A Step-by-Step Guide to the Home Building Process

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When building your new home, you can take one of the two methods. You can choose to be a passive observer and allow a building contractor to take care of the job without interfering with them. When you choose this, you must be sure that your contractor is reliable to do what you want.

Instead, you can choose an active method and work as your contractor. Understanding what the house building process entails is essential for anyone performing a self-build project.

However, it is so much important when working as your project manager or performing any of the tasks yourself, to acquire knowledge about the schedule of the construction and ensure that the materials and the trades are contracted at the perfect time to avoid delay to your project.

This article will discuss the full detail of the house building process, from digging the ground to final stage. First and foremost, answer this question.

Can You Be Your Contractor?

Yes, very possible. At this stage, you might be thinking that a lot of experience and knowledge is needed to perform this kind of role perfectly. However, this is not about replacing those that are doing the work. They are referred to as subcontractors. Rather, you can take up the role of a general contractor. A general contractor coordinates the activities of different subcontractors.

Even though this task indeed requires some skill, it is doable. You just have to make arrangements for the different subcontractors to work smoothly. This is helpful in highly efficient work. That is the purpose of the job. By choosing to do this job yourself, you can save a lot of money.

Pros of being your own contractor:

  • Save a lot of costs by cutting general cost by 10 – 20%
  • Better control of timing, especially if the project is a slow, open-ended type.

Cons of being your own contractor:

  • Lose out on a network of subcontractors from GC
  • No individual experience with permitting office
  • Don’t receive wholesale discounts
  • Little knowledge and coordination.

Guide to Home Building Process

  1. Plan Your Budget & Do Your Research

Whether you have a house design you already like or you plan to customize your build, there are certain things to consider while making your decision. This includes your budget. Can your budget accommodate your preferred house design or custom home? What are your options and how do you plan to work around them? When you have a well-defined budget, continuing with your project will be simple when making important decisions later. It will also prevent any risk of incurring debt that you won’t be able to maintain over time.

  1. Find Your Land

If you have picked a location already, you may have limited options when it involves purchasing the kind of land you desire to build on. However, remember that your home design must be compatible with the block your building will be placed on. If you already decided on the design you prefer, you will need to locate a compatible block. Get the assistance of an expert and/or your builder to check your land before you choose to buy it. 

  1. Pick Your Home Design

There are numerous home designs that you can select from, including custom homes, land and house packages. Every option comes with its benefits, drawbacks, and costs, so it is crucial to figure out the home design that will perfectly suit your needs as well as your budget. It involves getting the exact balance between the home of your dreams and what your budget will accommodate.

  1. Select Your Home Builder

It is important to find the right home builder for your building project. While conducting your research, you need to get recommendations from family and friends and also research a list of licensed builders on the Association of Master Builders.

Get a quote from your preferred builder based on your project. They should give you a comprehensive plan and must list out the costs for each part of your home accurately. Immediately you are in contract with your preferred home builder, make sure those necessary details like a timeline of completion are included as agreed by both parties. Get assistance from your solicitor to check the clause before you sign the agreement.   

  1. Supply a Home Loan

Before doing this, determine the amount of deposit you are asked to pay. Have your solicitor check your contract to help you understand and interpret how they will determine progressive payments. Remember to include extra costs like legal fees, Stamp Duty, and loan fees.

  1. Sign The Contract

Immediately you’ve verified the costs, check the contract carefully with your solicitor before you sign. You also must make sure that your contract agrees with laws and council requirements in your location. You also must check if your builder has gotten the appropriate building licenses and permits from the right authorities. Only sign the contract when you are fully sure as making changes can cost you more.

  1. Monitor The Build

Before starting construction, you will have a meeting with your builder to choose the final material, furnishing, and fittings for your home. You will after that need to have close monitoring of your build to make sure that it stays on time and does not exceed your budget. When you do this, you will be able to also select the design elements of your build in the process.

  1. Complete The Handover

Around one week from completion of the construction, you should be able to gather the keys and complete the payments before you move in. Make sure that you get a copy of the necessary certificates and warranties as indicated in your contract. You also must get written authorization from your builder that they have completed your home build and safe for you to move in.   

Conclusion

Whether you will be living in the house or you are renting it out to be an investment property, completing a home building project successfully is worthy of celebration. Take some time to celebrate as a reward for all the work you’ve done. Treat yourself to a meal, a chill bottle of bubbles, or do anything you like to celebrate your success.

We understand that this guide will not contain everything that you need to know. Sure, a complete examination of these processes would take much time to read and would be beyond scope of this write-up. However, we can see that it is not all difficult to designate yourself as your contractor. We hope this article is helpful. Let’s hear your views via comment.

Joey Williams

Joey Williams

Joey has been writing about the construction industry for more than 10 years and knows exactly how to simplify the work on the construction field.

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