by Reid Case

Created on: November 15, 2009   Last Updated: November 16, 2009

Owning a home is an exciting prospect. Some people dream of purchasing that dilapidated structure on the far corner of the neighborhood and fixing it up. For others, the adventure of renovating a home is a daunting task. The decision to buy new or renovate is dependent on experience and desire to get your hands dirty.

One of the best ways to get the home you want, when buying new, is to become involved in the process of building the house early on. This may be obvious for some, but for the first timer this is the first tip for saving money. By entering the process early on you are able to make decisions that may save money over the entire process. The final product will be more in line with the dream home you desire which will save you money, because you will not need to make major modifications to bring the home closer to your standards.

There are a few options. You can purchase property somewhere, and subsequently hire a contractor to build the home on that property. You can enter into a contract with a real estate developer who is establishing a subdivision, or simply building houses. In this situation you would purchase the property and un-built home under contract that the developer will construct the home.

There is a certain process of building a home that the owner/buyer must understand to take full advantage of the savings that can be found. Given any particular portion of land the first step is to have the property surveyed. This should have been done when purchasing it but, if the land has been owned for a long time, the survey may not be available or valid. After the survey results are available choose a home design and have an architect draft it to the property, this must include foundation blueprints from a civil engineer. Hire a contractor who will build the home, and handle the permitting and inspections.

The contractor will acquire the permits and then stake out the foundation for pile drivers, and excavating crews, to modify the ground to accept the foundation. Before any concrete is poured, plumbers and electricians may work to establish some preliminary installations of underground conduit and drainage pipes. Once the footings of the foundation are poured, masons will construct piers, walls, etc. to hold the house at the proper elevation; in the case of slab house construction, block work may be little if any on flat level ground.

The framing will commence, followed by drying in the house with siding, roofing, windows and exterior doors.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next Page >>