My Home my palace

‘Why live in someone else’s dream house when you can design and build one of your own even if it is not a palace but a humble abode ‘ , this is what a couple known to me was telling me when they bought a plot to build a house. Building your own house is the most satisfying adventure in life and the final touch will be the unique satisfaction of living in a house that is designed and built by you.

However, building a home is not at all easy since it involves several considerations and procedures and one has to analyse it from different angles because of the time, effort and the expenditure involved. In fact even the architects complain about the difficulty in making plans because the personal values of inhabiting a place as imagined by a client are often out of sync with those of the Architect, who has his or her own ideas as to how his or her client should occupy space based on his(her) concept. Another reason for the prevalence of whim of an Architect over the choice of his/her client, is the fact that most of the time the client is not able to clearly define his or her needs , so that the architect is able to put it on paper or carry it out.

Incidentally , you also may not have the required time and patience to build a home and may plan to buy an apartment or a readily built house which is also not an easy job. Either way you have to have some knowledge about what actually is involved. Building a new home begins long before the foundation is poured. By taking some precautionary measures one can try and avoid any costly mistakes during the construction process that is not easy to rectify at a later stage or may involve much more expenditure. There is an old saying that the two most difficult things in life are getting married and building a house. 

Since building your dream home is not easy , start with these important steps that help you plan your dream house project . As you move from dream house to real house, be sure to ask questions and make notes of the progress just so that you get a fair idea about all the procedures that are involved for future refernce and also becomes a record of sorts .

1. Money definitely matters - This is the most important factor as we all know. Plan Your Budget, begin by thinking about how much you can afford to spend and how much your new home is likely to cost. Chances are you will have to pool in all your financial resources and may also need a construction loan and a mortgage. It's never too early to find out what size of loan you qualify for and also the procedures involved since some of them take a lot of time. Also, knowing the approximate costs will help you modify your building plans to meet your budget.

2. Finding the house site or plot- Whether you are planning to build your home in a suburban development or a site with sweeping ocean or mountain views, you will almost always need to choose the land before you select floor plans or other details. You are lucky if you have inherited some ancestral plot on which you can plan building your home, otherwise you have a great task ahead of you in looking for the right sized plot. You will need to investigate factors such as soil condition, drainage, zoning and building codes in the region and also legal viability which is very important. Don’t proceed or take any major decisions without consulting an advocate at this stage and thereafter too .

3. Assess and get a team ready – Now you'll need a team of experts to design and construct your house. The prominent and the key players will include a builder, an excavator, a surveyor and a home designer or an architect. Many homeowners begin by selecting the builder or contractor and these days once you do that most of your headache is gone since most builders have their own team of worksmen who come in it different stages of the building process. If one were to organise these various craftsmen involved in the building process it would be a tedious task starting from the scratch. However, one should be aware that your building costs go up by a certain percentage when professional architect is engaged , but you can stay stress free to a great extent.

4. Making a plan or blueprint - Many new homes are built using stock plans from a catalog that almost all the architects have with them. The builder or a home designer may make minor modifications with regard to the exteriors, the room size, window style or other details .However, if you want to be different and are not satisfied with what is available you could go for a custom-designed home, which will be created on your specifications for you and your family. Here the services of a licensed architect is required.

However, whether you opt for a stock plan or get a custom design, you will be wise to choose a plan that will meet your requirements keeping the future years and changing needs in mind. The above mentioned points are just the basic facts that need to be kept in mind while planning to construct a building or a house , but there are many more requirements and things that need to be looked into all of which are as important .

Points that needs to be kept in mind while buying a ready made house or building a house.

1. Choose a house or building plan that is most suited to your site – Ideally when you plan to build a house , your plan should fit into the characteristics of your land. It's always better to make the house fit into the land rather than try to make the land fit the house. Also, the size and shape of your plot greatly affects the type of home you can build on the lot.

2. Be open-minded while making plans -It's important to be open-minded when looking at houses or looking through building plans. By doing this, you'll learn things you never knew about. Over a period of time, your dream home will also probably evolve and change as you add on or delete certain features. If you too are like most other people who would rather go with the flow, you will probably buy a plot or an apartment that is different from what you thought you wanted, such is the convincing power of some of the real estate agents. Don't quickly discard houses or apartments. You will have a better understanding of what you want by taking a close look at many houses and apartments .

3. Exterior of a house is easy to change - Some people will decide to take a look at any house depending on its appearance. However, it is wise to bear in mind that the exterior of a can easily be changed. The changes to an exterior can be so dramatic that you won't realize you are looking at the same house. By using different windows or even making them larger or smaller, modifying the roof line and adding a balcony or a slanting roof one can change the entire look of a house. So don't judge a home by its appearance. It's the inside that really matters since you'll spend most of your leisure time inside your home.

4, Getting planning permissions -Almost all major changes to your home, such as an extension or conversion if you want , need consent including of course a new construction where the process is much more elaborate. However, there are some changes like the internal renovations where the exterior of the building does not get altered, for which you don't need planning permission from the local authorities. When it is an apartment that you plan to buy , you have to carefully get the building plan provided by the builder checked through a professional architect.

To seek planning permission when it is a case of a new building, you need to apply to your local planning authority, detailing the plan and improvements or renovations , if it is a case of an older house which you are planning to add on to. If the planning permission application is in line with the local authority’s plans for developments, you can usually expect to receive planning permission within eight weeks, of course this is what the rules say, but be prepared to wait longer.

5, First home or starter homes –Many people like to build just a small house in their plot and add on later just to save on costs.. When you plan to do that make sure that you have a plan that's easy to expand so you don't need to move if your needs grow. Starter plans can also work as vacation house plans or second homes in later years when you opt for a larger house. It can also be a source of constant income. I know of people who have moved back into their starter homes after their children grew up and left home to make their own living and life.

Different steps involved in building your dream House

1. Being sure – be absolutely sure before you plan to go in for a new home or construct a new house. It is important to consider it from every angle because you don't want to go through all the complicated procedures and get disillusioned in the end if things don't work out.

2. Finding the Land or house site - When you decide that you need a house, you need to find an appropriate and conveniently located land. If you are shown a piece of land that you don't like but are being sweet talked by a pushy real estate agent don't buy it, because it might not be the shape that you want, or it might not be the right place for your dream house. Either way, make sure that you are totally convinced and have taken everything into consideration .

No doubt that it is a good idea to take the help of a real estate agent since it saves many headaches for you and also running around. But before deciding to go ahead get the land documents thoroughly examined through your advocate. You have to make sure that the land is really owned by the owner as mentioned in the documents . There have been several cases where some people try to cheat the buyer, and sell land that isn't theirs, sometimes to many customers.

3. Taking the help of an Architect – Since it is the architect who designs your house it may be a good idea to take him or her along to take a look at the plot so that he or she is able to mentally envisage the proportions , when he is convinced that it is a good site for planning a house, you too can rest assured that you have got a good bargain. The architect of course takes care of all basic requirements like surveying the land and drawing up the plan and blueprint.

Generally an architect makes a Flow Diagram ( that allows you to get the feeling of how the entire house will flow) Like for example, it will show you that if you go to the left in one direction, you will be in the living room or dining or a veranda, or if you go to the right, you may get to the kitchen or a guest bedroom.

4. The building Plans - These include Working Drawings (which explains how the house looks and functions when everything fits together) and The Plot Plan ( which is the  first drawing done by the architect which shows the builder where the house will be located within the property ) and The Floor Plans ( A second drawings done by the architect to show the different openings, walls and the sizes of the rooms).

5. Electricity and Plumbing plans - Normally the electric plan needs to be carefully drawn with the help of the owner of the house as to where they need electrical points and for what purpose and the electrician has to put the wires in the building before the walls get the final touches done. So also the Plumbing Plans for installing the pipe lines in the building.

6. Specifications – Deciding on aspects like the type of doors, bathroom fixtures, and kitchen appliances that go into the house and making room for them is also very important. This sometimes takes lot of planning and synchronization , but if done a with written plans it gives a full explanation of the building.

The Concept of a Green Building

 This option is being considered by more and more architects and builders these days because of its very nature and concept. First of all it is environmental friendly using far less water, optimising energy efficiency at the same time managing to conserve natural resources. Green buildings are also equipped to generates less waste and provides healthier and more open spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional building which is planned anyhow most of the time. However, unless the builder takes care and is committed, there can be shoddy jobs done in the name of Green building. 

What is it that makes a building "Green"?

A green building is normally referred to a structure that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout its life-cycle.. Green buildings are designed with the sole objective of reducing the overall impact of the environment within the building on human health and the natural environment .

A few points

1. The main purpose of having a green building is to reduce and also use energy, water, and other resources in a much more efficient manner. It also reduces pollution and environment degradation. Just to give an example, - green buildings normally incorporate sustainable materials in their construction like reused, recycled or made from renewable materials thereby creating a healthy indoor environment. This is done with bare minimum pollution featuring landscaping methods that reduce water usage. Such buildings also make use of lots of greenery especially native plants that require very little water.

2. We may not realise this, but buildings have an enormous impact on the surrounding environment, on our health as well as the economy of a country. According to most modern day builders adopting the concept of green building strategies can definitely enhance both the economic and environmental performance of any given building.

3. Researchers have been making efforts to identify and clarify the benefits and costs of green building, and its importance in the present scenario of increased environmental pollution since it is able to achieve the greatest benefits at the lowest costs.

4. Green building norms practice the conservation of energy and water resources, preserve open spaces and are accessible to public transportation. There have been cases when even this aspect has been looked into carefully even before the construction and the local authorities too had been brought into the picture to make the necessary arrangements when there are multiple complexes that need public transportations on a large scale.

So it is in the interest of everybody that you go in for a green building when you plan to construct your dream house. The benefits are enormous all round. The construction phase of the home building process is an exciting when all your dreams and plans come to fruition. Finally , although a successful execution of a building plan requires a joint effort by the builder and the others who become part of the process , it also requires your active participation at every single stage , because ultimately it is you and your family who will be living there.