PRELIMINARY TIPS FOR BUILDING A HOME

Building is a big investment, both time and money wise. To ensure a smooth building process, you need to know what to expect before the project gets started, thus you need to prepare well in advance. Take the following tips into consideration before proceeding with a building project:

Select a team of experts

The most important role players you will need to have by your side during the building process are an architect and contractor. Make sure you can trust whomever you choose to help you design and construct your home.

Suss out your location

Before you select your floor plans or start planning other aspects of your building project, you need to access the area in which you will be building your home, be it in a suburban development or a plot with a lot of space and a fantastic view. Factors in the area, such as drainage, building codes, soil condition and zoning also need to be taken into consideration before you proceed.

Finalise your plan

Once you have accessed the building rules of the area, you will need to come up with a preliminary plan and estimate. You can discuss the layout of the house along with all other ideas with your architect before you submit all your plans to the local administration for approval; you will also need approval for solar energy panels, wind energy, etc. that you want to install. Your plan will cover the following building aspects:

• Plot plan, including the size and location of all structures on the property as well as distances from streets, roads, etc.
• Floor plans, including room sizes and purposes as well as the size and location of doors and windows.
• Foundation plan/cross section drawing, which includes the size, type and quality of used material as well as the size of footings, ceiling heights, stair details etc.
• Plumbing and Electrical Drawings.
• Structural drawings.

Get both architect and contractor to sign a contract agreement

Once your plans are approved, make sure that you get a written contract that is signed and dated by both your hired architect and contractor. The contract needs to describe your project in detail and include a list of all the parts included in the house. Any changes to the project must be amended on the contract throughout the business process.

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