Steps to Building a House: A Step-by-step Guide

Designing and building your own home from scratch naturally gives you the opportunity to put your own personal touch on the property, which makes it an attractive option for many aspiring property owners. Have some questions? Our guide will explain this process to you step by step. 

First, what are the financial pros and cons of building?

Building a house can often be cost-effective, compared to buying an existing property. It also offers the advantage of allowing you to build your new house with energy-efficiency measures and the latest in smart technology that’s fully integrated, instead of needing to integrate it into an existing property, which can be expensive. Before deciding to go for this option, however, check if there are any existing houses in the neighbourhood that already fit your requirements. While buying a house may cost you more than building the house yourself, it’s not without advantages: you may be able to move in much more quickly, and you can avoid navigating the planning permission process, unless you plan to make significant changes to the existing structure of the property. 

Making a budget and securing financing

The first step of this process is to decide how much you have available to spend on the project. Costs can quickly rise depending on numerous factors, so it is important to be realistic about what you require from the property, as well as your financial means to carry the project to completion. Factor in the cost of purchasing the building plot, as well as all the different services you may require, such as an architect and contractors. Of course, it’s essential to choose the right qualified, registered architect [Lien vers le site ici] for your project, to ensure your peace of mind and value for money throughout the construction process. 

In addition, it’s important to take into account the cost of fixtures, fittings and other building materials that will be necessary. The price of these items will vary depending on the quality you’re looking for, as well as where you source them from. As a final consideration in the budgeting process, think about how you will pay for accommodation while the work is going on. Will you be able to afford to rent a different property for the duration of the project? Do you have a mortgage to pay off on an existing property, and will it be viable to continue making payments on this while simultaneously financing a large construction project? 

When it comes to securing financing for the project, there are specialised mortgages available for self-build projects, which release the funds in stages, for example when you purchase the plot, pay suppliers or receive an invoice from tradesmen. These mortgages tend to have a slightly higher annual interest rate, and will require a larger deposit than would be necessary for a traditional mortgage. 

Finding a plot

Once you have calculated the cost and secured financing, the next step is to find a building plot to work with. You may already have a plot in mind; if not, there are numerous ways to find one. There are online services for this purpose such as plotfinder.net, or there’s always the option of simply asking around the local area. In tightly-knit communities, you may find someone this way who will be willing to sell their land to you, which can lead to finding a hidden gem. You can also look around the local area by car or on foot, to see if there are any plots you may be interested in. You can then simply speak to the owner of the land in person and see if they might be interested in making a sale. During this stage of the process, it is also important to consider aspects of the local area such as crime rate (which you can check using the plot’s postcode on police.uk), as well as transport connections such as road and rail links. Accessibility is another concern; think about how the contractors you hire will reach the construction site with their equipment. Ideally, access to the plot will not require having to pass through anyone else’s property, and it is also advantageous to avoid a plot on a floodplain, which could lead to headaches further down the line. 

Applying for planning permission

Before you purchase the plot, submit your planning permission application. You can either do this yourself, or hire an architect to take care of it on your behalf. Outline planning permission is easier to get than full permission, and provides you with agreement in principle from the planning authority for a broad category of construction type, which you can then convert to full planning permission by submitting detailed drawings and plans of your development. For example, outline planning permission would consist of making a request to build a house on a site, with full planning permission including in-depth architectural plans of the property. 

Before making the application, think carefully about your requirements for the completed property. Consider potential tradeoffs in space from different configurations: would you be prepared to have a smaller living room in exchange for a larger kitchen/dining area? How many bedrooms do you need? These are all questions to ask yourself during the design phase. Bear in mind that up to the moment where you submit your application for full planning permission, you are entirely at liberty to change your mind about the layout of the property. 

Hiring professionals

At this stage, decide which construction professionals you would like to work with, and the level of personal involvement you would like to have in the project. If you have not yet engaged an architect to help you with the project, now is the time to do so. Many architects will manage all the different aspects of construction, and will have a local network of trusted tradesmen that they are used to working with. This will make sure that your project is completed to the highest possible standard of quality, as well as ensuring that the project advances within budget and on schedule. An architect will also save you money in the long term - they will be able to optimise the designs to get the maximum possible value from your budget. An architect will also be able to use their expertise in energy efficiency to design your property to use the minimum amount of energy possible, which will mean your heating and electricity bills will be significantly lower and increase your savings long term. 

Getting to work

Once all of this has been put into place, construction can begin. Depending on your level of involvement in the project, this may simply be a case of letting the professionals you have hired work away. While the construction is being carried out, you may be able to live in the new home while the architecture project is taking place once the initial processes have been completed. 

Ready to start building your dream house? To get in touch with an architect to walk you through your next building project, visit find-my-architect.com to find architects local to your area specialising in residential new builds.