A Guide on How to Build a Home from Scratch

Building a home is a fascinating endeavour, but if you are new to construction and don't know the ABC of building a home, it might be daunting because there are many factors to consider, like your location, budget, design and more. Hence, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the house construction process to know how to build a home.

Therefore, Brick&Bolt shares a detailed guide to building your house. This guide covers all the basic steps, including common issues when you build a custom home.

How To Build A Home?

The following is the step-by-step home-building processes:

1. Decide On a Budget

2. Find the Right Location

3. Arrange Financing

4. Finalise your Architect and Contractor

5. Decide on Your Home Design

6. Obtain Required Permits and Approvals

7. Determine your Construction Schedule

8. Construction Site Clearance and Preparation

9. Build the Foundation

10. Build the Superstructure

11.  Finishing of the Interior and Exterior

Let’s dive deeper into your home construction guide-

1. Decide On a Budget

A Budget is the first thing that you have to decide on, as it will help you prioritise your needs and allocate finances efficiently. In addition, you can clearly plan how much money you invest in construction to avoid exceeding financial limits.

To make a realistic budget, first, you have to decide on your built-up area, which means square footage. Then, select features and materials according to your requirements, such as ordinary, low-range, mid-range, luxurious, etc., because the cost of labourers and materials consists of a major amount of the overall budget. Along with these, you also have to consider necessary permits and approvals charges, as well as contractors' and architects' charges.

2. Find the Right Location

Location is the most important parameter, as it influences the costs of the property, materials, labourers and more. Hence, while selecting a location, it's crucial to check the neighbourhood connectivity to basic amenities like schools, hospitals, supermarkets, transportation, etc.

3. Arrange Financing

You need a considerable financial investment to build your home. Hence, to avoid any financial crisis, arranging your finances before you start the construction process is beneficial. So, explore all your options, compare interest rates, and select a financing solution that meets your requirements. You can also choose low-cost building materials and take advantage of the government’s house schemes to reduce your costs and manage your finances.

Government’s Housing Schemes!!! Sounds interesting, right… 

So, if you want to know more about these housing schemes, click on the link below and, along with the housing schemes, explore the low-cost construction techniques to reduce your overall construction costs.

How Do I Construct a Low-Cost House in India

4. Finalise Your Architect and Contractor

After deciding on a budget for building your dream home, it's time to finalise the architect and contractor to make your dream home real. Choose experienced and reputed architects and contractors for your project, as they play a major role in your home construction process. 

To research your potential architects and contractors, you  can conduct their interviews, check their portfolio, such as previous works and ongoing work, ask for references from friends and family, etc.  Make sure you land with the right professionals for your project, as they are responsible for the entire construction process, the quality of your construction and on-time completion of your project. Hence, we recommend you choose a reputed construction company like Brick&Bolt to complete your project without any hassle.

5. Decide on Your Home Design

Now, it's time for your most awaited process: choosing your dream home design. Your architect will definitely make the best home design plan or give you the best home design ideas as per your requirements, but you can give a personal touch to your dream home with your input. 

There are many home design ideas and styles to choose from, such as traditional, modern architecture, contemporary, minimalism, mid-century modern, etc. You can also explore your neighbourhood house designs and check out some architectural magazines for home design ideas. To find your inspiration, you can also scroll down some online platforms like Pinterest and Instagram and, along with it, check some construction companies' websites, as they also provide house floor plans and designs.

6. Obtain Required Permits and Approvals

After choosing your dream home design, you have to consider some legal criteria. You require the government's approval and permits like land clearance, zonal clearance, commencement certificate, etc., before starting your construction process. So, make sure you get all the required approvals to avoid any delay and legal issues

7. Determine your Construction Schedule

The construction schedule is the most important to keep everyone and everything on track during the entire home construction process. Simply put, scheduling is the process of planning and organising each construction activity, such as foundation laying, wall masonry, slab casting, etc., more systematically and efficiently. You can arrange the sequences of each activity; hence, you are able to know the exact time of each activity. 

In addition, you can maximise the use of your time and resources like materials, manpower and machinery by scheduling your project. You can track the progress of your dream home construction project.

8. Construction Site Clearance and Preparation

Once you decide on the budgeting, designing and scheduling, it's time to execute your plan. First, you have to get your land or site ready, where you will construct your home. The process of getting a site ready for an upcoming building is known as site preparation. This includes grading the land, compacting the earth, and clearing the construction site. 

It's crucial for future construction work as it establishes the groundwork for a successful and secure building project. If you fail to prepare your site properly, the construction work will be of low quality and not up to the necessary standards.

9. Build the Foundation

The foundation is the most important part of any building, as it supports the entire structure. Hence, make sure the foundation is laid correctly and as per the requirement given by your designer and architect to prevent problems like cracking and settling.

10. Build the Superstructure

After the successful completion of the foundation, it's time to move on to the construction of the superstructure. Superstructure means the building structure above the foundation, like your plinth, walls, roof, windows, doors, slab, etc. 

11.  Finishing of the Interior and Exterior

It's the final step of your construction. After completion of the structure construction, you need to complete the interior and exterior finishing. It includes the flooring, installation of plumbing and electrical systems, landscaping, painting, etc.

After completing all the construction process and interior and exterior finishes, check thoroughly your newly built home to make sure everything is properly done.

And,

Voila! You accomplished! 

Your dream home construction is completed. Now, it's time to celebrate your new home.

But, When you build a new home, along with these home-building tips, you must keep in mind that some common issues may arise.

Common Issues When Building a Custom Home

The following are the common problems which might arise when you build a home:

• Finding The Right Contractor

Finding the right contractor will be the first challenge in your home construction. Although you can find local contractors in every nook, how do you know if they are trustworthy for your life-long investment? Hence, make an informed decision when you select the one for your home construction. Try to follow all the steps mentioned above in the topic- ‘finalize your architect and contractor point’. Still, if you have any queries regarding how to choose a contractor, then please check out our detailed blog on Methods of selecting contractors.

• Misalignment of Your Design and Budget 

When your budget does not allow for all of your design's fancy features, then the best option is to modify it again. But how is it possible?

In reality, the best way to deal with this problem is to avoid it entirely. Most of the time, homeowners design their homes without ensuring that their budgets and plans are aligned with selected building designs. Hence, after finalizing the plan, if they receive a high estimate, it might be frustrating. 

So, in the design phase, make sure your design will match your budget to avoid any financial crunch during the construction process. In addition, you can finalize your construction materials and finishing materials at the same time when you decide on a home design to get an exact estimation...

• Delays in Obtaining Permits and Approvals

As we mentioned in the above process, home construction requires some permits and approvals, and that is necessary to avoid future obstacles. It might be the local government's approval or loan approval. Whatever it is, you need to be prepared with all the documents and NOCs to avoid any delays and penalties.

• Unexpected Cost and Delay

During the construction process, you might face uncertain cost increases and delays due to various reasons, such as market fluctuation, unfavourable weather conditions, natural disasters, etc.

So, you need to be prepared for it. You can keep 10% of the overall construction cost as a contingency amount for any unexpected cost hike and prepare yourself for some delays in the final completion date of the construction.

Conclusion

On a final note, home construction is a difficult process; you need to be very careful in researching, planning, and executing. But we hope this detailed guide on how to build your home will help you to make sure that your requirements and preferences for your dream home are met. To avoid any expensive blunders, always remember to prioritize your needs, stay within your budget, and collaborate with professionals like Brick&Bolt.