Plan 
How to Build a House | Learning How To Build A House Starts With A Plan | Many people think that learning how to build a house requires knowledge of all the construction details. While gaining a basic understanding of these details is important for quality control, it is understanding the planning and management that is foundational for your do-it-yourself home building project. Just as the foundation of your home will support the final structure, planning and management will support your home building process. Once your dream begins to take shape in your mind, it is easy to get ahead of yourself – ending up with one of the nightmares I am sure you have heard of. At best, without thorough planning, you can easily end up not getting what would best meet your needs. It's easy for an owner builder to get excited and want to start digging that hole, and pounding those nails, and painting those walls, and moving into your new home. But wait – the foundation of your dream needs to be built first. Learning how to build a house requires that every aspect of building your own home needs to get down on paper. | Planning Is The Structure Of The Owner Builder Dream | I hope you are starting to get my point that learning how to build a house, although requiring an understanding of building methods and construction procedure, first and foremost requires an understanding of planning and management. It is actually a skill that most of you can bring to the table of do-it-yourself home building from another area of your life. It is also a skill that, once learned and practiced more thoroughly during the course of building your own home, will transfer back into those other areas of life. Moving forward then, becoming an owner builder requires establishing details in four primary areas. - Home Building Loans
- Construction Lot Selection
- Home Design Plans and Specifications
- Home Building Costs, Budgets, and Estimates
You have already considered, in the dreaming phase, the extent of your needs, the values you would like to consider and express, the style you like, the material choices and appropriate building method, what you can afford, and the resources you need. Now it is time to work out the details on paper. There are many questions about how to build a house that need answering at this point. In the dreaming stage, you started asking the questions and now, in the planning stage, these questions must be answered. This is where your real foundation is laid – where the details for building your own home are established. It is where your final decisions are made, including whether you have the necessary time and energy to build your own home or if you should hire a contractor. Either way, the following questions need definitive answers to establish that foundation and to achieve the desired results for your do-it-yourself home building project. Establish Your Plan And Build Your Own Home | - Where do you want to build and what are the considerations involved in choosing your construction lot? Do you have a real estate agent?
- What home design style, method of construction, and material options will be most suitable for you? Do you have a designer or will you design your own home?
- Is a home building kit or other form of prefabrication appropriate for your project?
- What green home building principles can you incorporate in your home?
- What are your specific needs and the necessary budget to accomplish your goals?
- Do you have adequate income, job history, credit rating and construction loan information to pursue financing? Do you have a lender?
- Who will make up the rest of your team to help build your own home – subcontractors, suppliers, owner builder consultant, etc.?
- What are the local and uniform building codes that will affect your project, and have you started the process for obtaining the necessary building permits?
- What management tools will you use for scheduling, accounting, and other aspects to facilitate the actual building process for efficiency and quality control?
Once these questions are answered you are well on your way to understanding the basic formula for how to build a house. With thorough forethought, and adequate answers, you can rest assured that you have made the best decisions for choosing your lot, house plans, lender, and building team. You will also know exactly what it will take to manage your project and will be ready for the next step. You will be ready for the hands on construction to build your own home. You will be ready as an owner builder to jump into the construction project management. You will be ready to Build. | |
