The more thoroughly a building project is planned, the cheaper the house can become, the more comfortable a family can feel later.

Building Your Own Home

1. Preparation

Do we want to build an inexpensive house now to start owning it, or should it be the house for life? How much space do we need today, how much in ten years – these are crucial questions.

The more precisely the house is planned in advance, the more competently you can hold discussions with house manufacturers and more easily choose the right house.

What can we afford?

The desire to have your own four walls leads many people to take great financial risks. You calculate the costs nicely and calculate the next two salary increases in the financing. If they fail to appear, it quickly becomes critical.

Therefore, use a very sharp pencil: How much money do you need for living expenses, insurance, the car and as a reserve for the repair of the washing machine?

On the other hand, list the cost of the house you want to buy. Here, too, you should plan for reserves for the unforeseen and the ancillary construction costs, which can amount to more than 10,000 euros.

How much own work is possible?

Many builders trust themselves too much – and only find out on the construction site what they are not able to achieve. Then tradesmen who have to pay dearly for that have to step in. So the house can definitely become cheaper if the builder works less on it.

So the first question for him is: Are your skills really big enough to keep building going at the pace like paid artisans? Are there helpers whose commitment to help is beyond doubt? And: are there emergency reserves to have the construction project completed by paid craftsmen?

2: Planning

In the past, stone-on-stone houses were considered “real” houses. A prejudice that fortunately is slowly dying out. The prefabricated construction actually has advantages, for example in terms of thermal insulation. The generally better deadline security and more precise cost calculation also speak for a prefabricated house. So better not consider the decision as a matter of belief. The price-performance ratio and the reliability of the provider are clearly more important. So visit reference objects!

A well-thought-out and planned floor plan primarily decide on well-being within your own four walls. Remember that children’s rooms are not too small, because they are bedrooms, playrooms, and workrooms.

The building services

For most builders, home automation is a book with seven seals. It goes without saying that electricity, water, and heat are available at all times. And the necessary lines and technical equipment either disappear in the wall or in the basement. You should devote your full attention to this area because it has a decisive share in operating and follow-up costs. You can already ensure that your home can be made compatible with future technologies.

Don’t forget to plan the building services perfectly too. The ever increasing energy prices can quickly explode your operating costs. Make your house fit for the future!

3. Financing

It is easy to compare the terms of different mortgage lenders on the internet. Pay attention to restrictions such as lending limits and additional costs such as commitment interest. It is best to have written offers made and go to your house bank.

Mortgage or home loan?

The low-interest rates and moderate repayment, usually one percent of the total amount per year, speak in favor of the mortgage. This keeps the monthly burden low. The advantage of the home loan: As a rule, seven percent of the loan is repaid annually, which means a significantly faster debt relief of the property and thus significantly reduces the total cost of financing.

A mix of both types is good, as building society loans are subordinated to the land register.

4. The building project

A house consists of so many individual elements that defects can creep in almost anywhere and at any time. Even a well-informed builder can hardly stop it. You should therefore hire an independent appraiser or construction supervisor. Its existence ensures that the craftsmen put more effort into it.

What to do if there are defects?

Even after the most careful acceptance, defects can occur in a new building: hidden defects on the roof, for example, which are only revealed during the first storm. In order not to lose any claims for repair services, you should always make a complaint immediately, by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt and it’s helpful to add an image of the defects. You may use any camera to take images (Read reliable polaroid camera reviews). Set a reasonable deadline for rectification. If the defect can result in consequential damage, you must act immediately. Then you can – and you have to! – Have another craftsman repair the damage if the cause is not immediately available.