The idea of building your own home has become increasing popular. This has been partly fuelled by the high price of existing property and partly as a result of the desire to build something unique and environmentally friendly.
Once you’ve decided that you want to build your own home then you need to familiarize yourself with the process.
Prep
The first step is locating the land that you wish to build on. It will need to have planning permission or you’ll need to be prepared to apply for it.
Before you apply it is important to be aware of the local planning rules and have a blueprint of your intended build drawn up. You’ll find it useful to enlist the help of an architect at this stage.
Of course you can choose to buy a home off plan but this may not give you the uniqueness you desire.
Finance
If you have enough capital to build your own property then that’s fantastic. All you have to do is create your budget and make sure you stay within it. Having said that it is a good idea to have a little in reserve; there are always good reasons why a project has gone over budget.
But, if you don’t have enough capital to finish the project you’ll need to consider getting construction finance. You’ll be expected to put down a 20% deposit and the funds will be released in stages. This keeps the risk at a minimum for both parties.
Get Staff
You have a choice, you can entrust the entire project to a builder or you can click here to find the best available trades people in your area. This s a great option to keep your budget down and if you want to do some of the building yourself.
You can simply hire the people you need as and when you need them. They will take care of all the specialist parts of the building process while you concentrate on the construction.
Choose Materials
You can do this before the build or during but be aware that any material which is hard to get hold of could slow down your build.
While it is traditional to build with wood or brick you may prefer a more environmentally friendly route. Equally if this is your choice it may be necessary to confirm it’s acceptable with planning first.
Finishing Off
It’s your job to complete any section of the build you can and to supervise the trades people you have employed. You need to make sure they are all working on the time scales you have given and that they are performing all the right details of the job.
Ideally every trades person should know exactly what job they are being asked to do and how long they have to do it.
This will help to keep your build on time and in budget.
Once the shell is built you’ll have to start looking at the internal furnishings. This is when personal taste comes into play and you can easily blow the remainder of your budget without finishing the build; choose wisely.
Don’t forget you’ll need to have our property inspected and certified when it’s finished.