Key stages to plan the construction of your home

Key stages to plan the construction of your home. Knowing the necessary stages of building a house will help you plan adequately and have a holistic vision of the entire process of building your home. To plan the construction of your house, you should be guided by common sense above everything. This protects you from making mistakes and getting into trouble and will help you keep things uncomplicated.

The truth is that at some point in our lives, all of us are faced with a very practical and fundamental question: am I going to continue paying rent for the rest of my life? Perhaps most of us will answer with a categorical and instinctive no. The second question, as logical as it is inevitable, is: do I buy a house or do I build one?

Key steps to plan the construction of your house

Preparing to build a house

Building a house means, above all, planning; that is, having a plan that allows you to achieve the proposed goal. Building a house is a process where you must experience a series of stages, perform certain actions, and make decisions all the time.

Now, the best way to start is to learn the stages of building a house so that you can have an overview of the process that lies ahead.

To attempt to have a detailed vision of all the stages will be very difficult (but not impossible) if you are not an expert in the world of design and construction. Your greatest efforts should be expended on being a good manager of the construction process of your house. Your main task will be to correctly manage the budget you have.

Knowing these stages will help you to see the big picture and be able to plan all the work that is coming your way in the best way possible.

Stages of building a house

In the following infographic you will be able to see the 7 stages you need to know to plan the construction of your house.

The idea of building your house comes up

Building a house will save you about 30% of money compared to buying a house with the same characteristics. Not a minor argument for choosing to build a house instead of buying one, don’t you think?

This stage is one of excitement and emotion, but it’s important to be prudent. Prudence implies taking the necessary time to assimilate everything that is coming rather than rushing or making hasty decisions. It also means evaluating alternatives, looking at options, and letting them sit before deciding.

In order to be able to make good decisions you must learn and train yourself. Carrying out the construction of your house you will certainly have you learning many new things. A good idea is just the beginning, but the most important aspect is a plan to implement that idea.

You need land

You can find yourself in one of two situations: you already have the land, or you need to look for it. The most relevant issues to consider, as they have direct relation with the design, the value of your property, and the construction costs, are:

1. Know the soil type of your land. This information is obtained by performing a soil or geotechnical study.
2. Know the legal status of the property and especially if it has any pending charges or if everything is in order.
3. Consider the types of roads and the topography of the site.
4. Find out about access to basic services such as potable water, electricity, and sewage.
5. The municipal ordinances that regulate the construction of your home.
6. The classification of the Use of Soil, that is to say, what is allowed or not allowed to be built on your property. You can request this information at the corresponding municipality.

Design and Preliminary Project

Perhaps the most attractive and fun part of the whole process of building your house are the stages in which you design the layout of your home. This is where your ideas start to materialize and translate into technical drawings.

The traditional way to create the design of a house has been to work with a local architect.

Yet you should know that there are alternative methods to create a design for your home, though an architect’s guidance is always behind them.

Remember that even though the design stage is a creative and imaginative work, all your ideas must follow and respect a series of rules and regulations.

The final result of this stage is a set of technical drawings that comply with all local regulations as well as a technical report detailing the items of the work and an estimate of the cost of materials. At the beginning of this stage it is necessary to clearly define the size of your house, i.e. the square meters you are going to build.

Elaboration and Drafting of the Project

This is a stage where all the legal documentation necessary to obtain the necessary permits, visas, and licenses required by the regulations is prepared.

If you choose to access a design online or through a call for tenders, you will have to develop the Project Development and Drafting stage with a local authorized professional, usually an architect.

In the Project Elaboration and Drafting stage we can distinguish 2 sub-stages:

Basic Project.

This is a project where the general characteristics of the house are precisely defined.

Through the Basic Project it is possible to obtain the first Municipal permits; however, it is not yet possible to start the execution of the work.

Execution Project

The execution project involves more detailed work regarding the definition of the project itself, its structural details, and all the necessary technical drawings for the construction of the work.

We refer to structural plans, construction details, foundations, electrical system, water supply and sanitation plans, construction report, etc.

The execution project is where all the studies required by the regulations must be attached.

The execution project, once approved by the corresponding entity, is the one that allows the granting of the necessary permits that are needed to start the construction.

Keep in mind that in many cases only one document called “Basic and Execution Project” is usually drafted.

Preparing the construction

A key stage is to minimize problems in the construction stage. You have to consider well the types and style of work during the construction stage. You must be strategic and carefully choose the technicians and the construction company you are going to work with.

An important phase in this stage is to request estimates from different construction companies. Furthermore, it is important that you know how to evaluate these estimates as well as how to choose the one that suits you best.

If you have the time and the will, you will be able to participate directly in the construction and avoid some costs associated with certain tasks that you can do yourself. However, if you do not have time, the best thing to do is to delegate the work to competent technicians and companies.

Construction companies usually have a team of professionals and technicians from different areas who will be able to support you from this stage until the construction of your house is finished.

If you choose to hire a construction company, your construction manager will be a professional of the company.

The disadvantage of this option is that, in case of any problem or difference with the company, the construction manager will always defend the company’s interests over yours.

Building a house

This stage is marked by constant decision–making and problem–solving, although good planning in the previous stages will help you to have fewer problems.

It is important to stay flexible as the execution of the work is usually delayed, some things will change with respect to the original design (not fundamental issues), and the budget can be affected by unexpected events.

That’s why you should always consider a margin in your budget for “unforeseen events.” You will be the in charge of the execution of the work, but obviously you will not be alone. Every time a modification is made to the execution project, the competent authority must be informed before proceeding to make the changes.

Once the modification is approved, there must be a written document accepted by all parties involved: the owner, the construction company, and the competent authority. Depending on the size of your house, the construction system, the local climate and many other variables, this stage can last between 8 and 12 months.

Completion of the works

The last stage is oriented to corroborate that everything has been executed as planned and to obtain the legal permits to be able to make use of the house.

It is important that you have an overview of everything you are about to go through. Above all, you should know that you should prepare, train, and get advice from experienced people.

This is the key: train, learn, and plan the construction of your house very well. Don’t forget: you are the planner, not the builder or the designer, of your house.