Have you ever thought about building a house? It might sound like a pipe dream from the nineteenth century where people in the Wild West bought a plot of land and slowly build their house, frame-by-frame.
However, there are still many people who build their own houses today. It’s a great way of constructing the home you’ve always wanted in the shape and design you want, without having to compromise. But it’s about much more than this.
You have constructed a physical structure that could stand for hundreds of years, far out-lasting your life and even those of your children.
Here’s the answer to what do you need to build a house?
Hire an Architect
The first thing you need to do is to hire an architect. A great architect can take your vision for your house and all of your wants and needs and turn them into something magical that also sits well within the existing neighborhood and the plot of land you have bought.
Good architects charge a lot so be prepared to budget for this. They will also generally be on-board for the whole of the project right through to the day you move in.
Ask them for their qualifications before you start working with them and pick an architect that has designed buildings you like.
Remember an architect can’t work with anything, you need to have some idea of what you want the finished product to look like before you hire them. One idea that is currently in vogue is the modern colonial house.
They will when then produce a detailed plan included structural plans from which the house can then be built.
Budget Well (But Prepare to Go Over)
The next important step in building a house is ensuring you have a budget that you can stick to. Houses cost money to build so trying to have a house build exactly to your specifications for $25,000 is not realistic.
An architect will be able to give you a better idea of what the whole project is likely to cost. But you can do some basic research beforehand. Know the general value of construction in your area. If you are planning on selling your house study the 2020 housing market.
You should also factor in how much interior design and decorating is going to cost and what type of finishes you want to include.
Items such as furniture could even be bought in advance if you have a pretty clear idea of what you want, knowing they might rise in price over time.
But the most important aspect of establishing your budget for building a house is creating contingency plans.
First of all, you need a backup fund. If your budget is $400,000 then you need to ensure you have at least $100,000 in reserve in case things work out more expensive or there are unforeseen circumstances.
But you also need another plan in case there are serious problems with the build that cost more than your reserve fund. Can you sell your current home and live in rented accommodation to finish it?
Or could you also get a loan for a bank or an investor to finish the rest of the build?
Secure Planning Permission
This is one of the most important parts of building a house. Without getting all the right legal permits in place your house could be deemed not be a legal structure and you could end up having to tear it down.
It can be a pain to have to wait for approval and there is a lot of bureaucracy involved. If you are worried about this then be sure to consider hiring a lawyer or planning expert to help you through this.
Hire Contractors to Build Your Dream Home
After you have got planning permission and have strong architectural plans in place then you can start to think about who will actually build your home. Some might argue the best way to build a house is for experts to construct it: builders should build, interior designers should design.
But there are pros and cons to this way of working. If you hire different contractors for different aspects of your house rather than hiring one company then this can create a logistical nightmare.
You need to ensure that the builders have finished making the house watertight before the electricians come to fit out the house.
And if there are delays then this might mean you having to push the electricians back by a few days or weeks which might not fit with their schedule for other works.
Sometimes the architect can act as a project manager but sometimes you will either have to find someone to fulfill this role for you or take on the role yourself. If you are going to take this role on then be aware it is a full-time role so you would not be able to continue with any current job you have. It also takes a calm person who is good at planning.
What Do You Need to Build a House? Patience and Planning
Many people wonder what do you need to build a house? As well as significant capital to finance such a project and a great architect you also need great personal skills.
You need to be patient and prepared to handle everything not quite going to plan such as the project going over budget and contractors taking longer than expected to carry out work.
You also need to be great at planning to ensure all the moving parts of building a house come together at the right moments.
If you are interested in learning more about how to build a house be sure to check out the rest of our site.
