Over Budget Building Plans: When planning your new home the first and foremost thing you have to do is to write a list and devise a budget that will include any unexpected expenses that might crop up, or any sudden changes that might be made to the plan, during the building process.
Sometimes no matter how good a plan one makes there is always that element of unforeseen circumstances that pops up to take you by surprise.
Here are some helpful tips to help you avoid those over budget plans, leaving no room for that surprise element to catch up with you.
Make a List: Prepare a list of all the important details that you would like to see on the inside and outside of your new home, include all the items you think are absolutely necessary for your home, things that you must have such as marble kitchen counters, light fixture, type of doors, bay windows, etc, and then itemize all the details that you would like for your house such as the size and number of rooms, the exact size that you would like your home to be, include garage size and other important features.
To accomplish this you should carry out this task in the same manner as if you were taking an inventory of your entire house. Taking each part of the house in turn examining every aspect of it and make notes so you will be able to properly itemize every part of the house.
Give each room, garage, house structure etc a personal heading, this will enable you to see exactly what is where in you list.
Cost and Availabity of Materials: When you have finished with your house list you should start making a separate list of all the Material that will be required for your house project. Check around at various suppliers to compare prices.
At this point it is a good idea to enquire whether say maybe the type of light fixture you have decided on are readily available, this will remove the element of surprise when you are ready to purchase it only to find that they are out of stock or they will take a while to be delivered.
Building Permits & Land Development List: With that part of the project out of the way and all details taken care of it is time to move along to the development of your land.
Contact the city officials and enquire about building permits including how much it would cost to obtain a permit, and if there are any restrictions on the type of buildings that are permitted to be built in that particular area.
Property Research: You should carefully research the property that you are proposing to build your house on to ensure that it has utilities such as water supply, and electricity already on the particular lot.
This should be one of your main priorities when selecting your lot of land to build your house on, as these utilities can cost quite a lot of money to install. Check the soil to ensure that your house can be built on it without any drawbacks such as boulders etc.
Review House Plans: You should review every aspect of your house plans before construction begins and make all the necessary changes before the final plan is drawn up, because changes will obviously cost extra money.
At this stage you should make sure that you have agreed upon a price with regards to labor and time of completion of project and that all changes are included in this final cost. This price should include architecture fee, contractor and subcontractor fees, delivery of materials etc.
Check and re check this list. do not leave anything out, as this can mean an unplanned for expense, which will definitely make you go over your planned budget.
At this stage you should be fully organized with all your appropriate lists and are ready to move on to the next stage, when your final plans are drawn up they have to be stamped for approval to start construction, so be sure and examine every detail before you go any further.
And only after you are absolutely sure that everything is exactly how it should be you can submit your plans for approval and start your home construction.
