Building a house - where to start?

Silkie

Hi,
I'm hoping to build but at the moment I'm at the very beginning in so far as I have my site soon to be(family) and enough cash to (hopefully) secure a mortgage for the total build.

So... what is the very first thing I will need to do??

I'm hoping some veterans on here will bestow me with the knowledge needed to get me started. (step-by-step guide anyone??:o)

Thanks

muffler

Moved to C & P forum

Slig

Talk to an Architect or Architectural Technician first, They will let you know what to do.

The most important thing they will be able to tell you will be if the land you have is a site or a field. If the land is in an area where development is not allowed (conservation area, zoned for a land use other than residential etc.) doesnt have adequate soil quality to allow on-site treatment of waste, isnt the required minimum site area, cant achieve adequate sight lines at the entrance or if you dont have a valid housing need then the land is only fit for agricultural purposes.

gear_ie

We were in the same boat as you back in January.

We started by picking an Architect - we did this by meeting with 5 archs in the area (who are RIAI registered, local arch is better as they should have a good relationship with the local planning authority). Once the arch was picked we had him visit the proposed site to see if he could think of any reason we wouldn't get planning. He then visited the planners office to meet the planner to see what planning conditions / restrictions may be imposed on the site. So as Slig said get an Arch...

Have you transferred the site into your name yet? Bear in mind the Stamp Duty / tax implications of transferring the site into your name. If the Arch sees no reason (he/she should have a better idea after the meeting with the planner) that you would not get planning you should transfer the land into your name before you go for planning. This allows you to value the site as agricultural (that's what our proposed site was zoned as) which in turn lowers the cost of stamp duty.

Silkie

Thanks for the replies, have a million questions flying round my head since last posting so bear with me, I might be here a lot with more!

Gear, how did you decide on the architect to go for?

We've just been looking at plans online to get an idea what we would like/not like in terms of the type of house we would like to build before we go making any appointments to meet arch's, etc.

Also, at what point in the planning will a budget be drawn up for the cost of the build? (approximate or otherwise) You know, just to give us some idea how far into this we get before knowing where we stand financially. It all seems very up in the air at the minute this building business!

Catch 22 I suppose, we want to build, how much will it cost us, we have to start the ball rolling to find out, do we end up back at square one after finding out it's way outside our range...

gear_ie

Silkie wrote: »

Gear, how did you decide on the architect to go for?

We visited a number of architects and had a look at their portfolios, we used a number of factors to base our decision on:

1. Design Philosophy & previous build - what he/she had done previously and if we liked the look of them
2. Price - if they can quote a fixed price or not
3. Local Knowledge - how well they understood the local planning process / requirements
4. Personality - if we got on with him/her.

HTH

Tefral

My advice would also be to get a Quantity Surveyor when you have the drawings finalised and get him/her to do up a Bill of Quantities and Tender the job to suitable Contractors. You could pick as many as you want but 5 is the norm.

It will be an extra expense at the start but it will be well worth it they will definitely save you money.

The other piece of advice I will give you is: If your building a garage, build that first! You will be able to store all your construction related equipment and materials there during the build. If your going down the Contracting route this obviously takes a lesser importance as the Contractor will drop a container on site usually.

Silkie

Would that still apply if we are not going down the contractor route?

Open to correction but with a build, are you not getting rode on the details when you go with a contractor rather than hiring seperate people for the specific elements of the build?

gear_ie

Silkie wrote: »

Also, at what point in the planning will a budget be drawn up for the cost of the build? (approximate or otherwise) You know, just to give us some idea how far into this we get before knowing where we stand financially. It all seems very up in the air at the minute this building business!

Catch 22 I suppose, we want to build, how much will it cost us, we have to start the ball rolling to find out, do we end up back at square one after finding out it's way outside our range...

We will be using a contractor so we gave our Arch a budget and he designed the plans to suit the budget. He is aware of how much a house will cost to build in our area so should be able to give you an idea from the start of what size of a house for an approximate figure.

Silkie

gear_ie wrote: »

We will be using a contractor so we gave our Arch a budget and he designed the plans to suit the budget. He is aware of how much a house will cost to build in our area so should be able to give you an idea from the start of what size of a house for an approximate figure.

Are all the associated costs taken into consideration when having a budget drawn up? ie, council tax, percolation tests, etc, etc

gear_ie

Silkie wrote: »

Are all the associated costs taken into consideration when having a budget drawn up? ie, council tax, percolation tests, etc, etc

The tests, council taxes, arch fees etc are all outside the scope of our budget, our budget is for the build only, but if you wish you can get your Arch to include them as part of the budget. Bear in mind though that when going for mortgage that the lender may only lend you the cost of the build.