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Besides possibly pre-qualification procedures for financing your project, site selection is the first step toward building your new home. It is one of the most important steps and one that you should not take lightly. It requires considerable time and research to make an educated choice that will not create many regrets later. Site selection is one of those steps that can not be changed later and will affect every step of the building process.

Steps to Site Selection

Although site selection is one of the more challenging chores associated with home building, it must be tackled. There are several steps to the site selection process:

• The most obvious and fun aspect is finding a lot that suits your needs.
• Soil testing
• Identifying environmental concerns
• Determining how utilities will be accessed from the site

Finding a Lot that Suits your Needs

You must find an available site that is in a location that you like and in which you will enjoy living for a considerable amount of time. It’s a good idea to talk to your potential neighbors, and ask around to find out if there are any problems to speak of in the vicinity. It must be appealing to your eyes and large enough to meet your needs. Investigate to find out if it has the potential for any future upgrades or amenities that you may desire.

Soil Testing

Soil testing is incredibly important for many reasons. First of all, you must determine its composition and ability to support the structure. You must establish the absorption and drainage rate of the soil. The absorption rate will indicate how well the soil will handle septic and water. One such test is the perc test and it will help determine where a septic field would have to be placed on the property. This is another reason that these steps should be performed before a site if purchased if at all possible.

It is important to identify the water table to determine where foundational footings and basement slabs should be placed. The water table includes the surface separating the upper layer of non-saturated soil and the lower layer of saturated soil. Engineers or site planners must test the mottling or color of the soil in the pit for this purpose. It is also pertinent to determine the soil type as sand and gravel drain much better than clay or silts.

Identifying Environmental Concerns

This is one area that many potential home builders really don’t see as vital, but overlooking it could be disastrous. With all the pollution around today, it pays to take a little time to be sure that your potential site isn’t on or near any kind of contamination site or other environmental hazard. Finding out after purchase can mean either a ton of money to rectify or a complete inability to build on the site.

Determining How Utilities will be accessed from the Site

Because accessing utilities from your site can prove very costly, it is necessary to check into how close the nearest utility connections are. Generally speaking, the further you have to run lines to tie into existing utilities, the more money it will cost you.

Site selection is not as simple as finding a nice looking lot for sale. Take your time and do your research. It is not a good place to find error later as it can be costly and devastating to the project overall.

As a prospective home owner that is looking to hire a contractor to build his dream house, you probably do not spend much time considering the methods and techniques that your home building contractor employs on your home.

You are most likely picturing your home and the new space you will have to live in. You can imagine the layout you have dreamed of coming to life before your eyes. You may even be able to envision your family gatherings and the wonderful times you will have entertaining company in your newly built castle. If you have a high quality builder, they are spending much time thinking about the different techniques they must employ to ensure that you will be able to do all that entertaining for years to come without having to deal with the unpleasantries that come from a poorly planned build.

What Problems Will Proper Ventilation Prevent?

Homeowners are often concerned with making sure their windows are weather-tight and they are well insulated to prevent the escape of heat or cool. Most home owners do not take into consideration the problems that poor ventilation can cause.

• Mold – When moisture is unable to escape properly from a home, mold and mildew form quickly. This is not only a hassle to clean constantly, but it is unsanitary.
• Shortened Roofing Life – Poorly vented roofing will not last nearly as long as properly vented roofing. The heat from underneath will cause shingles to curl and deteriorate before they should and that will cost the home owner money sooner than it should.
• Insulation Deterioration – When moisture can not escape, insulation will get wet. This not only contributes to the mold and mildew that we mentioned, but the insulation will not do its job well. It will also wear out more quickly. Again, we are looking at it hitting your wallet much sooner than it should.

Don’t Defeat Your Own Efforts

Spending much time and money on the best-sealing windows, water proofing your foundations, putting weather sealant on your doors, doubling your insulation, and choosing the best siding and roofing products to keep the heat in the winter and the cool in the summer will all be undone if you do not have proper ventilation. While most home owners do not spend much time considering this aspect it is worth discussing with your builder.

A good builder will have considered all of this already and will not be offended by the fact that you question him about it. He may even bring it up before you do. Find out what type of ventilation will be used and how effective it is. Decide if you need to upgrade your ventilation or if the standard amount will be sufficient in your home. For the efficiency of your home heating and cooling, as well as keeping future maintenance costs to a minimum, there is no substitute for properly ventilating your home.

It is so easy to go over budget on the extras when it comes to building your home. Sometimes you just have to have a firm “no” and stick to it. However, there are areas that you can invest a little extra and get a lot of value. Sometimes you can only do this at the time you actually build. If you choose to wait and do it later, it may be impossible or much more expensive.

What Little Extras Are Worth the Initial Investment?

Because some things must be done at build, you need to consider very carefully whether or not you want to refuse these extras.

• Higher ceilings – Higher ceilings must be done at build. For a relatively minimal amount, you can heighten your ceilings by a couple feet. While this may not seem important, you will notice an immense difference. In fact, most model homes have heightened ceilings because they just have a more spacious appearance. It is really only necessary on the lower level of the home.
• Storage space – Turning dead space into storage space can be done very cheaply and increase the value of your home as well as making it more useful to you. This is particularly beneficial under stairs. There may not be a door to this area in the plans, but it costs very little to put one in.
• Garage space – You may be considering a single or double car garage. If that is the case, find out how much extra it would be to increase your garage space. You may find that it is worth your while to go up a size. Since many people end up leaving their car out to keep their stuff in the garage, you can eliminate the problem straight away.
• Addition – Many people plan small and hope to add on later as finances permit. The problem being that it is by far cheaper to add on at the time of the build when you will be buying your materials in bulk. Take this into consideration as you make your decision.

Benefits of Doing a Little Extra at Build

The most obvious benefit of doing these little extras at the time of the build is that you will be buying your materials in bulk and probably get a better deal. Another benefit that many home owners do not take into consideration is that you may be unable to get materials, such as roofing or siding, to match the main portion of your home later on. Often times manufacturers discontinue or change colors. Even if you get the same color, a different lot may have a color variance. These little things that do not cost a whole lot at build time will greatly increase the value of your home.

While sticking to a budget is a necessary and commendable thing, make sure that you make wise decisions when it comes to the extras.

Much time and energy goes into building a new home. It is exciting and stressful to choose the piece of land, select a plan, choose the right builder for the job, work with the financial institutions, and watch it all come together. In fact, sometimes people get so wrapped up in all of those decisions and projects that the fact that they will have to decorate their home almost gets lost in the maze.

From Wall Coverings to Floor Coverings

People get so caught up in the big stuff that they sometimes forget that the wall finish will have to be painted or covered and the floor boards will require some form of finishing. Whether you are a do-it-yourselfer that prefers to do your own decorating or you have a hand-picked decorator handling this for you, you will still need to select the motif that will best suit your family.

That is right. It is something that everyone that lives in the house will probably want to participate in on some level. This can be a whole new battlefield. Don’t fall into the temptation to let these decisions create strife in your family.

How to Avoid Decorating Debate Blow-Outs

• Try not to rush decorating decision. It is easy to feel pressured and push the members of your household to come to an agreement. You will find that allowing yourself and others sufficient time to meditate on the decorating decisions that involve them will diffuse a great number of arguments before they happen.
• While you may not feel it is necessary to involve children in many of the decisions regarding decorating your home, allowing them some input into their bedrooms and any other rooms that will be greatly devoted to them will allow them to feel important and a sense of ownership in the new home.
• Some people change their room colors regularly, while others keep things the same for years at a time. Assess the type of decorator that your family is and keep that in mind when decorating. For example, if you do not intend to change your bedroom walls in your children’s room for at least five years keep it generic enough so that when your son is fourteen years old, he won’t still have Winnie the Pooh on his walls.
• Keep in mind that your fixtures, from lights to plumbing, will accent your home. Choose carefully to keep the same feel throughout.

Do not allow the task of building your home to tear apart your family. Keep things in perspective and do not allow things that may be changed within a couple years anyway cause friction in your relationships. Realize that home building can be a stressful time. It can consume your thoughts every waking moment. Be sure to take time to do something fun every once in a while. It will help you keep your priorities in order, as well as remind you that your sanity is still intact.

There are a good number of appliances that you used in your home on a daily basis. Some of them are built into your home, while others are not. While much time is spent choosing a floor plan, site location, wall covering, flooring, windows, and doors you will want to spend some time selecting the appliances that run your home.

The Built-In Appliances of the Home

While all appliances are important in a home, the ones that are actually built in and often require a professional to install tend to be the most costly. For this reason, you should spend some time finding out which ones will be most effective for you.

• Heating Source – It is important to find out which heating sources are acceptable for the type of home you are building. From there you will want to determine which ones are the most economical both in initial costs as well as maintenance and continual costs of use.
• Air Conditioning – Again, find out which brands provide the best bang for the buck. Consider your maintenance costs and what the cost to run it will be under normal conditions for your area and house size.
• Security – What are your family’s needs, there is a vast array of options available to you so taking the time to research is of value.
• Audio – Great emphasis is now placed on “home entertainment” the many facets that are available, worth considering as the relative costs are coming down and the value for money going up!
• Vacuum system – Great benefits from external exhaust, only need to carry hose around the house, works well in multi-story houses, all in all great value to your new or renovated home. Look at the suppliers, what their machines can do, how they are maintained and how they finish inside the building.
• Internet / communications – These areas of service are developing quickly and require good advice so that the work that is done now provides ongoing value in terms of service and cost.

Other appliances can be built into the home such as dishwasher, garbage disposal, even refrigerators and oven. These require consideration as well, but are not quite as imperative as the heating and air conditioning. However, you will want you have energy efficient appliances that visually fit the décor of your home.

Easily Removable Appliances

The majority of the appliances can easily be removed and replaced in the home. You may even have appliances that you will bring with you from your former residence to help you save a few bucks. There is no reason that you can not do that. However, take your new home’s décor into consideration when you make the decision to use your existing appliances or purchase brand new, you may want to look at the impact on the existing cabinetry, changes can be required to install? . The most common removable appliances include:

• Refrigerator
• Stove
• Microwave
• Washer
• Drier

Other Considerations

Although it does not exactly fall into the category of appliances, an important consideration is your computer and telephone capabilities. Because so many people spend much time for work or pleasure, and sometimes both, using the computer, phone and internet you should consider what services are available in the area that you intend to build. Find out if you will have easy access to what you need. If not, determine ahead of time how difficult it will be to gain the access you will need.

Once you have determined who will provide the services and how you will receive them, you may need to take specific steps to ensure that the necessary wires are run, receivers and transmitters are installed and everything is accessible in the area that you intend to put your home office.

Express any concerns that you have to your builder. He will become your new best friend for the planning and execution period of your home building project.

Appliances that Drive Your Home Successfully (31 KB)

So, you’ve decided that you are going to build a home. That’s great! Now how do you go about getting plans created? Well, there’s a lot to consider.

Plan Considerations

First of all, site selection must be completed before you can decide on plans. Once you have selected a site that is efficient, practical, and large enough to meet your needs it’s time to get busy on plans. Be sure that you consider any special plan needs created by your site. For example if your home will be built on a hill, you may require a walk-out basement.

Are you able and willing to use a stock plan or will you require a custom plan? There are a wide variety of stock plans, and it is very likely that you will be able to find one that suits your needs very well. Stock plans can be found in a wide range of sizes, with a variety of amenities, and the most commonly desired features. These plans are designed with the likes and dislikes of the general population in mind.

Custom Plans

A custom plan will require you to employ the services of a licensed architect or building designer. It will be designed to your exact specifications and will require much more time to draw, redraw, correct, and finalize, the final product being something of value. There are many hours involved in preparing custom plans, which means many dollars. It is much more expensive to purchase a custom plan. It is also much more time consuming and can delay the actual time to break ground. The custom plan is designed strictly with the likes and dislikes of the specific buyer in mind, do not be detered.

Stock Plans

In order to remain within a budget, a stock plan is one of the possible choice for many. When that is a must, and it seems impossible to find the perfect stock plan, keep in mind that minor design changes can be made. By contacting the original plan designer or a local designer, your modifications can be performed for a fee.

Benefits of a Stock Plan

Obviously, the one big pro of custom plans is that they are customized to your express design characteristics. However, there are many benefits to be considered in a stock plan.

• The most evident and often determining factor is that stock plans are significantly cheaper.
• The time involved in preparation of the plans is nearly non-existent barring the previously discussed minor changes. Often the plans can be submitted for a building permit immediately upon receipt.
• There are a variety of designs and this can actually be helpful to those that really aren’t sure what they want.
• There is always the possibility of having minor plan changes made for a fee.

Taking these items into consideration, it is worth some careful consideration to decide whether stock or custom plans are the right decision for you. Be sure to discuss the matter with your builder, as a good quality builder is always a good source of information. It is always helpful to bounce your ideas off someone that is well versed in the industry and keep communication open.

What is needed for Home Building Plans (28 KB)

One of the greatest concerns of those opting to build or renovate their home is of course price. No one wants to engage in an endeavor in a money pit. For many, once a budget is in place there is very little margin for error.

Pre-Qualification

Unless you are one of the fortunate few that are able to pay cash for your building or renovation project, your first step should be to get pre-approval from a lender. Lest you have an established relationship with a banking institute, you will need to shop around and find a lender that will handle your type of project at a competitive rate. Once a financing establishment has been selected, you will need to obtain pre-qualification. Like with any other type of financing, you will need to provide documentation for income, debt, and go through the credit check process. Be sure to thoroughly review the interest rates and all terms as these may vary from a typical home loan. Once this tedious step is completed, you will know what kind of budget you have to work with.

Selecting a Builder

Once you know the exact amount of money that you will be able to work with, you will need to begin the steps to select a qualified builder. If you do not have a relationship with a builder, you may wish to begin by contacting a local housing association or community business group to initiate the selection process with their members. By doing this, you can be assured that the members are legitimate business people that are serious about their industry. This also gives you more avenues for recourse in the event of a grievance.

During your selection process, be certain to inquire as to how significant the builder’s role will be in the project, how much will be subcontracted, and how much will rest on your shoulders. Don’t hesitate to express what capacity you intend to be involved and what you are expecting from your builder. Ask how close to budget your builder usually runs. Find out the experience level of the builder and his relationships with the building authorities in the area. Don’t hesitate to verify licensing and insurance. You must have open communication with your builder and trust that they will not take advantage of an excess in budget. Find out if the builder has a working relationship with an architect of choice.

You Will Stay within Your Budget

Once you’ve decided on a financing institute and a builder, you need to put all your cards on the table. If you’re not comfortable financing the entire amount that you have been pre-qualified for, do not use that as your budgeted amount. Let your builder know your upper limit and be certain that you leave 10 to 15 percent margin for error. Go through your list of must-haves, preferences, and can live with outs. You must realize that if you change your decisions during the construction or renovation, it will affect the budget. Therefore, you need to be as rock solid as possible in your initial decisions to remain within the boundaries you have set.

With a flexible financial provider and qualified builder and his team of associates, you will stay within your budget providing you do not make significant changes to your plans after it is set in motion.

Keeping Your Home Building or Renovation Project on Budget (23 KB)

You have a dream of how you would like your home to look. Before your housing dream can become a reality, you need good documentation to portray the overall characteristics, too effectively “tell your story”. Without this building documentation, those involved in the design and construction of your new home will be unable and unclear to appreciate what you are trying to achieve. It is essential to have your building documentation detailed early in the process to ensure your new home is developed smoothly and according to plan. This documentation will also allow you to smoothly negotiate the complex web of building and development permits ensuring a stress free building experience.

When you decide on building a new home or conducting renovations to your existing home one of the first points of contact is a reputable builder and / or architect within your locality. These contacts will provide you with the assistance needed to make sure all of the documentation is completed thoroughly and professionally. By having someone reputable to assist with the documentation, you can be assured that the documentation will be prepared to a standard that will prevent:

• Building Delays
• Inaccurate Pricing
• Building Disputes
• Additional Work Being Required

Many people are unaware of the documentation that is required for a new home to be constructed and your story told. However the main documents, which will require detailed attention, are:

• Plans / Drawings – These documents will contain detailed graphics of how and where the construction will take place. They will also detail the result of how the new home will look.
• Reports – A series of reports are required, which identify decisions and the data that is required for the decisions that have been made.
• Building Certificates – Building Certificates show that the design and specifications of the new home meet all required standards.
• Specifications – The specifications will detail the required quality, detail of workmanship and the quality of materials to be used in the development.

As you could appreciate, this documentation is best left to the skills of a qualified professional who will be able to offer you the advice needed to make sure that the documentation is completed in a clear and concise fashion. There are also legal requirements when it comes to building documentation that is one of the main reasons that you should leave the documentation to a qualified professional. A reputable builder in your location will be aware of all the requirements of planning authorities and also building and plumbing permit authorities allowing you the peace of mind that nothing will be left to chance.

Good building documentation is essential for the start up, process and completion of a great new home or home renovation. The use of a reputable people in ensuring your building documentation is all in order will ensure that your building process becomes so much easier. When deciding upon a builder for unique building needs, make sure your choice reflects the builders ability to assist you through the building documentation stage. Reputable builders realise that good documentation is equally as important as good craftsmanship and the quality of your building design will be reflected in the building documentation skills of your builder.

Good communication in the form of effective documents will be the best investment you can make, for your peace of mind and that of the people you deal with.

The Importance of Good Documentation = Great Job (30 KB)

It is the desire of current and potential home owners to persue the ideal of building a "dream home". After years of living in a house designed by other people, homeowners want to have their own ideas developed so that they can have the lifestyle that they wish for. So begs the question, “How can I build a dream home with confidence?”

There are many options available to the home owner and by talking to a competent builder ideas can be discussed and options developed.

Some of the initial questions that need to be answered are:

• Am I going to renovate
• Can I buy a block of land where I want to live
• If I can buy land, will it be big enough and in the right area
• What is the cost of pulling down and disposing of an old house on a desirable block of land
• What do I want to build
• What type of materials should I use
• What type of building would have good resale value
• Will my ideas be approved by council
• How much area do I want outside
• Do I want a pool
• Do I want a high maintenance garden

How do you find a trustworthy builder?

The experience of a builder who has been in the industry for many years is invaluable in deciding what, how and when to build a new home.

An absolute must is to use a builder who is a Registered Master Builder and a member of the Housing Industry Authority. When a builder who does not have these credentials is used, the home owner will have very little comeback should anything go wrong. If you want to build with confidence it is a good idea to eliminate any possible situations where you are not covered.

What is the builder going to be able to help you with?

Once a project is being started there will be many regulations to deal with and a myriad of decisions to make.

A qualified builder can help you through the maze of decisions that you will face. They can take you step-by-step through the process of building your dream home.

Here is a list of processes that you can do on your own, in conjunction with your builder or totally hand over to the builder:

• Budgeting
• Finance
• Council and other agency approvals
• Land selection
• Overall concept design
• Materials choice
• Plans creation
• Fittings selection
• Colour schemes
• Interior design
• Landscaping

By co-ordinating all these actions with an experienced builder you are eliminating the possibilities of mistakes. Mistakes that can sometimes cost thousands of dollars.

Building is an expensive business, so it pays to take all precautions possible when planning to build a new home. Taking the right steps to finding a good builder will allow you to build a dream home with confidence.

How To Build A Dream Home With Confidence (29 KB)

In recent years many new home buyers are looking to go ‘green’ with their new homes. There are quite a number of different design features needed when you are going to build a ‘green’ home and it pays to have a very good knowledge of what is needed because there are some quite strict regulations about what is ‘green’ and what is not.

There are indications that the request for a ‘green’ home is going to become more and more prominent as years go by and any builder worth their income will have researched exactly what to put in a ‘green’ home and how to design it so that all the best advantages are taken care of.

The design and products used are paramount to the success of owning and living in a ‘green’ home.

Building for temperature control

One consideration with building a ‘green’ home is finding the right block of land, or should I say finding a block of land that is facing in the right direction. The idea behind a ‘green’ home is not to use air conditioning or have heating, so it is important that the home is facing north to catch the winter sun and that the layout of the rooms within the house utilise the best use of the winter sun and also the summer breezes.

Window placement, size, structure and coverings also have significant impact on the home. Windows need to be large, allow good light, opening sufficiently to allow the breeze through the home, usually have double glazing and have window treatments that cut out the light at night.

What are other features of an eco friendly home?

• The use of environmentally friendly products
• A carefully designed home with northern aspect
• An outdoor living area protected from wind and rain
• Light coloured roof
• Cross ventilation throughout the house
• Solar heating, especially hot water
• Fully insulated ceilings and walls
• CFL lighting
• Living room facing north
• Garage not directly leading into the house
• Big eaves
• Water tanks

Planning an eco friendly home

If owning an eco friendly home is your dream then sit down with an experienced builder who will be able to talk to you about how a house can be designed to fall within the requirements of a ‘green’ home.

It is not all about the design when building it also comes down to the fact that eco friendly homes use building products that have reduced chemical emissions.

The cost to build a ‘green’ home can be substantially more initially but the savings can be huge over time. Savings are in the nature of power, water and very much in the healthier lifestyle experienced by the family. Another benefit that has not been mentioned either, is the fact that ‘green’ homes have a better than average resale value.

Employing A Builder To Build A ‘Green’ Home (27 KB)