A dream project - Home sweet home

I am panning to build a house for myself and my family and this will be an additional house apart from the one I already own. I have an estimate of what I want to include in my new house like everyone else but I also know that most of us do not know but fail to understand that every choice that we made will have an impact on our dream project. That prompted me to go for a further research in house building and while I was busy doing that the idea hit me to share the finer points with you, probably these will help you while making your own house. All those willing to build their own house must have an understanding of construction process and the basics involved.

Generally, when people plan to build a house for their family, they take it for a simple task, which starts with purchasing a piece of land and finishing with interior decor but it is way much more than that. House building is a highly technical job, you should hand over to a professional if you have slightest doubt in your own ability to handle it yourself. If you are in planning stage of construction of your house before giving it to an architect, you should keep the following points in your mind- 

A- You should have your design according to your budget that is one most important point to keep in mind unless you wish to go an unsatisfactory finish which is ultimate end of unplanned expenditure on buildings. As they say, it is easier to draw lines on piece of a paper than building rooms and boundries on piece of a land. Draw those lines carefully. 

B- You shall agree that even if you took every precaution to make your designs and budgeted it carefully there will be a need to change your decisions but fewer the changes lesser the impact of changes on your budget so plan carefully in the beginning itself to effect least changes, that will save you lot of money. Every change is associated with cost and time; reduce them as much as possible.

C- Plan your covered area carefully as per your actual needs and while at planning stage keep your age and family in mind. Always think of your future requirements at this stage itself because additions not only ruin the looks of your original building but alterations cost you a fortune as well.

D- Plan your building according to weather conditions of the area, you should keep direction, material and designs of windows and doors accordingly. A rainy area needs different designs than an area that sees lot of sun.

E- You must know that the quality of material is important but you should spend according to your budget because this is one area, where you can see your budget go out of your hands. A good architect keeps your expenditure well within limit but you should take a random market survey to see what you can buy best for your money. A good seat in your toilet may cost you Rs. 2000 or a little fancy one, Rs 5000 but three of such seats in your house will make a difference of Rs 9000 in the end. You have hundreds of such items making big difference if you will only loose your grip on expenses not staying by within your fixed budget.

F- You should be very careful while selecting timber for your dream house because timber is not only costly but comes in varied range of qualities. You need an expert to help you select right kind of wood because this is one item, which can give you many sleepless nights later. Timber and woodwork needs your special attention. Timber is not only better than steel but takes lesser efforts and time if you need changes in future.

G- We can continue on points about what we should do or should not do but the most important point we must keep in our mind is the ‘factor of time’. You should always keep time factor in mind because it can send your planning out of budget, therefore keep a sharp eye on time management, if you can finish your project on time bound schedule it will save you lot of money from being over budget. Time is directly proportionate to cost in such projects. In addition, making specifications for all your needed items and having their prices in your bag will help your cause to keep cost and time under control. 

H- Have your papers ready before starting your project and keep detailed information with support documents of expenditure you make on your house because it will come in handy for different legal purposes in future.  

Look for good professional architect

Now, before I tell you about other points regarding precautions you must take while planning your dream house, let us discuss a few other points which I am sure you know very well but all of us forget but we should take good care. It is about the selection of a good architect who knows his job and utilizes his professional knowledge and experience to best of his ability because you are going to spend the best part of your savings and future earnings on your dream project. 

I am sure you cannot leave your dream in mature hands. The market is full of people with unprofessional approach who talk big before commencing a project but carry it out most unsatisfactorily. If you think that you can plan your house with the help of a draftsman, I am not sure if you can get the same results what you will get by appointing an experienced architect who knows his job. Moreover, most architects provide a bundled offer that includes all inclusive program beginning from earthwork to interior decoration. 

Therefore, a good architect may cost you at panning stage but he will help save you lot of money at construction stage. You should not repeat the mistake most people do, never higher a failed professional because he will cost you lesser in the beginning but factually he will cost you lot more than he will save you on retainers.