The steps of house building: Everything you need to know

Building a house means investing time, energy and money. When you engage in it, it is often very difficult to reverse. It is therefore necessary to learn about all the implications of such a project to know when, how and with whom to go about it. This article looks back at all the steps of building an individual house and prepares you to realize the dream of most men.

Before building

It is essential before starting the work to pass certain preliminary steps. Without crossing them, you run the risk of one day stopping the construction site for technical, administrative or budgetary constraints, or in the worst case of abandoning it.

Define the house construction project and budget

This step consists first of all to explicitly define the construction project. This goes through parameters such as the type of house (ground floor, floor, modern, traditional, number of rooms, living rooms, bathrooms, landscaping of a garden, a hut, a garage …), its dimensions, the construction area etc.

Then we have to make an estimate of the overall budget needed to carry out such a project. Knowing these numbers, you will need to be able to assess your ability to finance the work. You will know whether other sources of financing (borrowing, aid, etc.) will have to be provided.

It is also necessary to define a duration of the work even if it will be approximate.

Find the right building land

Eh yes! No site, no construction! So we have to find some. And not just any one!

To find the ideal land for the construction of your house, you must first ask yourself the right questions:

• Is it serviced land? Is it served in water, electricity, telephone networks and others?
• Is it easily accessible by road infrastructure?
• Is my workplace close to the field?
• Is it close to shops, hospitals, pharmacies, schools and other services?
• Is it a flood zone? Are there natural hazards to live there?

Once you get satisfactory answers to all these questions, you have to buy the land. But first, it is still necessary to remember that the services of professionals of building trades (construction company, real estate agency, design office…) will help you avoid disappointments in this direction and will guide you better in the stages of building your house.

Choose the builder and complete the formalities

It is here that the choice of the professional in charge of the construction of your house becomes decisive for the rest of your project. Whether it is an architect, a construction company or a prime contractor, his expertise will guarantee a quality project, respecting the costs and deadlines set. It is therefore necessary that the one on whom your choice fell must be experienced and have the human, material and financial resources necessary to carry out all the stages of the construction of your house.

By having this professional accompany you, you will be able to conclude with serenity the purchase of your land.

If you don’t know how to go about it, read our article on how to choose a construction company for its work.

Then comes the geotechnical study or soil study. It will allow you to know, among other things, what kind of foundations you will need to put in place to make your future home stable.

Once these details are known, you have to design plans for your future home. They must be precise, adapted to the technical and functional specifications of the house as well as the land found.

The formalities will end with the process of obtaining a building permit from the town hall concerned by your contractor.

The steps of house building

The big work

This is all the work that will allow the building to be stable and solid. The big work includes:

• Earthwork: it allows to shape the terrain by moving rocks, earth or other asperities to accommodate construction. Earthworks involve disbursement (or stripping), excavations, trenches and backfill. And it is often more convenient at this stage to use suitable construction machinery.
• The foundations: they form the basis of the house. Their depth depends on the nature of the soil, the weight and size of the house.
• Sanitation: it is the establishment of the sewage system.
• The base: this is the lower part of the walls placed directly on the foundations by the masons.
• The floor or paving: its construction consists of pouring a large plate of reinforced concrete.
• The installation of the walls bearing blockwork, bricks, concrete, wood, raw earth, etc.
• The frame: wood or metal, it supports the roof.
• The roof: tile, zinc, slate or other, it offers a perfect waterproofing to your home.
• External carpentry: installation of doors, windows and shutters that face the outside of the house.

The second work and the finishes

In a house construction project, the second work is a step which consists in making the house habitable without participating in its supporting structure It includes insulation and silos, plumbing, electricity ventilation, heating and air conditioning.

At this stage, you have surely done the hardest. But it remains to decorate the interior. And contrary to what one might think, the finishes can take enough time. They consist of flooring works (concrete cap, tiled, resin etc.) and walls (painting, wallpaper, cork, tile…). There are also interior carpentry (interior doors, closets, etc.), lighting fixtures, interior equipment and frontage work (cracking, stone veneer, tiled floors, etc.).

So here you are at the end of the tunnel, almost at the end we were going to say… Because in reality, some exterior work is still to be carried out.

Outdoor landscaping

You’re probably wondering what it is again! To think it will never end! Rest assured right away, the construction of your house will be completed soon.

But first, you will have to furnish the exterior of your home in order to better enhance it, secure it and make it more practical. To do this, you need:

• Clean the immediate surroundings by removing rocks, debris, weeds and others.
• Eventually set up the terrace by storing garden sofas.
• Cover the entrance to the garage with cobblestones, for example.
• Install outdoor fixtures.
• Secure access to your home through a video surveillance or electric fence system.
• Set up a swimming pool, a playground, an outdoor kitchen…

There you go! We have followed all the steps of your dream house building. It’s finally finished. But be careful ! what? Again what, we hear you say… But don’t worry about it!
Just remember to do some checks before placing your boxes and suitcases on them.

Check the condition of your doors, windows, locks, various equipment, coatings, ventilation systems… Test the electrical system, check the condition of the sockets and check the operation of the faucet. If you are satisfied with all these tests, then WELCOME YOU! If so, you always have the option to defer the date of receipt of your work site.