Building Your Own Home

Although building your own home can seem like an overwhelming task, more people are rising to the challenge of doing so. Numerous benefits are derived for those who have the determination and stamina to finish the job.

Reasons to build your own home are many. It allows creative control over every detail from design to the last kitchen cabinet knob. You can build the house of your dreams, adding rooms and features that someone else may not have thought of. If you have always dreamed of a commercial sized kitchen then it can be yours with no trouble at all. Prefer a mudroom to a back porch? That can be accomplished with a few pencil strokes.

Another benefit of building a home yourself is the control that you have over the quality of materials used. With your oversight over every step of the process, you will know the studs used in the walls are top notch and the electrical wiring is done properly. Every fixture in the home will be the material and quality that you choose.

Cost is a consideration as well. Often people choose to build their home to save money. Depending on how much construction experience you have, and what you can do for yourself, you could save thousands of dollars. At the very least, the home will not normally cost more than other homes of the same size. In fact, building your own home can save you as much as 45 percent over the cost of a ready built home.

Like anything else, there is a logical order to building a home yourself. Here are the basic steps to follow:

1. Find the financing you will need.
2. Find a property that you like.
3. Design the house.
4. Get the permits.
5. Bring utilities on site.
6. Excavate the area.
7. Lay the foundation.
8. Purchase building materials.
9. Put up the house.
10. With the help of your contractor find electricians, heating and air conditioning professionals, and plumbers.
11. Put up drywall and insulation.
12. Finish the ceilings.
13. Paint and put up trim.
14. Install the cabinetry and countertops.
15. Finish the floors.
16. Choose and install the lights.
17. Add the driveway and walkways.
18. Finish the landscaping.

One option to consider is a kit home. These are homes that come to you in a complete package, leaving you to put them together on site. The kit home is not a new innovation. Sears, Montgomery Wards, Aladdin, and many other companies sold kit homes in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Many beautiful, vintage foursquare style homes and bungalows were constructed from the popular kit homes of that era.

There are three basic types of kit homes:

• Log homes
• Timber frame homes
• Domes

Each of these offer different benefits as well as negative points. A little research will help you decide if a kit home is a good choice for you.

Once you have decided on building a home you will need to hire a general contractor. While you will still have all the control, he will be the one to manage the various people involved and handle the problems that arise. A good, experienced general contractor is worth his weight in gold.

Some of the responsibilities of the general contractor are:

• Check for permits and inspections that might be required.
• Oversee the quality of the subcontractors' work.
• Make sure that the subcontractors are there when they say they will be.
• Scheduling subcontractors.
• Getting competitive bids.
• Checking to make sure that the work is completed on time.
• Handling problems.
• Checking warranties.
• Can often foresee problems and keep them from happening.
• Knows the building codes.

There are thousands of websites on the Internet to help you with your homebuilding project.

• Small Blue Printer is an interactive website that allows you to design your home and then use various tools to see it in 3-D and do a virtual walk though. This is a great tool to help you visualize what those blueprints will actually look like.
• HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website has articles about homebuilding.
• Build Your Own Timberframe Home is a website with lots of information and images.

You can build your own home. It is frustrating, time consuming and sometimes seems endless but the results are worth it. Building a home is an experience that you will never forget. Whether you choose to build off grid or in the middle of a high profile neighborhood, building your own house is a rewarding experience.

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