. Low demand means you might even get a great deal from your builder! Because most home-building companies are taking the pandemic seriously and doing whatever they can to prevent the spread of COVID-19, you can feel good about moving forward with your build during this uncertain time.

By: Luke Murray of councilofneighbors.org