Yet building your own home (meaning to hire a general contractor to complete a new-construction home) has an undeniable allure. A new house can be designed exactly for your needs. It comes with few, if any, hidden problems. Hazardous materials such as lead-based paint and asbestos are non-existent. New advantages are built into the house, and old problems are left out. So, it’s no surprise that most people would choose to build their own home rather than buy an old home if all other factors were the same.
Should You Act as Your Own Contractor?
When you decide to build your own home, it is generally best to do so through a licensed general contractor. Many states do allow homeowners to act as a contractor for their own home. With this arrangement, you become what is frequently termed an owner-builder. In order to contract out for a large-scale project such as a house (rather than an outbuilding or small, lower-cost building), you need to apply for an owner-builder exemption and to sign the building permit application yourself. Yet very few people are qualified to act as their own general contractor (GC). Building a house requires you to pull together many strings and make sure that they coordinate in a myriad of ways. Projects and subcontractors have to be scheduled in the correct order, interspersed with numerous municipal inspections. You’ll need to know the building code. Plus, it helps immensely to have a network of subcontractors who you rely on to perform trustworthy work. The person that does all of that is a general contractor. No general contractor overseeing home construction comes cheap. Most general contractors charge between 10-percent to 20-percent of the overall cost of the home build, and this includes permits and materials. It’s a fee that most amateur home-builders find well worthwhile, especially if they have any tried-and-failed experience at general contracting.
Save Money With Sweat Equity
If you are intent on pitching in and helping contractors as you build your own house, there is one way to do it: sweat equity in the form of smaller, individual projects. Late-stage, post-contract projects can be done by the homeowner rather than by the contractor. These late-stage projects are better for do-it-yourself work because you do not risk slowing down the house building project:
Building patios and walkways Planting trees, shrubs, and grass Painting the house exterior Painting the house interior Installing window treatments Installing carpeting Finishing the basement
Prepare the Home Site
First, it’s time to get situated—literally and figuratively. Not only are you getting your project straight in your mind and on paper, but you are siting your intended home on its intended spot.
Clear the building site of brush and other debris, down to ground level and at least 25 feet around the planned house perimeter. A land surveyor stakes out the lot, based on original plot drawings that indicate the property boundaries. Make alterations to the site’s topography if necessary to alter the water flow across the site: This often requires a contractor with earth-moving equipment. Order a dumpster to handle refuse during the building project. Order one or more portable toilets for the workers. Order temporary utilities from the power company. Hire an electrician to hook up a temporary electrical panel, which is usually mounted on an existing utility pole.
Pour Concrete Footings and Foundation
The building site takes shape with the excavation and installation of foundations and slabs. This work is done by excavation contractors and foundation specialists—an entirely different group of contractors than the carpentry crews that will soon be on-site. Footings and foundation comprise a large part of your entire house building cost. This means that large payment draws happen soon after the project begins.
Install Plumbing and Electrical
If you are laying a slab-type foundation, you will bring in plumbers and electricians to rough-in some of the services prior to pouring that concrete slab:
Pipes are laid by plumbers, and these pipes are later covered up.If electrical lines will run through the concrete slab via metal conduits, now is the time for these conduits to be run.
Pour the Concrete Slab
Frame, Side, and Roof the House
With the excavation, foundation, and concrete work done, soon you will start to recognize your project as a house. The framing carpenters will arrive to put up the lumber framework for the floors, walls, and ceilings, and then move to the sheathing, siding, and roofing installation. This work can happen with remarkable swiftness. In the space of a week or two, you may suddenly recognize this structure as being a house, complete with walls and a roof.
Install Electrical, Plumbing, and Insulation
Now the interior work on your house begins with the arrival of masons, electricians, plumbers, and HVAC specialists.
Hang Drywall and Install Trim
The interior will begin to look finished as wall and ceiling surfaces are installed.
Paint the Walls and Perform Finish Work
After the messy work of installing the drywall and priming the walls is done, it is time to bring in the painter.
Install the Flooring
Lay down the finish flooring (or floor covering) surfaces throughout the house. Floor covering options include carpeting, hardwood, laminate flooring, ceramic tile, luxury vinyl plank, and engineered wood flooring. This is usually a job for yet another subcontractor, though homeowners can tackle the installation of some sections of the flooring. Clean up the worksite by putting all acceptable debris into the dumpster. The contractor will hire a company that specializes in cleaning up after construction work.
