McMansion

When my wife and I were looking to buy a house, at first we just wanted to buy an existing house.  Our theory was that it would be cheaper.

After over 6 months of causal searching, we started coming to the realization that building a house was almost as cheap as buying an existing house, at least where we live.  So we decided to build a new house instead of buying an existing home.

Below are some of the Pros and Cons of building a house that we’ve experienced.

Pros of Building a House

• New houses are safer!  The inspection process that counties impose really do help with the safety of the house and make sure that the utility systems (electrical, gas) are safe.
• New Appliances such as water tanks and the furnace last longer because they are brand new!
• The roof tiles on the roof will last longer because they are new.
• And the biggest advantage is that you won’t immediately need to redo a room that you hate!  I’ve seen this happen way too often!  A family buys a house that’s $5,000 cheaper than building a new house but then spends $10,000 to replace fixtures that they hate because they are so out of date.  Or they will totally redo a room like a kitchen…
• New houses are practically-repair free for the first 10 years.
• Highly reduced chance of the house having black mold.
• Although not recommended because of resale potential, you can design your house to look any way that you want!

Spaceship House

Cons of Building a House

• Your new house location may be in an “off the beaten” path location or in located in areas that aren’t as convenient as older nicer locations.
• Time delays, you may plan to move in by a certain date, but that can easily be bumped back by the builder because of circumstances.  This happens often.
• While mold won’t be an issue, the new house will be a cocktail of new chemical smells from new carpet, glue, plastics, paints, stains, etc…

We were even able to change the plans on the house design after they started building.  This was nice because if you are quick enough, a good builder will accommodate your wishes without adding much to the cost.  If the changes are too complex though, you will have to pay and the time delay could be extended substantially!

If you have any additional points that I may have missed, please share them below in the comments section!

Thanks,

-MR