A Guide to Building Your House In Stages

The challenges of constructing a house in a single continuous phase stem from both a financial and a project managerial root. In so doing, most house construction projects are broken down into logical phases that are easy on the wallet and technical supervisors.

In this article, we will discuss the best practice to construct your house in stages, phased into cost-effective steps that maximize the presence of different teams required at each building stage or phase. To smoothen out the process of building a house in phases, you will need to carefully plan the project and that requires a few steps and decisions to get started.

Financing

There are possibly three ways to finance your house construction projects; saving over some time and commencing the construction when you have achieved the required sum, getting a bank loan to facilitate the or taking out a mortgage scheme.

For most people, the most realistic alternative is to construct the house in phases and this is the root this article will base.

Decision time

Do you intend to move into your house at the soonest, is it inhabitable or are you phasing the construction simply for a financial reason? If you are currently renting and wish to build a house, you have probably considered moving into your unfinished house to save on money. How soon and at which phase you can move into your home is primarily based on your preference though, from experience, we know of three (3) basic requirements your incomplete house should possess. These include security of persons and property, health from injury, and exposure & comfort relative to an individual.

Getting started

To aid your planning, we are referring to the steps & stages (in this case phases) of a house construction mentioned in this article, do arm yourself with the following;

• Get your construction drawings – make sure you have all your drawings fully approved by the local authorities. It can be expensive to have this sorted out after the construction commences due to fines, construction freeze, arrests, or worse, demolition of your house.

• Get a BoQ – known in full as a Bill of Quantities, it is a document that includes accurate estimates of the construction works to be undertaken.

• Choose a project manager – this could be yourself, a spouse, a friend, or your architect. It is best to find someone with experience and commitment. If you intend to manage the project yourself, find someone to guide you. You can read this article to learn how to supervise your home’s construction as a Project Manager.

• Hire a contractor or builder – on hiring a local builder or contractor, look over the construction estimates (BoQ), make amendments where necessary (since the pricing of materials and labor varies from place to place and time to time), and agree to this new BoQ as part of the contractual documents.

• Compare your final BoQ with your budget; saving, bank loan, or mortgage scheme.

• Choose the construction phases carefully – if you intend to live in it before it is completed, you will have to choose which rooms are to be constructed first. Take into consideration the plumbing works required, the roof-line over the constructed rooms, the overall security of the people and property in and around the incomplete house, and the health of the occupants to eliminate injury and exposure to dangerous tools and materials. The rule of thumb is, that if a building element is not required yet, do not proceed with its construction unless it makes economic sense. In this case, you have to protect it and the occupants from damage and injury associated with this building element.

Start the construction

Not all houses are similar and neither are construction sites. The following is a generic list of how the construction will be phased based on the article The Steps & Stages In The Construction Of A House.

• Site clearing – our recommendation is to carry out these phases fully since specialized machinery may be required though it is possible to accomplish it in phases.

• Setting out the site – this must be done carefully and completely

•  Foundation construction – as with site clearing above, our recommendation is to carry out these phases fully since specialized machinery may be required though it is possible to accomplish it in phases.

•  Back fill of foundations – this should be undertaken to completion. Since deep openings in the ground are common for most foundations, this poses a health and safety risk to the workers and occupants.

•  Start planting grass/ lawn, flowers, and trees – this activity is done to the preference of the owner.

•  Wall & column construction – in the case of a bungalow, the walls should be constructed regarding the rooms required and roof support structure. In the case of a double storied house, the ground floor wall or columns should be constructed to completion if the walls & columns are structurally integrated or if the walls are load-bearing.

•  Slab construction – this is best carried out in a single bound unless a structural engineer recommends otherwise. In this case, a construction joint will be created in the most appropriate locations.

•  Wall and column construction – in the case of a double storied house, the ground floor wall or columns should be constructed to completion if the walls & columns are structurally integrated or if the walls are load-bearing.

•  Roofing – our recommendation is to carry out this phase fully since specialized machinery may be required though it is possible to accomplish it in phases.

These activities can be phased out based on need or financial reasons.

• Installation of windows and doors
• Rough electrical
• Rough plumbing
• External wall plastering
• Internal wall plastering
• Floor finishes
• Furnishings
• Painting
• Finish electrical
• Applications to national service providers
• Hard Surfaces installed
• Finish plumbing and install gutters & water harvesting system
• Carpet, wallpaper, and decorations
• Air conditioning
• Connection to water mains
• Connection to the waste system
• Installation of compound finishes
• Final quality check

There you have it. With careful planning and a good building team, you can affordably build your house in phases. Whether you are thinking of building a home to move in before it’s fully complete or wish to maximize the resources (money and technicians) you have at a given time, you will inevitably find yourself from time to time returning to this article to get clarification.

Please share it with those whom you know are preparing to build a home.

DPRO design has several low-cost house designs and house price calculations services (BoQ – bills of quantities preparation).