As a lover of DIY, it can be fun to come up with new projects to challenge ourselves with. Lots of these project ideas involve using a range of tools and skills. Some of them may have been used before, and others may give us the opportunity to try out new things. So how far do you want to push yourself? Are you willing to take on the biggest challenge of all?
Building your own home is an enormous project to take on. But if you have some DIY experience, you might be readier than you think. House building can be as involved as you like. You can buy country house plans off the shelf and employ professional builders to put it together. Then you are left with a shell to customize and turn into a magnificent home for you and your family.
Of course, there are some daring people out there who want to work from the ground up. Once they have their plans approved, they want to get straight into preparing the land their home will sit on. Next come the foundations and floors. Soon walls and a roof will be installed. This takes a lot of labor and a lot of time, but there are a small number of people out there willing to get their hands dirty.
It is unlikely you could build a home alone. You will require certification, qualification and sign-offs from your local authority. You will also need extra manpower to lift the materials physically. The cost of this can quickly escalate if your build takes longer due to unfavorable weather conditions or delays in deliveries. When you are budgeting a big project like this, you need to include a sizeable contingency.
As a DIY enthusiast, you project-manage each of your tasks. As a house builder, project management is essential. It helps you monitor the budget and organize the people involved. It can be quite a stressful undertaking too. There are professional project managers who could take this task on for you. Alternatively, some professional software or an app could be very useful to you.
It’s not easy to build a house from scratch. The planning phase can take months on its own. Gaining permission to build from your local authorities could also take many months. But the hardest part of the job is the physical build. It takes a cool head and a strong body to navigate the many tasks that come up. When you have identified what all the tasks are, you can decide which ones you can take on yourself.
Many people dream of being able to say they built their own house. These days, regulations are rigid and uncompromising. Safety standards are high. People involved in building must be highly qualified and experienced.
It is a good thing. But it means many DIY fans are left to wait for the interior jobs rather than erecting walls and laying foundations. Would this be enough for you? If you are building a house this year, take the time to enjoy the process, even if the going gets tough.
