Building Your Own Home? Consider These Things
Sometimes buying a house just isn’t enough. Maybe you can’t find the house you really want, or maybe you’re a creative person and you’ve already designed your ideal home. In this case, you may want to consider building your dream home (or hiring someone to build it for you anyway).
When it comes to building a home there are a few things you want to consider ahead of time. You don’t want to wait until the last minute to determine things like how many rooms you’ll need or what extras you’ll want. Here are some important things to consider.
What’s Your Foundation Like?
The foundation of your home is going to be one of the most important things you need to consider, especially if you live somewhere prone to natural disasters, like tornadoes. Keep the big buildings in mind when you start to think of your home’s skeleton, and what kind of posts are being used to keep your home up and sturdy.
Your home’s foundation is not just the slab of concrete poured under it. This includes the frame that will hold the walls around your home, and it includes a sturdy roof to protect you and your family from the elements.
photo Alina Ku-Ku via Shutterstock
How Much Property Do You Have?
How big you can build your home will depend a lot on how much property you have available to build on, and what you want to have around your home. You may want to make sure that you have room for a swimming pool and even a garage or a work shed (or all of the above). You also need to consider the laws where you are building, which will include how far from the street and the neighbors your home has to be.
Is Your Blueprint Accurate?
Before you get to building you want to make sure you have a properly designed blueprint. Unless you went to school for this, you should probably have a professional doing it for you. They can make sure that everything is created to the proper scale so that your house doesn’t have crooked ceilings or rooms that are too short for the tall people in your life.
Do You Have All The Permits?
You’re going to need building permits. Find out if you need to get them or if your contractors do. Building permits aren’t free, but it will cost you a lot less to get one than a fine will cost you if your home is built without them. You’re also going to need fire inspectors to come out, and people to check your plumbing and electrical work. It pays to have a list!
Who’s Doing The Work?
Unless you’re a contractor with experience building a house, it’s pretty likely you’re going to hire someone else to do the work for you. Make sure you look into their history and past work, and that you check their references. Checking their business out with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is also a very wise idea before you sign any contracts with them.
Author: Anna Johansson
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