Like many people, Jacob Baranski fulfilled a lifelong dream of building his own customized home. It was a complicated process, but he found it hard to resist the lure of his own dream home for him and his family. Like every dreamer who sought to undertake such a huge, complicated project, he knew it would be complicated, filled with stress, financial burdens, and endless decisions to be made. But he did it anyway, as the lure of a dream home is just that strong.

But what does Jacob Baranski know now that he wishes he knew then? Plenty. More than can be laid out in a single article, but he hopes that some basic, introductory lessons on the issue, complications, and rewards of pulling off such a big project can be conveyed to readers, to save others time, money, and stress.

Details, Preparation, and More Details

The process of building a customized home involves making an almost endless series of choices, large and small. Jacob Baranski knows the very real risk of decision fatigue, and how it can make everything blur together. A builder or homeowner exhausted from picking out tiling, fixtures, and cabinet colors can mix things up on much bigger issues, like layout, plans, and contracts, topics that can massively impact the actual construction and experience of a customized home. In Jacob Baranski’s experience, the best solution to this conundrum is the simplest one: thorough preparation.

Efficient home construction is all about moving detailed, well-prepared plans into the real world. Jacob Baranski suggests planning every bit of the workout, and then working that plan. Create timelines for the whole process, all the way from the architect to who’s going to put in the locks and hand over the keys. Try to predict where delays are most likely to happen. The plan should be the go-to for guidance whenever things get murky.