Planning your time is important when taking on any project, but new-builds especially need to be organised correctly. Ensuring that you know the scale and length of the work that is being carried out is essential and will help you to plan accordingly.
Doing a new-build on your own can be quite a daunting experience, especially doing it for the first time. Before you get started on a new-build you must make sure that you have your plot, financial situation sorted and planning permission. This must be looked at before the plot begins to build. To help, we’ve put together a schedule guide using one of our new build projects as an example.
The construction of any house or structure can generally be split into 3 stages:
- Pre Construction
- Construction
- Post Construction
Here is what it looked like before we started.
Start to finish
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Clear plot
One of the most critical stages of the build is setting out the foundations if these are not perfect the building that sits on top of these may not be the right size and be even end up being unsafe.
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Dig & Pour Foundations
Although hidden, foundations are one of the most important structural elements of the house.
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Walls and scaffolding
The walls can now be built, scaffolding will need to be erected in order for the brick layers to able to work safely and effectively, the roofers and the glazers will also need this.
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Weatherproof house
Once the roof and windows are in place the house is sealed and watertight. This means the various trades that take place can enter the house.
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Electricity and water
The carpentry, electrical and plumbing all need to happen in two stages, these are referred to as the 1st and 2nd Fix. Before the plaster board goes up the pipe work and wires are placed into the walls, after the walls are plastered the plumbers, electricians and carpenters come back and complete the work.
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Paint and Decorate
Painters and decorators are normally one of the last trades to come into a house, it will normally take about two days to paint a house.
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Landscaping
Once the main part of the build has been completed, the scaffolding can come down and the site can be tidied up.
- Mortgage
- Find the plot
- Discuss the potential of the project e.g a feasibility study from an architect (we provide here)
- Plan budget
- Arrange an evaluation of the plot
- Site survey
- Buy the plot
- Arrange site insurance
- Meet with designers
- Secure planning permission
- Apply for water and electricity
- Get detailed drawings
- Obtain Building Regulations approval
- Secure builder
- Arrange warrant and insurances
