Having a custom home built can be very rewarding, but it can also be a bit of a challenge. It takes a while, there are a lot of people to coordinate with, and there are so many decisions to make. However, if you would like to have a custom home without all these headaches, it is possible. Follow these tips to streamline and simplify the process.

1. Work with a design-build team

Often, customers pay an architect to design the home, and then they pay a separate team of custom home builders to actually construct the home. A simpler approach is to find a building company that does all of their design in-house. In other words, you hire a design-build team to both design and construct the home. There is a lot less communication to worry about in this case, and you can rest assured that your architects and builders are capable of figuring things out with each other. You'll get the know the team early in the building process and will follow up with the same people the whole way through.

2. Start with a sample model

There are two ways to design a custom home. You can start with a blank page and design from scratch, or you can look for a home that's almost what you want and then make a few changes. The second approach is a lot simpler. There are fewer decisions to make, and there's less work to do, so you won't have to wait as long for your plans or spend quite as much time working with the architects.

3. Choose all of your finishes as early as possible

Often, the builder will give you until a certain date to decide on your finishes. (Finishes are details like flooring, paint, and counters.) Ignore this date. Choose your finishes as early as possible, even if that means you do so before the foundation is even poured. This will allow your builder to order the supplies sooner, which cuts down on waiting time. It also helps you get a final price a lot sooner so you can adjust your budget and get the proper financing in order.

Having a custom home built does not have to be a scattered, anxiety-causing process. If you stick with the tips above, you can keep the process a lot simpler and be relaxing in your nice new home a lot sooner. Talk with a custom home builder to get started.