Steps To Building Your Own Home
When you look at homes for sale, do none of them grab you? Have you always dreamt of a specific home that was entirely of your own design? Building your own home can help you get the home of your dreams.
But, where do you even start building your own home? Here are nine steps to building your own home.
Find A Building Plot
Before you do anything else, you will need to find a suitable building plot and get a building permit so that you can build your dream home on that land.
But before you get your heart set on the perfect plot of land, think about whether or not you will be likely to get planning permission easily.
There are lots of things to consider, including ecology surveys – check this website for more information.
Find The Funds To Build Your Home
Before you can start to build your new home, you will need to have the funding in place. Unless you have enough money in savings, you will need to take out a mortgage.
Buying a home and building one are two completely different things, and there are obvious financial risks when it comes to building your own home. There are several lenders that provide specific mortgages geared toward self-build borrowers.
Determine Your Budget
Once you have your mortgage in place, you will be able to start working out how you will spend the money that you are able to borrow.
To ensure you do not overspend, you will need a strict budget, which includes a contingency fund built into it.
Find An Architect
Choose an architect that you can work with. Pick the based on the style and quality of the properties that they have already designed. A good architect will be able to communicate their ideas with you in an effective manner.
While you may have some clear ideas about your future home, your architect will know best about the limitations of what is possible. You will need to trust them.
If they tell you that something won’t work, hear them out and see what they suggest instead. Do remember to keep an open mind and understand that elements of the design may need to change as the project progresses.
Get Planning Permission
Once you have the plans drawn up, you will be able to put in an application for planning permission. Your architect may have some experience of dealing with the local planning authorities, and they may understand what will be possible and what will get rejected.
It’s important to consider things you may need permission for outside of the actual building. For example, depending on what energy you use, you might need storage for gas tanks.
The legality of this can vary depending on where you live. Also, consider how energy companies will get to the tanks, as companies like Blueox Energy that do home deliveries may need a lot of space.
Hire A Builder
Once you have planning permission, you can start to get the wheels in motion. Find a reputable builder that you can trust to carry out the build. Take a look at previous projects by the same builder and make sure that their work is at a high standard. If possible, read reviews and testimonials.
Ask friends and family, or you could find out if your architect can recommend any companies that have brought their works to life before.
Find The Right Materials
With the help of the architect and builder, you should set to work on sourcing the suitable materials that your home will be built with, and also make sure you do some of your own research into steel buildings or brick buildings to see what material would be best to use.
You will need to use the highest quality products. There is no value in cutting corners to save money, as this will often lead to major issues later.
Read some steel building reviews to determine where it is best to buy the steel that will form the basis of your build.
Prepare The Plot
Once you have planning permission, a builder, and the materials, you can start to lay the groundwork on which your new home will be built.
It is essential that you get this process right. It will involve clearing the land, leveling the ground, and digging the foundations.
You may want to hire a specialist groundwork company to get the groundwork and drainage just right.
Start To Build
After the groundwork has been carried out, you can start to build. Your builders may choose to subcontract elements of the build. If you have a project manager, they will need to determine which order contractors will have access to the property.
You may need carpenters, bricklayers, roofers, plasterers, electricians, and plumbers to carry out work at various stages.
Following on from the build, there will almost certainly be some snagging work that needs to be carried out. This involves small repair jobs.
