If you’ve found a great floor plan for a home in a great New Jersey community, does it make sense to start adding options before building even begins?  s there really a good reason to add options up front?

Actually, there are a number of reasons why adding options before construction starts. Let’s take a look at a few.

First of all, the options we’re talking about have more to do with making your future home more comfortable, enjoyable, and suitable to your specific lifestyle. We’re talking about adding things such as a sunroom, a guest room, an expanded family room, or a study. Those kinds of options aren’t just cosmetic add-ons. They serve specific purposes. And here are a couple of reasons they make sense.

It Makes Financial Sense

Will adding a sunroom or a guest room or expanding your family room cost you more money initially? Yes. But it’s almost always less expensive to add those items early on instead of coming back later to make additions. That’s particularly true if you have to start moving walls or if you have to expand the foundation to accommodate your plans.

Prices Don’t Go Down

Aside from the cost of your lot, the costs incurred when building your home come from materials and labor. Historically, those prices don’t go down with time. Chances are very good that the costs for labor and materials will never again be as low as they are right now.

Remodeling and Renovating Is Disruptive

Having work done in your home while you’e living there is no picnic. It disrupts your family schedule. It can be loud, dusty, and simply inconvenient. Often it means that there are spaces in your home that you can’t access for significant periods of time. And to be honest, you give up a little bit of privacy for a while.

So how can you avoid these inconveniences and expenses? It begins with taking your time up front to accurately evaluate your needs and desires. If you’re thinking about building a new home in Hillsborough, for instance, take your time when looking at floor plans for your new home.  It’s important to consider your current needs as well as what your family may need down the road. When kids are small, you may want to have them together in one room. But as they grow, they’ll probably want space of their own.

You may also want to think about your extended family. There is a growing trend for aging parents to move in with their adult children rather than move to senior communities. If you have older parents you may want to consider an option that allows them to move in with you and still have privacy.

Think about what you really want and need before you start construction on your home. Then add the options that will enable you to enjoy your new home for years to come. In the long run it can save you money and help you avoid stress.