How to Build a House

Building a house demands dedication, remarkable skills and familiarity with the whole process irrespective of who you are making it for, yourself or some client. So if you are planning to build a house or wondering how your house was built, here is a list you can go through:

1. Finding a location

The first step is to find a perfect location for your house. There are certain things to consider when you are choosing a location:

• Ground Stability: Check if the landscape of that location has good ground stability for the houses built on shifting sand, mucky soil or on unstable grounds can fall as such lands do not prove supporting for making solid foundations.
• Availability of Utilities: To live in a place, you need utilities like water and electricity. So before you make your decision, check if these utilities are being provided in that area or not.
• Connectivity: Connectivity to other nearby areas and cities through roadways, railroads is an important factor in case you are looking for a place outside city.
• Community Infrastructure: Make sure that the area has community infrastructure like hospitals and schools.

2. Design your house

After you have decided a location and bought it, the next step is to design your house. Consult a professional architect who has experience in designing the kind of house you want to build. Professional architects and engineers can provide you with great insights on how to efficiently make your house within your budget.

While designing the plan for your house, it is necessary to consider a few things:

• How many rooms you want.
• Where you can place windows to maximize ventilation.
• Where and how you can construct utility areas like kitchen, bathroom and garage so they can be easily wired.

3. Building and installing

Once you have prepared a blueprint of the house and got necessary permits for it, you can start the construction process which involves:

• Preparing the ground for foundation by excavating the land and pouring concrete on it to evenly distribute the weight.
• Installing floors and building walls and roof of the house.
• After that the work of building the interiors of the house is started.

Save your Bucks with these Construction Tips

Nobody wants to pay more than necessary and cutting on expenses seems always a great idea when you are building a house because construction is quite an expensive affair and it burns a big hole in the pocket. Only the experts know how to save money on construction. So Girish Avhad is giving you some tips that may help keep your building budget within reason without compromising on the home you want.

·      Consider a so-called problem lot — a hillside, narrow or in-fill property. Generally, these types of lots are not as desirable as others, so they don’t sell as quickly and often go for a much lower price. With the right plan and a capable contractor, however, a potentially difficult lot might be perfect for your new home.

·      Buy low-maintenance building materials — vinyl siding and metal roofing, for example. Even if they are somewhat more expensive at installation, they will pay for themselves in the long run as you won’t have to repair, replace or repaint.

·      Collect salvaged materials from demolition sites. Old barn wood, used bricks and distinctive wood doors add inexpensive character to a home without exorbitant cost. Many times you can have the materials at no cost, as long as you’re willing to haul them away. Just be sure to check first with the owner of the building being demolished.

·      Splurge only on those things you truly cannot live without. However, don’t skimp on structural components or doors and windows — for the safety and security of your home, you’ll want to purchase the best you can afford in these areas.

·         Monitor construction allowances as the home is being built to ensure you’re getting what you asked for and are paying for. This includes decorative details as well as structural elements. If you and your builder agreed, for instance, that a particular brand of insulation would be installed, don’t accept a lesser brand — at least not without a cost adjustment.

·       If you really want ceramic tile or hardwood flooring but feel you can’t afford it right now, consider vinyl flooring. Vinyl makes a good underlayment and the tile or wood can be installed right on top of it at a later date.

Girish Navnath Avhad is a renowned real estate agent and prominent constructor.