A mason builds the houses.
Building your dream home can be one of the most exciting and rewarding projects you can undertake. Getting the opportunity to plan out each step of the process and make the decisions about your building project is a big responsibility, and can be overwhelming for even the most experienced do-it-yourselfers. Taking the scope of the project into account before you get started can help make the process go a lot more smoothly. Learn the proper ways to find the right location, design your home, acquire the correct permits, and breaking ground. See Step 1 to learn how to get started building your own house
1 Select a desirable place for your house. There are many factors to consider when finding a suitable location on which to build your home. Think about a place you'd like to live long-term and keep in mind things like:
Climate. Special considerations must be made for building in flood, hurricane, intense heat, frigid cold, and other extreme weather and climatic conditions.
Ground stability. Houses built on shifting sand, mucky soil, or other unstable earth will likely fail over a short period of time unless they are built on special foundations or pilings.
Availability of utilities. If you intend to have electric power, potable water, telephone, and other conveniences, make sure these utility providers offer them at your location.
Community infrastructure. If you plan to raise children or have kids, make sure good quality schools are available. Check to see if you are in a police jurisdiction to protect you from crime, look at the distance you will have to travel to acquire basic commodities, and whether medical help is nearby.
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2 Select the property on which you are going to build and purchase it. This may be a hurdle, depending on the cost, and your available funds. Building a house is an expensive process, but purchasing suitable property is also a major investment just as important as home building. Decide how you're going to pay for your building project going forward and start that process with the land.
Some home builders will elect to get a construction loan to purchase the land and secure funding for the building project. This requires that you enter into a contract with a builder or a contractor, and the loan must reference that builder's resume and serve as a contract between you and the builder, as well as a source of funding for the project. To do this, you'll need to wait until you've hired and vetted a builder before purchasing the land.[1]
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3 Have the property surveyed and the footprint of the house located. This is not absolutely necessary, especially if you are building on a large parcel of land, but if there is any doubt about the property lines, have this done to assure you are not encroaching on a neighbor's property, or the city's. This will be useful as you move forward with the building process.
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4 Consider access issues. On large parcels, especially, you will need to ascertain the route for a usable driveway if you depend on a car for transportation. Look at any low area that would become impassable in winter mud or heavy summer rain, how installing driveway will affect the landscape, and whether a driveway will be in conflict with underground utilities.
Pay particular attention to the way surface water will drain off the property. Every effort should be made so that water drains off and away from the driveway. This may require the placement of culverts or pipes under the driveway to avoid puddling along its sides.