Making a decision to build your house from the ground up is the best thing to do in life. Building a new house as per your requirements has a lot of advantages over buying a pre-built house. Constructing your house means getting it customized from the scratch to fit your size.

But it is a decision which requires both financial and time investments. With such a complex process it takes a lot of planning and attention to details. It might be one of a kind of experience for you but it’s just another project for your contractor. Hence your involvement at every stage is essential.

Though building a house is an exciting experience at times it can be overwhelming. Knowing what to expect from start till the end of the project will help you get prepared. Here are 7 things you must take into consideration when building a new house-

1. Budget- You might have worked well on your financial aspects for building your house, but if you haven’t yet then allocate funds for your project in broader terms.

Houses are built in all sizes and so you might be tempted towards building something that goes out of your budget. However, with some thought on what you actually want in your house and how big or small it must be, you can make it work. Let your space be adequate to meet your needs while keep it just big enough to fit your wallet.

Building a house is an expensive affair and usually tends to run out of budget. This is due to factors like increase in costs of materials, rise in labor, your upgrading decisions or sometimes weather delay. Always add 10% extra to your budget or start by allocating only two-thirds of what you can actually afford.

2. Design– It’s just not enough to have an architect’s plan ready. Design is a personal affair and so make it that way. Do your homework and talk to your architect about your requirements. Plan every minor details and resolve any technical issues at this phase itself to avoid them popping up in future. This will also refrain you from presenting ideas to your contractor in the construction phase which’ll add to costs and time-lapse.

3. Material- A variety of materials and a lot of them goes into construction of your house. Deciding on the best construction supplies which suits your design and pocket can be challenging. The key here is to think of long-lasting material that are also beneficial in saving resources over a period of time. Go green and include natural building materials like bamboo or natural stones for flooring, clay hollow bricks or insulated bricks for non-weight bearing walls, paints with low or no-VOC, etc. They make your house environmentally friendly and contributes to well-being of the residents.

4. Electrical peripherals – Building house is such a complicated project that you can fail to look at minor details and positioning electrical peripherals is one of them. Take note of your small and big, regular and occasional activities involving electrical appliances. Consider peripherals on terrace and exteriors required for those party nights, for hair dryer that you may want to kept plugged in permanently inside the bathroom cabinets, in your kids rooms for all those gadgets they might use in future, etc.

5. Exterior- Home entrance is the one that sets the aesthetic tone and so you may want it to make alluring by choosing a well designed front door. Windows comes next as they play a big role in the appearance of your house. They also contribute in energy conservation depending upon their position and the type of material used. The type of compound wall you want for enclosed premises like concrete blocks, fencing, etc. also adds to the look and security of the house. Pick the ones that go well with your lifestyle and overall outer design.

6. Roofing- Roofing material of your house can make or break your architectural look. Wood shingles, metal roofing, cement tiles, clay tiles, etc. are the available options to choose from. However, it’s better to go for natural roofing material like clay tiles since they help you save energy resources and also stand the test of time.

7. Landscaping- Landscaping can actually turn your house into a home. Keep your working plan ready for landscaping. Though it makes sense especially if you are tight with budget to take it later, some of the things like fixtures for sprinklers or irrigation system if laid before hand works best. A well thought through garden can even help you decide your exterior colours to compliment the pattern of your garden.

Your involvement at every stage of building the house is essential from choosing the material to deciding on the placements of rooms and designing. Constructing a house can be quiet a task but its all worth it if you can keep the workflow constant and finish smoothly without shocks and surprises.

Authored by Building Experts from Wienerberger India

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