Team Build Construction

10 Essential Tips to Follow When Building Your Dream Home

Creating your own dream home and watching it progress from the ground up is something that not many people get to experience in their lifetime. Having your own home built for you will enable you to select features that you want while you will have the chance to decide the layout, room sizes and any other additional elements that you require. You may be surprised to discover that building your own home could potentially be cheaper than purchasing an existing property that requires additional work.

When the time comes for you to build your dream home, these following tips will ensure that you really do make the right decisions and create a home that will continue to keep on giving for many years to come.

Select a building plot

This can often prove to be a difficult part of the process as you want a plot that gives you everything you need in terms of location, setting, access and space. However, there are websites available that allow you to search for plots, such as plotfinder.net.

Find the required funding

If you are building your dream home, you will need to fund the construction and design work. Therefore, it is important that you find the right finance option for you. There are self-build mortgages available that work on a stage payment basis and that means that you will receive the funds at certain stages of the process.

Put a budget in place

This is vital as having a budget will give you something to work with. Give yourself a realistic budget and stick to it. Chat with your builders, consider all costs and give yourself a contingency of 10% to cover unexpected costs.

Design your home

You can either opt to use the services of an architect or you can choose a package supplier who will design and build your home.

House designs

Contact the planners

You should aim to do this as early as possible in order to determine whether the project is possible. Receive pre-planning advice and determine what rules your planning officer will put in place. This will ensure that you get planning permission when you submit your application.

Select your building option

There are a few options here such as using a package company who will take care of the whole process. However, you can opt to use an architect and then a contractor while you might choose to use a project manager. Choosing to manage the project yourself will ensure that you keep an eye on the costs and make your own decisions.

Obtain the right consent

Prior to work commencing you will need to make sure that you have planning permission, building control approval and all other forms of special permissions. At this point, you could also look to put the right insurance in place as well as any contracts and warranties. It is also important to recognise that you will have to put self-build insurance in place, regardless of the types of insurance your contractors have in place.

Get your plot ready

To begin the works and get your project moving, the plot will need to be prepared so that it is ready for the work to commence. This will mean that all groundworks will have to be carried out, including the removal of any vegetation, levelling and all other aspects of this work. Your contractor should be dealing with the drainage and foundations at this point.

Begin the building work

This is the most exciting aspect of the process because the building work can begin. As a self-build project, you will have a number of options available to you when it comes to the construction of your home. Both are pretty similar in cost but you can either opt to build your property using the traditional method of bricks or blocks while you could opt for a timber frame which is quicker. There are other systems available and so, at this point, you should consider which option is the best one for your project and your needs.

Project complete. Sit back and relax

After months of planning, preparing and building, your property is completed both inside and out. Now you will be ready to move in and begin a new chapter of your life but there are some final things that you will need to consider. This will include building control providing you with completion certificates while you will need to go through the snagging process where you identify small problems that require sorting. Then you will need to go through the process of claiming any VAT you have spent but once this has been completed, you really can sit back, relax and take stock of the amazing project you have just completed.