Buying land, designing a house, putting the project on paper, obtaining licenses, obtaining financing, laying foundations, creating the structure of the house, insulating it… Today at Geteco we want to list the main steps to take when building a house from scratch.
Do you want to know what they are? Keep reading and take note!
Buying land, designing a house, putting the project on paper, obtaining licenses, obtaining financing, laying foundations, creating the structure of the house, insulating it… Today at Geteco we want to list the main steps to take when building a house from scratch.
Do you want to know what they are? Keep reading and take note!
Building a house step by step
As the saying goes, “You can’t start building a house from the roof.” That’s why it’s important to follow these steps to build a house, an order with a single final objective: to make our dream home a reality.
1. Buy the land
Buying land is the first step in building a house. The land we choose will be much more important than we think when it comes to building our future home. Not only it will define its possible extension or distribution: but it will also determine its orientation, and this will affect its insulation and its air conditioning, among other things.
On the other hand, the location of the plot is what will make the legislation apply various regulations, something that can undoubtedly limit the design, the height, the use of certain materials, etc. The advice of technicians and architects to know the topographical and geotechnical conditions is essential in this first step.
2. Design the project
Another of the first steps in building a house. The architect will carry out the project, defining all the aspects in detail. Beforehand, it is advisable to meet with him to, first, tell him what our needs are (number of rooms, organization of the areas of the house, etc.) and, second, tell him our aesthetic preferences. It is common for architects to make several designs and for the client to choose the one that best suits what they are looking for.
3. Obtain licenses
It is completely impossible to talk about the steps to build a house without mentioning obtaining licenses. Building permits are granted by the Town Councils after approval and validation by the municipal architect and the technical managers of the municipality in question.
Once we have obtained the building permit, we can subsequently request the resources necessary to carry out the work, for example, space to place a container on the public highway, permission for the passage of machinery, etc.
4. Obtain financing
Although we have added financing in fourth place in this list of steps to follow to build a house from scratch, this point must be in our minds from the beginning of the project. And it is that, with some exceptions, the construction of a new home is generally carried out with the help of banks. However, it will not be until we have a project approved by an architect and the municipal building permit that we can carry out the signing of the mortgage with our bank. Therefore, we can hand over the documentation in advance, but we will not obtain final approval.
Another special mention should be made of the purchase of the land: normally, this is done before and separately from the loan for the construction. For this reason, many people choose to buy the land with a personal loan and apply for a self-promotion mortgage for the construction of the house.
5. Build the house
If we are the developers of our own home, we will share the responsibility with the construction company that carries out the work, so we must trust the company that will carry out the project. It is recommended to ask for several estimates that, in addition to the money, include execution deadlines.
The steps to build a house associated with this specific point are:
- Land clearing and levelling.
- Excavation (in addition to foundations, for building basements and garages, for example).
- Foundation.
- Foundry.
- Construction of the skeleton of the house.
- Complete plumbing, electrical and HVAC installation (electrical and plumbing contractors must introduce their cables and pipes and interior walls, ceilings and/or floors).
- Sewer lines, vents and water supply.
- Installation of insulation.
- Interior and exterior finishes (baseboards, doors, windows, balustrades, etc.)
6. Obtain the certificates
This process is before obtaining the Finalization of Work. Normally, and since during the construction, some milestones and delivery deadlines have been set, it is usual for an expert to process the certifications corresponding to what has already been built. In this way, with the completion of the work, all the legal and technical permits can be obtained without problems.
7. End of work
The ‘Completion of work’ certificate will allow us to register the property in the land registry. With both in hand, we can go to the Town Hall to request the First Occupation License and, once this is obtained, request registration for water, electricity, gas, etc. services.
Building a house step by step is a long and difficult road, but it is also very rewarding. We hope that this list of steps to build a house from scratch has been useful to you.