How To Build A House With Pictures

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.

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] X Research source

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.

Keep in mind that when you’re working with an architect, the design process usually takes around 6 months. First, they’ll work with you to create a schematic design, or a rough draft of where everything will go in the home. Then, they’ll create more detailed plans, and there may be a revision process if you want to make any changes to the design. [2] X Expert Source Steve LintonCustom Home Builder Expert Interview. 16 September 2020. Before you hire or consult an architect, find out what management services the firm may or may not provide. Some architecture firms will help hire contractors they know and trust, as well as consult and inspect the contractor’s work as it progresses, making necessary revisions and additions as the work progresses. This can be a significant headache relief in the process. [3] X Research source Before building, you’ll need to submit plans to the city or county building commission for approval. Unless you’re an experienced architect, it’ll be very difficult to produce the necessary to-scale production drawings and engineering specs necessary for approval. To save time, energy, and money, it’s recommended that you consult a professional and work alongside them to design the home you want.

Bedrooms: For a family house where the possibility of additions exists, remember it is simpler to add a room during initial construction than to remodel or build an addition later. If you only need 2 bedrooms at present, an extra room might be used for an office, storage, or even left unfinished and unfurnished until such time as it is needed. Bathrooms: In practical terms, one bathroom can suffice in almost any circumstances, but if the house is for multiple people, two makes life much easier. Having two or more bathrooms will also increase the resale value in the convenience minded home buyer’s mind. Special function rooms: Consider if your lifestyle requires rooms suitable for special functions, such as formal dining, office space, a den, or a play room.

Kitchen Garage Laundry room Storage areas

Energy efficiency should be part of your home design from the very beginning. It might be more fun to think about things like solar panels and other new technology, but things like proper window installation and good insulation are really the fabric of sustainability. [6] X Expert Source Steve LintonCustom Home Builder Expert Interview. 16 September 2020. Kitchens may benefit the most from exterior light, so think about what time a ray of sunshine in the kitchen will offer the best results. Late afternoon may be cooking and dish washing time, so it may be best to orient the kitchen towards the west to take advantage. Larger windows on the north/south face of your house will also help heat the house through solar gain in colder climates. If you live on the northern hemisphere, build your windows facing the south. If you live on the southern hemisphere, build your windows facing the north.

The type of loan requested The amount of money requested Your current living situation Your social security number W-2 info

Course of Construction Insurance to cover against unforeseen loss including damages from fire, accident, vandalism and malicious mischief. General Liability Insurance is sometimes provided by the builder and sometimes not. It is a comprehensive liability coverage against accident on the workplace. You should only hire builders who provide this insurance themselves, as it can be quite expensive and could be indicative of shoddy workmanship if a builder doesn’t provide it. Workman’s Compensation Insurance is necessary if your builder hires their own workers. If the work is subcontracted (a common practice) you’ll need to provide workman’s comp and the builder must write a letter acknowledging that they do not have employees and will not provide compensation.

A septic tank permit An electrical permit A plumbing permit A mechanical (HVAC, or air conditioning) permit You may also find you are required to apply for and receive an environmental and/or impact permit. Having the house location marked prior to obtaining your permits will help to work details out in the environmental permitting process.

Price building materials in the area. How much is the cost of wood in the prospective area? Labor? Vinyl? It’s helpful to give some thought to how much the process will end up costing, aside from the land purchase itself. Try to get a rough estimate of how much it’ll cost to build the kind of house you want to build at the location you’re considering.

Site workers to clear and grade the land, prepping it for building Bricklayers to lay the foundation Framers to perform rough carpentry, frame up the walls, and install the trusses or stick-framed rafters Roofers to install the roof and insulate the house Electricians, plumbers, and HVAC workers to do the difficult interior work of outfitting the home for living Trim and finish carpenters for interior design work Flooring installers to lay the carpet, hardwood, or tile

The individual responsibilities of each party The expected date of the beginning and ending of the project The payment expected by the builder A completed Estimated Cost Breakdown (ECB), signed and dated Provisions for changes

The excavation crew should first survey and stake the dimensions of the foundation and excavate it to the desired depth, then smooth it out to a workable surface, sometimes overlaying dirt or gravel to build upon. [8] X Research source

Build the form work and fill in with concrete. The form work is basically a mold for concrete, used to pour into and remove after the concrete has set. Alternatively, a block foundation can be laid which won’t be removed, in which case you’ll inlay rebar into the block and fill in the gaps in the block with concrete. The thickness of the foundation should be determined carefully by a structural engineer, taking into consideration the height of the wall and the load it will be required to bear, both in terms of the building itself as well as the forces of gravity, wind, and earth that affect the structure.

For a slab-on-grade floor, form up the footing to the proper specs and lay rebar. Generally, these floors are made on concrete block foundations. After installing your plumbing rough-ins, backfill around the foundation with dirt and gravel, compacting it appropriately. At this point, you may also want to pre-treat for termites and install moisture barrier. For off-grade or above-grade floors, lay out and install wooden flooring piers and install your floor joist framing system to the proper specifications. Install subfloor/finish floor decking.

As you work, mark the location of doors, windows, and interior wall corners on the sill. Be sure to use special metal connectors/straps at the floor and tops of walls as required by code for storm and earthquake proofing. Use tees at wall intersections, substantial headers for openings in load bearing walls, and allow space at each rough opening for the feature to be installed.

Install diagonal gable bracing for a roof with gable ends to prevent the roof frame from leaning when you install the roof decking. For a hip roof, install king rafters and hip rafters, being careful to keep the adjacent plane of the roof consistent and straight.

In areas where high winds or snow-loading (accumulation) is possible, make sure the roof decking is secured and structurally able to withstand these severe forces and conditions. Use appropriate bracing and fasteners for this scope of work.

Commonly, #12 Romex cable is used for ordinary lighting and outlet circuits, and nail-in electrical boxes are attached to the wall studs, with the front edge protruding to allow for the finished wall material to be flush.

Walls are usually insulated with a minimum R-value of 13, and ceilings with a minimum of 19, but as much as 30, or even more for lowering fuel and utility usage.

Be sure to trim out the electrical devices, install lights and other fixtures, and install breakers in panel boxes if they were not pre-installed.