Where to start building a house, preparation and next steps

More and more people prefer living in their own home - in the suburbs, away from the bustle of the city. And although this choice is justified by the presence of undeniable advantages - relaxing in your own garden, playing with children in the fresh air, barbecuing with friends and other joys of private home ownership, initially you have to go through the pleasant, but still significant, chores associated with building a house. Therefore, it is not surprising that the decision to start building a private home is an important stage in the life of any family.

It is completely unfounded, thinking where to start building a house, many take the preparation of the construction site and laying the foundation for the zero cycle. In practice, this is just the "tip of the iceberg", because before the immediate start of construction, a large amount of preparatory work will have to be done, on which the success of the entire enterprise largely depends. In addition to obtaining the necessary permits, each stage of construction is required to be worked out, which will help avoid future problems, for example, with uncomfortable stairs and a swampy vegetable garden.

A long way from solution to implementation

Preparatory stage of construction

At this stage, several important issues will have to be resolved: choose a site for construction, determine its budget, select a project, obtain a building permit and select a contractor. All questions are of equal importance, each will have to be given enough attention.

Buying a plot

When choosing and buying land for a new home, they pay attention to both legal and practical nuances. The procedure is accompanied by the execution of many documents, so it is advisable to involve a trusted intermediary - a realtor or a lawyer.

It is impossible to decide how to build a house correctly without a detailed inspection of the site on which the work will be carried out, and ideally everything starts with finding land for construction. Since the comfort of future life directly depends on the location of the site, when choosing the latter, they are guided by several criteria:

Features of the site. Not only the area is taken into account, but also the relief. A site on a slope will require additional financial investments for planning and earthworks, the construction of retaining walls.

A complex area dictates the rules for the location of the house

Owner's (seller's) documents. It is necessary to verify their authenticity and correct filling (in the given dimensions).
Location. The proximity to civilization, the quality of access roads, the presence of public transport stops, the ecological situation (hazardous industries located nearby) are taken into account. It is important to find out if there is a swamp, sewage treatment plant or landfill nearby.
Infrastructure. The availability of utilities is assessed (it is better to obtain detailed information from the management company).
Additional possible expenses. Perhaps there are dilapidated capital buildings on the site that are subject to demolition, or groundwater runs high, which means that an effective drainage system will have to be built.

This and other useful information can be obtained from the owners of neighboring land plots, as well as from the administration of the settlement.

Experienced people who know how to build a private house correctly, experts advise making a request to the appropriate institutions about the possibility of connecting to existing engineering networks. Otherwise, an unexpected ban will become a serious problem.

Geodetic surveys provide a comprehensive assessment of the conditions of the territory for further construction

When the place for the construction of the house is finally selected, activities are carried out to facilitate the work:

Geological and geodetic surveys, topographic survey of the area are carried out. The result will be information on the composition of the soil and the depth of groundwater, which will help to adapt the foundation of a typical project for specific conditions. If there is construction on the ground, it will have to be tied to the existing foundation and, possibly, strengthened.
After the purchase, the site is fenced off.
In order not to pollute most of the land with construction waste, it is necessary to determine a place for storing waste, mixing concrete, incinerating waste, as well as access for construction equipment.

Video description

How to minimize losses when building a house on video:

On our site you can find contacts of construction companies that offer. You can communicate directly with representatives by visiting the Low-Rise Country exhibition of houses.

What to build a house from

Choosing the right material is a topic for a separate detailed discussion. Any material, whether brick, wood, sandwich panels, foam or aerated concrete, has a set of individual properties. These qualities can manifest themselves both positively and negatively, depending on the context of use.

When choosing a material, local conditions (climate, topography) and economic arguments are decisive factors. The latter often conflict with the desire to make the home comfortable, reliable and environmentally friendly. It must be remembered that any house needs thoughtful insulation, a reliable roof and modern engineering support.

In general, block houses (made of aerated concrete) and frame houses (including SIP panels) are erected cheaper and faster. The least time (1-2 days) will be spent on installing a modular house, but this is not the most budgetary option.

Construction costs

Such an understandable desire to save money does not justify itself when building a house, since most often it leads to an increase in costs in the future. The phased construction of a house involves a detailed preliminary calculation of the estimate; it is better to draw up it together with the foreman.

After the walls and roof have been erected, the costs of building engineering may seem unreasonably high, but it is not recommended to reduce them without good reason.

Construction costs can be reduced by choosing a ready-made project

Preparation of the project and its binding to the area

In many respects, a typical project is the most profitable option (when compared with self-construction and an individual project). It allows you to immediately start construction, without delaying design work.

The best option would be to buy from a firm or a construction company with solid recommendations and guarantees. The version downloaded from the Internet can end up being more expensive. Choosing a project, the owners start from the conditions and way of their life, defining the important parameters of the future home:

Do I need a second floor. The cost of foundation and roofing work for a two-story house is less, moreover, you can increase the area for a flower garden or gazebo.
Roof shape.
The number of rooms and their area (depends on how many permanent residents and how often guests are planned to be received).
The height of the premises (for residential floors - from 3 m).

Roof shape and room sizes are determined when choosing a project

The size of the living room, kitchen, utility rooms.
Number of bathrooms.
Additional premises: sauna, dressing rooms, garage.
Interior decoration (a design project is being prepared).
Additional amenities (washbasin in the garage).

After agreeing on all the details, the project is tied to the terrain. During this stage, the optimal position of the building on the site is selected.

Video description

The step-by-step process of building a house in the video:

Building permit

Before starting construction work, it is necessary to agree on them, having received permission. To build a house from scratch, you need to start with the preparation of documents, the list of which has some differences in different regions. The list can be clarified in the administration.

Further, an act of inspection of the site and the construction passport of the object are drawn up. In the sanitary-epidemiological and fire inspectorate, the development plan is agreed, and in the fire department, in addition, the electrical and gas schemes. After examining the agreed plan, the architecture committee draws up a building passport.

Family-friendly design

The need for landscape design

The purpose of landscape planning is to transform the site into a territory that best suits the needs of the family. The arrangement, carried out by specialists, will allow solving several problems:

Choose a place for your home, utility rooms, recreation area, garden and vegetable garden. This takes into account the illumination, soil composition, the shape of the site and the occurrence of groundwater.
Determine a place for laying engineering communications; if necessary, a place for a septic tank is designed.
Play with difficult terrain and possibly change it.
Provide for soil drainage.
Choose the style of the site and create a unique design.
Find useful and ornamental plants suitable for growing in these conditions.

Purchase of materials

The composition and the required amount of materials are specified in the estimate. When choosing, building and finishing materials with a manufacturer's certificate (quality guarantee) are preferable. This will help avoid future disappointments in roofing or outdoor decoration, which begins to rapidly lose sight after 2-3 seasons.

Even a brick can be damaged by improper storage.

Usually, most of the materials are procured for future use. Construction is often delayed or temporarily suspended, for example, for the winter period. If stored improperly, the quality of materials can decrease, sometimes significantly (this applies not only to wooden structures, but also to bricks, building blocks, dry mixes).

Video description

How to build a house and avoid common mistakes in video

How to choose a contractor

Many site owners prefer to rely on the recommendations of good friends and acquaintances who have personally encountered construction. This strategy can be extended and strengthened with additional actions:

Exploring options. Conscientious construction companies willingly provide their qualification certificates, recommendations and portfolio with the work performed.
Conclusion of a contract. It prescribes a list of works, deadlines for their completion, payment and additional conditions at the request of the developer (a fine in case of non-fulfillment of conditions, cleaning the territory from construction waste).
Materials. Their quality must be controlled, for which it is better to involve an independent technical supervision or at least check that the purchased materials comply with SNiPs.
The work of the technical supervision service. Service specialists can monitor the implementation of building codes, which will help reduce costs. In addition, the technical supervision can additionally check the contract, the estimate and the company itself even before the start of construction.

Laying a solid foundation takes time

Building a house

Knowing where to start building a house on the site, you can think over the subsequent stages of building a private house and not worry about the broken deadlines. Before starting work, it is necessary to provide access roads, water and electricity supply to the construction site. At this stage, the axes of the building have already been brought to the site in accordance with fire and sanitary standards. The construction of a private house goes through several stages.

Earthworks, foundation

The place for the entrance of the water supply and the outlet of the sewage system is planned, trenches are dug for them, pipes are laid and insulated. The foundation is being laid. To do this, a pit is dug, a crushed stone pillow is laid on the bottom, and a formwork is installed. After the installation of the reinforcement, concrete is poured.

It will take 20 to 30 days for the concrete to gain strength. This time can be devoted to the construction of a septic tank or a well. Then the foundation walls are erected.

Frame installation work

At this stage, the walls are built and the floors are mounted, then the rafters are built and the roof is laid. Last but not least, the windows are inserted and the garage doors and the front door are installed.

Facade finishing and primary interior works

This includes exterior wall decoration, installation of a balcony and stairs (if provided by the project). Next, they carry out the internal insulation of the floor and walls, the primary decoration of the walls, the floors are mounted, the ceiling is sheathed. At the same time, engineering networks are being laid (sewerage, water supply and electrical wiring).

After that, the building can be insured as an object of construction in progress. Before finishing the walls, an air conditioning system and underfloor heating are installed.

Laying floors in a private house

Conclusion - final arrangement

This stage includes the completion of interior decoration, installation of the kitchen and plumbing fixtures, and putting the territory in order. After the completion of the work, the owner and the contractor sign a work acceptance certificate indicating the guarantee for the work performed. Further, the building must be registered with the State Architectural and Construction Supervision (State Architectural and Construction Supervision) and the State Register.

Building your own home is an exciting period in a family's life. The path from the approval of the architectural plan to the housewarming will be remembered for many years. These will definitely be pleasant memories if you correctly choose a construction company, whose specialists will help you with the right choice of a site and a project, plus, draw up a well-thought-out construction plan.