Before you begin home building

Know what you want. We all have things we’d like to do to our home, or a dream home that we’d like to build. Translating those vague ideas into full plans an proposals is a different matter. An architect will happily come out and talk to you about what you want to achieve with your home building project, and will be able to put your ideas into a basic sketch, but you’ll need to be able to tell them everything you want to get from your new space. Make a list of the things you must have, and the things you would quite like, together with a list of things you dislike. Think about how you will use the property once it is completed - and don’t forget about outside spaces and access ways. This will all help the architect to come up with a drawing that best reflects what you want.

Your home building site

You must be sure that your site is both big enough for the plans that you have, and that you will be able to get permission to build there. Even if your home building plan is only for an extension to your existing property, you may need to get planning permission before you start. It’s prudent to investigate this before you hire builders or start work, because it could be costly to put right anything the planning department doesn’t like. Walk through your site and make sure that you will have room to get around your property, that there will be access for the builders to reach the area. If you are building a home from scratch, you must be sure that the site can be hooked up to the necessary utilities and that you have planned room for driveways and garden areas.

The cost of home building

You must plan a budget for your home building project. Each aspect of the build should be costed out carefully. You will probably need to borrow money to complete the work, so you need to take into account interest charges and other fees in addition to the labour and materials for the work itself. You will also need to think about how you will be finishing and furnishing the building - this can often cost more than you expect. You must include kitchen and bathroom fittings and appliances as well as flooring and general decoration. If you are building on a brand new site, you will also need to consider the cost of landscaping your external areas.

Finding a builder

Invite the local builders to quote for your work, making sure that they all quote on the same basis - from the plans the architect has drawn up for you. This enables you to make a fair comparison between the quotes. Check when the builder is able to start work - someone who’s available immediately may not be the best builder for your job, but equally, a builder who is booked up for the next twelve months will push your work back. Once you have chosen your builder, you should ideally both sign a contract, committing to the work on their side, and payment on yours. Establishing a good working relationship early on is crucial to the success of your home building project, as you can talk about difficulties as they arise, rather than having an acrimonious conclusion to your build.

The first step in your project is to hire the right builder. Use www.findalocal-builder.co.uk to get a list of builders in your area, and then look at our other advice articles to see how to make sure you choose the best builder for you.