HOME BUILDING SUITABILITY TEST

Do you have the right personality to build your own house? Not everyone does. Consider the following questions and examine your answers carefully. If you have any doubts about whether you or your family could handle the extra stresses and strains of building your own home, you might want to abandon the idea or tackle a less ambitious remodeling project to test your ability to cope.

Can you make a decision quickly and stick to it without second-guessing yourself?

Once the first spade of dirt is turned over, every time you change your mind, you spend more money. Even if the substitute choice is less expensive, your contractor will charge you extra for the change.

Are you organized?

Can you keep track of myriad details (door knob styles, wood finishes, tile colors, etc.) and still not lose sight of the “big picture”?

If you are married, is your marriage stable?

There’s nothing quite like a big expensive project that literally requires thousands of decisions to test the ability of two people to reach a single conclusion.

If you are married, can you and your spouse easily divide decision-making chores, or does one or both spouses want to have a say in every choice that must be made?

If your answer is yes, or even maybe, this might be a good place to reconsider the whole home building project.

How are your compromising skills?

Can you make trade-offs, or do you have to have exactly what you want? If nothing else, home building is a series of compromises, both for cost and variety of other reasons, including your family’s wishes, weather and the availability of materials and laborers.

Can you defer to the experience and wisdom of design and construction professionals?

If you are going to pay professionals, you should learn to respect the advice you get.