Moving into a new home is a joyous occasion everyone deserves to experience at least once in a lifetime. No matter how old you are and how many times you’ve changed homes before, moving into a new one is always a new beginning, and it’s a thing you need to celebrate. However, finding the right home is quite a challenge, and finding the perfect one is even harder. This is why lots of people decide to build a house instead of purchase one. This project is tricky, long, and complex, and it will prove to be the ultimate test for your DIY skills. So, if you too are thinking about building a home that will tick all your boxes and turn out to be perfect, here are a few things you should do yourself, as well as some you definitely shouldn’t.
Do it yourself: create a layout and define the budget
These two things might not seem like the most important issues when you’re building a home from scratch, but they’re quite vital. They’re also things that depend only on you and your own wishes, so don’t be afraid to take an active role in solving them. Start by figuring out a layout that will suit you the most. This depends on the number of people in your family and your personal preferences, but be sure to give everyone enough living, maneuvering, and storage space. Be sure to consult your partner and your kids, and try to respect everyone’s wishes as much as you can. That’s particularly true for shared spaces such as the living room and the kitchen because more than one person is going to be using them, so this needs to be a group decision.
When it comes to defining your budget, you have to take a few things into consideration. Be sure to know exactly how much money you’ve got and how much you can afford to spend. Don’t be afraid to go all-in – particularly if you’re building a big house – but don’t spend every cent you have either. You’ll have to include a number of items in your budget, from various permits and demolition papers to materials and appliances. Finally, you need to learn a few things about your mortgage and stick to your budget as much as you can, and don’t spend money on things you don’t really need, or your building project won’t be successful at all.
Don’t do yourself: prepare the site
Unless you’ve already done this before and know exactly what you’re doing, preparing the site for building a home isn’t something you should be doing yourself. This is a process that should be done by professionals only, even if you think you know what needs to be done. This is something homeowners across the world, from Australia to Canada, know and do, so you should be doing that as well.
This is particularly important if you’re building a new house where your old one used to be. In that case, demolishing an existing property takes a ton of work, energy, and time. This is why the aforementioned Australian homeowners prefer leaving this job to professionals in knock down rebuild from Sydney who can do everything for them. From demolishing the existing property to building a brand new one, these people know what to do, so hiring experts is definitely the way to go.
Do it yourself: pouring footings and foundations
This is the next step in your process, and even though it looks like the hardest job in the world, it actually isn’t. Pouring concrete footings and foundation is just one of the things you could probably do yourself, even if you’re a layperson. You just need to learn the basics and know what needs to be done, and you’ll be able to get started in no time at all.
Of course, this is easier to do if you have someone with proper knowledge there to help you. Reliable contractors and builders know how to dig trenches, check for dimensions, and pour concrete for footings themselves. So, gathering a group of friends who can help you do complete this project would be a good idea, especially if one of these friends has some contracting experience. That way, you’ll make sure your footings and foundations are up to code and professionally poured, and that’s basically the only way to create a home that’s safe and structurally sound.
Even though these things sound like too much work for someone who isn’t a professional, they’re actually not. Yes, you will have to pay attention to what you’re doing and how you’re handling things around your construction, but that’s just what you have to do when you’re building a home on your own. And if you manage to follow all of these instructions, you’ll create a memorable and unique home you’ll enjoy every day of the week.
