Anna Maria Richards
There’s always going to be a “deep breath” moment when you finally make the decision to build your own home. It’s not a decision that anyone takes lightly (unless they are blessed with supernatural levels of self-confidence and belief). You have to know that this is going to be a huge undertaking, as anyone who’s ever watched any of the housebuilding shows on telly will know. Now, of course the reward is going to be worth it. You’re going to have a home that is built on your terms to your specifications.
However, you do need to make sure that you’ve thought everything through carefully. There are a ton of different considerations that need to be factored in and you just can’t afford to leave anything to chance. You don’t want to find yourself in a position where you’ve backed yourself into a corner.
What Can You Afford?
Let’s start with the simplest but arguably the most important question: what’s your budget? One of the (admittedly many) golden rules of home building is that you are always going to spend more than you want to. The important thing is to make sure that you don’t end up spending more than you can afford to. You must sit down with your partner and go over your finances together. If you have a financial advisor, ask them for help hammering out some final numbers. And if you need to take out a loan to get yourself to the price point that you can’t whittle down anymore, then talk to them or your bank to ensure that you aren’t setting yourself up for harder times further down the line. There have been enough stories about people facing rising costs recently. Don’t leave yourself with nothing in the bank at the end of this process.
Find An Architect That Gets What You Are Going For
The chances are that you are going to have to find someone to help you to turn your big ideas into something buildable unless you happen to be an architect yourself. That means finding an architecture firm, and you’re going to want to find someone that you can count on. There are a few different key elements that you should consider when you start your hunt. First, it’s worth looking for a firm that has experience of building in your local area. Every region has its own quirks and peculiarities, and geography and history can play a surprisingly big part in every build. You also want to find someone who is going to listen to what you want and build from that, and who can offer input and suggestions when your big ideas just aren’t going to work. Finally, experience and demonstrable expertise are always going to be major factors that you should look out for. If you’re building a house in Liverpool, you need to find an architectural firm that can bring all of these qualities and skills together. This guide from 24Housing breaks down everything that you need to know.
What’s Your Timeframe?
Your schedule is right up there with your budget when it comes to the “must-knows.” It can be incredibly risky if you start rolling on a build without a finish date in mind. Just remember that you are going to be relying on a lot of different people and contractors to support you during this process and to get the work done. How are they supposed to deliver if you can’t give them a schedule? It’s also a good idea to avoid rushing where you can. Some people find it helps them to have a short deadline as there’s just no time for second-guessing everything. But if you start cutting things too fine then you are going to struggle, especially if there are any unavoidable delays. For example, there have been a lot of stories about supply shortages over the last couple of years and you’re not just going to be able to magic something that simply isn’t there. And there’s also been a scary increase in extreme weather events in the UK over the last few years. Serious storm conditions are always going to disrupt building work. So, make a schedule that works for you but build in a cushion if you can.
Get Your Surveys Done
You are going to have to pay for a few different surveys when you’re building a house. If you’re building anywhere near the countryside, or even near trees, then you must remember that your work will impact the local environment. There are a number of species that are protected by UK law. It’s going to be up to you to find out if you are going to disrupt their natural habitat. For example, there may be badger sets that you’ll need to check for, and you may be interfering with their foraging ground. If you are building near trees or taking down an existing property, you’ll need to check the eaves, roof tiles and attic spaces for bats. Any building project near water will have a host of different aquatic creatures to survey, from otters to natterjack toads. Tree surveys are one of the most common that you’ll need to do. It’s not just about the trees that are already there, it’s about the potential for future growth.
Don’t Forget to Step Away Sometimes
Building a house can be an incredibly gruelling process. You will have invested a huge amount of money, not to mention time, into this endeavour and the fact is that there will be delays and setbacks at some point. The important thing is that you don’t lose focus on what you’re doing this for: your family. You need to find a way that you and your partner can step away from this huge ball of stress and unwind. Burnout is everywhere, and you can certainly run into it when you’re building a home. It’s a cliché, but this is a marathon, not a sprint, and you will get there in the end.
