Beginner’s guide to building your own home

Beginner’s guide to building your own home guide, Architect design advice, Real estate build tips

Beginner’s Guide to Building Your Own Home

14 March 2023

So you’ve finally weighed the pros and cons and calculated the timeframe, which means you’re now ready to build your own home. Building your own house from scratch is the most personable way to acquire your dream home, but it’s also one of the longest and expensive investments.

You might still be a little on edge about how to go about everything. But not to worry as we’ve done the research and compiled everything new homebuilders need to know. Here’s the beginner’s guide to building your own home.

Beginner's guide to building your own home

Apply for the Necessary Permits

Before you can even consider beginning construction, you must apply for the necessary permits. If you’ve already started building your own home without them, you may either face paying expensive fees or have to tear down all of your progress. Below is a list of permits you need to acquire before anything else:

  • Building permit
  • Electrical permit
  • Plumbing permit
  • HVAC permit

One permit that’s not always required is the grading permit. A grading permit basically allows you to construct a building over 2,000 square feet.

Find a Suitable Location

In real estate, there’s a very common saying: “Location, location, location.” This is said to convey the importance of where a home is ultimately located. A house needs to be in an area where it’s safe and convenient. As you search for reputable areas, make sure to see what’s around it.

Are there any stores and shopping plazas nearby? What local attractions, like a park for instance, are around? Are there any schools in the area for your children to attend? If sustainability matters to you, does the location off a holistic approach to sustainable design, or not? These are all factors you need to consider when looking around for a good area.

Spend Time Brainstorming the Design

Once you’ve settled on a decent location, it’s time to sit down and plan the overall design of your new home. First, consider what this residential property will be. Is it going to be a single-family style house? Or do you plan on making a swinging condominium? This can be one of the more difficult choices for you to make, so don’t hesitate to take as long as you need to think everything through.

Figure Out the Finances

As you may have already guessed, building a home is going to cost you quite a bit of money. You may have already gotten a head start and applied for a few credit cards and construction loans to pay the fees. However, you need to be careful as the more you use, the more you must pay back.

What’s more is that the longer you take to repay what you owe, the interest rates may increase. To prevent the situation from getting out of control, you can take out a personal loan to pay off a credit card. This may sound counter-productive, but a personal loan can give you the cash you need to tackle your debt quickly, with a payoff plan in sight instead of just paying the minimums each month. While you may have the loan to take care of, you won’t be overwhelmed with all the responsibilities.

Get the Plumbing and Electricity Installed

After the foundation has been placed and the base of the house has been built, the next step involves getting the plumbing and electricity installed. You’ll need to call an electrician and plumber respectively. While we can’t give you an exact price as it depends on both the state, the size of the house and the companies you’re considering.

Installing both plumbing and electricity are measured by square feet. An electrician may install electricity for around $4 to $6 per square foot. The same applies to the plumber. Regardless, make sure to consult various companies until you get a price that’s within your budget.

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