Homebuilding and Remodeling: The Importance of a Good Fit

Often when people think about building or remodeling a home, their thoughts turn toward things such as designs, architects’ plans, building materials, appliances, trim and finishes.  You rarely, if ever, hear builders or prospective homeowners talk about “fit,” even though that little word is crucial to the homebuilding and remodeling process. There are two areas in particular where a good fit is absolutely essential. 

Your home should be a good fit for your lifestyle. It’s great to look at architectural magazines, model homes and online home design sites in order to gather ideas. Builders and designers love it when you can actually show them a picture of something you want in your home. But it’s important to remember that you don’t live in a magazine. There’s a lot more going on in your life. You have activities and relationships and hobbies. Your home is more than simply a showcase—it’s where you live. Do you want your home to look great? Sure! But perhaps more important is that it feels great—that your environment matches your style of living. 

A formal living room and dining room may look elegant and appealing on paper, but if you have a house full of kids who invite their friends over to eat in the family room and play video games, it’s just not the right fit. You may love the look of a curved staircase leading to the second story, but if you’re thinking about building a home where you can age in place, dramatic stairs may not be the right fit for you.

Your builder or remodeler should be a good fit for you. Selecting your builder is one of the most important steps in the building or remodeling process—and it’s a choice that extends beyond cost and even skill. Your builder is the one who will turn your dreams and ideas for your home into reality. When you finally decide on the home that is a good fit for your lifestyle, you want a builder who “gets” what you’re after. You want someone who can visualize what you see in your mind’s eye. 

There’s another reason why your builder should be a good fit. Homes aren’t built or remodeled overnight. Projects take weeks or even months to complete. That means that you and your builder will be seeing a lot of each other. You may not go out to dinner and a show together, but you’ll be seeing each other frequently. And sometimes when you’re together, you may face some difficult decisions about how to move forward with your project when unforeseen obstacles arise (and they always do!). In those situations, you want to be dealing with someone you trust to have your best interests in mind. 

You’ll spend a lot of time with your builder, and hopefully, you’ll spend a long time enjoying your home. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you have a good fit with both before you begin building or remodeling.