The Importance Of Planning

Patience is a must for any builder worth their salt, as more often than not plans go astray, budgets dwindle and new costs emerge. An experienced builder may well recognise the value of the adage 'fail to plan, plan to fail' and will therefore attempt to plan for many possible scenarios. However, they will also appreciate that unforeseen problems can occur anytime.

Here are a few tips that could help avoid some common pitfalls when completing your own building project.

Plan your project well. Timescales for each stage of the build should be well considered and financial estimations should be accurate and allow a contingency of at least 15%. A well drafted plan will reward you as the project gets under way but allowing a degree of flexibility may see you deviate from it during the process.

Make sure you have the relevant building materials and requirements to actually do the job. This might seem obvious but with all the little things you have to remember, some of the bigger items might seem to obvious. The secret is in the planning, and you need to keep a level head and make a list of everything from bolts and screws to foundations and roofing

Keep within the law. Make sure that your building project has the correct permissions before proceeding. It'll be a good idea to do this before drawing up plans. Contact your local planning office and speak to an officer who will advise if a formal application is necessary. A simple check with the Land Registry could let you know if there are any existing permissions or restrictions on your land.

Check with your neighbours. A permanent eyesore is one headache but a civil dispute is another and while your 2-storey extension might be great for your growing family, your neighbours may not appreciate the loss of sunlight.

Assess your skills and be realistic about what you can do. It's best to leave specialist tasks to the professionals but friends and family can help out if they have skills to share or to simply muck in with labouring.

Be prepared to slug it out. Bigger projects will test your patience so be ready to compromise on time, the weather, costs and expectations. Building your own home is not for the faint hearted but it is not beyond everyone. All you need is an idea and a lot of passion. It is always great to start a building project but everything from building materials and skills, to legal requirements and project management needs to be considered. Now, go forth and build!