Building Your Own Home

So you want to build your own home. Building your own home is a great idea but if you have no experience at home construction talk to someone that has. Building your own home is not for the light hearted, it takes a lot of work and can be the most frustrating experience of your life. I have built five different houses for myself and have made major modifications to many homes that I have lived in. For the most part, I think I have seen or experienced it all when it comes to the trials and tribulations of building your own home. But building your own home can also be thrilling experience, just knowing that you did it yourself, that you built your own castle, is a fantastic reward in itself. If you have any building experience at all and in some cases none at all, you can be successful at building your own home as long as you have the desire, drive and get information that is readily available. Books, building trade professionals, and the code inspector in your town can provide valuable information to assist you. Don’t be shy; most of these people are more than willing to provide assistance.

1. Getting started is the first phase and frequently the first major stumbling block. Purchase land if you don't already own some. Find land or a building lot in a location where you prefer to live and will meet your needs for many years. Things to consider are; how far is it from work, shopping, and schools. Is the area in a growth stage or is it in decline. This is a particularly difficult question to answer but you can do some homework to find the answer. Review the area including tax assessment to determine if the home values appreciating or depreciating. Annual tax records are available at the town hall for every piece of real estate on line. The quality of local schools can be found online through the state department of education in most states.

2. Pay cash for the land. To get a construction loan from a bank you need to own the land as it will be the collateral for the construction mortgage. Stay away from land developers that will only sell you a building lot contingent on the seller building the house. Your interest in building your own home should include the ability to do it for less money than a builder can. You can usually save 30 - 40 percent of the cost of building your own home if you do it yourself even though you may have to subcontract part of the construction. Obviously the more you do yourself the more you will save. If you can’t purchase the land outright finance what you have too and pay it off before you attempt to get a construction loan. While you are waiting to pay off the land you can be planning, planning, and planning. Yes, building your own home takes a lot of planning. 

3. Look at house plans that will work for you, your dream house. Take in consideration your family size now and later. Many DIY home builders either over build or under build their first home. There may be four children in the family now but consider when they start moving on and what are you going to do with a large home that you don’t need a few years after you complete it.  If you want to save money, stay away from the architects, you really don’t need one.  Architect services are very expensive.  There are some great house plan resources on the internet. Go to Google and type in "home plans" and you will find more sources than you can handle of all types home designs and building plans. I have used Home and Garden three different times and have great success. You may not find the exact plan you want but you will most likely find a plan that can be adapted to what you want. You can purchase a building set of house plans, usually seven sets, for a few hundred dollars.  Study the plans and make alteration that suit your needs then take them to a building supplier.  He will work up a detailed material list for the basic structure.

4. Essentially you do the same thing with a prospective electrical and plumbing contractor. The site work to include the excavation, backfilling of the foundation, installation of a septic system (if needed) and final grading is done by excavating professionals that have all the equipment and licenses to perform site work. They too will offer estimates for the required work.

5. Decide whether to hire a builder or be an owner-builder yourself. The goal of being an owner builder is mainly to save money. You can save quite a bit of money if done correctly. However, some people are not meant to be owner-builders, as it takes a strong personality to manage contractors.  Usually builders work by the square foot. Avoid an hourly rate contractor because they have little incentive in getting the job done in a timely manner. Always insure that they have the proper licenses and liability insurance. Find a contractor that will permit you to work with them.  Be aware of unscrupulous contractors. Do your homework and only hire a contractor that comes with a favorable reputation.       

6.   After the site work in complete, the shell is up, the electric and plumbing ruffed in, it’s time for the sheet rock. Hire a sheet rock crew in the same way as you did the electrician and plumber. Get estimates and recommendations. Again sheet rock installers usually bid their work by material plus square foot to hang and finish it.

7. Now all you have left is the finish work; electric, plumbing, interior trim, paint and flooring. Most DIY homeowners do their own interior trim work, painting, tiling and installing hardwood flooring. None of these tasks are terribly difficult and there is a lot of free assistance on website such as this one that provide detailed instruction.

8. Keep in mind that building your own home can be a frustrating experience but in the end you can save yourself a lot of money, get the home you want, and enjoy the satisfaction that you did it yourself, well, with a little bit of help.

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