If you are thinking about building your own home Garden Beet suggests
1. Put your feet up,
2. Grab a wine; and
3. Watch Grand Designs.
Notice the drama? Was the home owner getting a house built or undergoing some type of personal therapy?
If you have the money ready to spend on a new home there is a need to question how involved you wish to become in the construction process.
Building your own home can soon become a catalyst for disaster if you are ill prepared. As an experienced professional in the construction industry I issue approximately 10 red warning cards to friends who look starry eyed when they state ‘one day we are going to build’.
Why? It is complicated, stressful and it can cost you money.
To succesfully manage the build of your home (with minimal drama) you really need:
An understanding of the various building techniques required to construct a COMPLETE building
An understanding of the latest building, planning and environmental legislation to ensure you have covered all your legal obligations.
An established professional and trade network
Even if you are the brightest spark in the boardroom and you are able to pick up the building knowledge quickly you are still probably missing one vital ingredient: networks.
Why do you need networks?
A reliable network is required to give you a relatively stress free build project. Unless you are undertaking every part of the building process yourself there will be a need to engage specialists such as plumbers, electricians and so on. These people can make your project either a success or a failure.
If a service (or a building material) is not delivered on time the knock on effects can add up. Project delays cost money.
You do not want the concrete truck hanging around the front of your property for 3 hours because the under floor heating has not been connected due to the electrician being delayed.
Like it or not the various trades and professionals will have their own timelines and their own agendas. This can present a huge problem for small owner builders, particularly if time is critical and budgets are tight.
The best trades people tend to align themselves to a builder who can provide a steady stream of work. Your small one off project is unlikely to bring them long term work and long term work buys reliability.
Do you still have lofty dreams of building your home? Great go for it. We look forward to seeing you on television.
This article was written by Garden Beet Ltd and commissioned by the London Builders THservices.
THservices offer a complete design and construct service in the London area and can be contacted on 0800 033 7391.
