How do you decide whether to build a new home or remodel the one you are in?  That is always a tough question.  If you love your location but have outgrown the space or your needs have changed then you are probably debating this very thing.  
When our girls were young we built a house based on our needs at that time.  After they had all moved out we realized we didn't need that much living space, but we needed more "work" space since our office was in our home.  I was tired of having the office in the basement, and we didn't have the storage we needed for tools and equipment.
Remodeling wasn't really an option since the basement was already completely finished.  We were using our garage as a workshop/equipment shed, which meant that our cars were parked outside.  That had to change!  
We needed to build the house that worked for us at this stage in our lives. Which was one story over an unfinished basement with an office on the mail level!
You may be in your first home that was purchased when you were single or newly married and it was plenty big for you at that time, but your family is growing or a relative has moved in with you and you need more room.  Remodeling may be an option if you just need to add on an additional room.  If you have unfinished areas (basement/bonus room over garage) then you certainly can finish those for the needed space.  
If you just want to rework the space you have....remove walls to open up a room or update a kitchen or bathroom, add windows to let in more light, these are all options for remodeling your home.
If you are wanting to update the entire house, you may want to consider building since the cost of remodeling is much higher per sq. ft. than building because there is so much more involved.
Consider first if you can get what you need without moving, and if the cost will add the appropriate amount of value to your home.  You may be emotionally attached to your home and/or its location.  Just remember you can fall in love with a new home and make memories there too!  

You have been looking at house plans for months now and finally have it narrowed down to The One (maybe).  So now what?  Well, where are you going to build this home?  Now you are thinking Location, Location, Location.  
You should probably make  a list, mentally or in a notebook, either way, because you need to consider a few things.  How far away from your job do you want to be?  If you have school age children, what school  district would you prefer?  Do you want to be far away from town or do you want a short drive to the grocery store?  Do you want a neighborhood lot or some room to roam, or something in between?  
After you have answered some of these questions you can get on the internet and start looking, or you can drive around the area you want to live in and see if there is any vacant land.  (We call this a "Sunday Drive")
We were looking for a lot to build  a home for my oldest daughter in 2007.  We drove around neighborhoods in the area we liked and found a vacant lot.  We looked up the owner and contacted them to see if they would be interested in selling....and they were!  
Also, tell other people you are looking for a place to build, they may know someone who has some land and might be interested is selling.  
If you don't have much time to look for  land, you can always contact a realtor to search for you!  If you decide to go that route I know a great realtor that I would recommend!  
Happy Hunting!!!

What house plan should we build?
That seems like a simple enough question.  Then you start thinking about what you need in a house and what you want in a house.  Chances are that you won't find EXACTLY what you want in an existing house, but you may be able to get pretty close.  On the other hand if you build a house you can choose everything and get exactly what you want.  The only issue with building is that it's very easy to set parameters that are far above and beyond what we would actually be fine with if we chose an existing home.  For example, when you are looking at floor plans and the rooms look small on that blueprint, so you have them add a few feet here and a few feet there and next thing you know you have increased the square footage of the home by 300 square feet.  So now the 1700 sq ft house you were aiming for is 2000 sq ft, not to mention more expensive.  It's easy to keep adding when you are looking at a floor plan on paper.  That's why we always suggest looking at house plans that are smaller than your target size, because it is easier to add square footage than take it away and you won't end up blowing your budget.  Also, most of the time the larger house plans don't have rooms that are that much bigger, they usually just have MORE rooms.  So if you just want more space, start with a smaller house plan and you can add and tweak it without going over the size you wanted.

I know this has nothing to do with building houses, but it does have alot to do with building a career so, here it is.
My daughter has written a book and it is going to be published.  I am extremely proud of her so I wanted to share this with others.  
I hope you will check out the book and order a copy today.  Support Local.  Thank you!

​https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-tulip-factory
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27040339-the-tulip-factory

It can be a very overwhelming process to look at house plans.  There are so many styles and options to choose from.  You have to think about every facet of your life, from getting up in the  morning and getting ready for the day all the way through your evening routine and everything in between.  
For example, if you have small children....you may not want their bedroom near the living room so that when they go to bed the TV won't keep them awake or if there are stairs in the house can you block access to them easily to keep little ones safe?  We have stairs to a bonus room with  a door that can be locked to prevent access instead of the stairway being open.  
Are you an empty-nester who wants an open floor plan on one level?  Do you need a lot of storage space or work space?  There are so many things to consider when choosing a floor plan that fits your life style and family. So think about how you go through your day as you are trying to decide on one!

Building your own home is a huge undertaking.  If you already have your property then you have made it over the first hurdle, but there are many more to go!
You have to choose the house plan, the contractor and then all the fun begins!
You don't realize how many decisions will have to be made in the process until you start going over all the details.
That's why it is so important to find the right contractor who can walk you through all these choices and help you make informed decisions.
For example, light switch placement.  When you walk into a room, have you ever thought that the light switch was in an odd or inconvenient spot?  That could be due to poor planning in the wiring stage.  You have to plan where to place the switches before the house is even framed so that the electricians don't have any obstacles preventing them from placing switch boxes where they need to go.
That is just one small detail amidst hundreds that you would need to consider as you build , so that in the end you have the dream home you always wanted.