At diy-home-building you will find the information and resources you need to successfully build your own house. You will find a systematic do-it-yourself  building process that takes you from conception to completion. We will start by encouraging you to dream, to creatively pursue a plan that fits your personality and need. We will then focus on the primary areas of project planning, construction management, and green building.

You will find information on creative design, standard and alternative building methods, financial considerations, working with suppliers and subcontractors, and much more. You will also find the beginnings of a blog with ongoing input and an opportunity to join in the conversation. Our intent is to partner with you as you explore and proceed with your do-it-yourself building or remodeling project.

Let’s first consider the big picture:

DIY-Home- Building – It’s easy as 1, 2, 3

1. Dream – the place do-it-yourself building begins

2. Plan – home building plans require more than drawings

3. Build – the construction phase for building your own house

And then move on to some of the details:

* Learn the diy home building process

* Consider construction loan options

* Look at home building costs and establish a budget

* Creatively design your own house

* Develop house building plans and specifications

* Incorporate green home building options

* Explore the possibility of a home building kit

* Choose building materials and subcontractors

* Use the principles of a construction project manager

* And much more

But first, let’s begin with the dream

My do-it-yourself building dream started in high school. My uncle was one of my heroes and happened to be a carpenter – so I naturally gravitated in that direction. I took every shop class I could in school and loved working with wood. Later, in my 20′s, after starting a family, the dream to build my own house started to take root. I wanted a small place in the country to raise my children – a place big enough to have a shop and a garden. I was interested in building with wood, stone and other natural materials, energy efficiency, and passive solar design – green home building before its time

Everybody’s dream is different. One of the best parts of building your own house is to cultivate your own dream, to tap into your creativity in order to express your personality and best meet your needs. What is your dream? What will it take to be a successful owner builder?

Lifestyle Assessment – Put Substance To Your Do-It-Yourself Building Dream

There are many questions for an owner builder to consider at this stage of consideration of building your own house. Here a a few to help you get started:

* What is the extent of personal and family needs that must be addressed?

* What values do you want to consider and express in your home?

* What style or combination of styles are you drawn to?

* What options for materials and construction methods are suitable for your project?

* How much home can you realistically afford?

* What resources do you need to be a successful owner builder?

Moving On – Put Structure To Your Do-It-Yourself Building Dream

Do-it-yourself building can quickly turn into a nightmare if you don’t have the resources and understand the process of being an owner builder. It is easy to get anxious and get the cart before the horse. It is easy to miss an important step or overlook critical details. So, lets begin to look at the rest of the outline of the process required to build your own house.

Step 2. Plan – The Preparation For Building Your Own House

In order to get your dream in motion, the next step in do-it-yourself building is to fully plan every detail necessary to build your own house. Thorough planning requires consideration of many aspects and will save you money, time, and headaches – here are four primary areas.

* Home Building Loans

* Construction Lot Selection

* Home Design Plans and Specifications

* Home Building Cost and Estimating

Additionally, the planning stage is the place to consider green home building principles and whether a home building kit or some form of prefabrication is appropriate.

Step 3. Build – The Construction Management For Building Your Own House

After thorough planning of your do-it-yourself building project, adequate construction management is crucial to avoid a nightmare and make your dream reality. Building your own house requires t construction management in these primary areas.

* Choosing materials and suppliers

* Choosing and working with subcontractors

* Scheduling for efficient progress

* Financial and quality control

Lets now look more thoroughly at step two of the do-it-yourself building process and more of the details of each area of consideration. Lets go to the Plan.

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 – and most likely spending more money than is necessary. 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 your own house requires that every aspect of the home building plan gets down on paper in a manageable form.

The Home Building Plan Is The Foundation Of DIY-Home-Building

I hope you are starting to get my point that building your own house, although requiring an understanding of building methods and construction procedures, 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 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 house, will transfer back into those other areas of life.

Moving forward then, becoming an owner builder requires a home building plan with four primary areas of focus.

* Exploring and obtaining the most appropriate home building loans

* Choosing a construction lot for building your home

* Establishing home design plans and specifications

* Determining home building costs, budgets, and estimates

Already in the dreaming phase of do-it-yourself building we encourage you to thoroughly consider 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 of the home building plan on paper.

There are many questions about building your own house that need answering at this point. The questions you started raising in the dreaming stage now, in the planning stage, must be answered. This is where your real foundation is laid – where the details needed to build your house are established. It is where your decisions are narrowed down, including whether you have the necessary time and energy to do it yourself or if you should hire a contractor. Either way, the following questions need definitive answers to establish the foundation of your home building plan in order to achieve the desired results for your project.

Establish Your Home Building Plan And Prepare To Build Your Own House

* Where do you want to build your house and what are the considerations involved in choosing your construction lot? Do you have a real estate agent?

* What home style, method of construction, and material options will be most suitable for you? Do you have a designer or will you design your own house?

* 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 a home building loan? Do you have a lender?

* Who will make up the rest of your team to help build your house – subcontractors, suppliers, owner builder consultant, etc.?

* What are the local and uniform building codes that will affect your project? Have you considered 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 to be your own contractor. 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 of your home building plans. You will be ready as an owner builder to jump into the construction  management. You will be ready to Build.