Begin building

Begin building

You’ve done all the planning, the prep and the paperwork - now it’s time to start building. This is where it gets exciting, and if you’ve followed the process correctly in the earlier stages of your self build journey, then you’ll have made things much easier for yourself now that it’s time to build.

That’s not to say it’ll be completely stress-free; you should expect a few snags and unexpected occurrences - such as adverse weather or illness for example - to interfere with your schedule. Some of these things are unavoidable, but if you’re prepared to adapt then you can navigate these bumps in the road fairly easily.

Before you start the building process, it’s helpful to have a checklist prepared so that you can tick off various steps as you go.

Your self-build checklist

• Inform your neighbours - help them prepare for any disruption, and to avoid getting off on the wrong foot before you’ve even moved in.
• Site insurance - You must ensure this is in place before starting to make sure you’re protected from unexpected occurrences.
• Health and Safety - Determine who’s responsible for health and safety, referred to as CDM (Construction (Design and Management), on-site.
• Utilities - You may need to make arrangements for temporary utilities such as electricity, water and gas while you wait for your main connections.
• Sanitation - Ensure you have adequate on-site sanitation available for everyone who’s working on your site.
• Site access - Is there suitable access, in and out, for large vehicles? Without this, your project could become a whole lot more complicated.
• Site storage - Similarly, do you have suitable storage for materials, equipment and bulky items?
• Site Security - Site security should be set up, whether that’s security fencing or something more complex, make sure it’s all in order before starting.

In addition to these on-site considerations you should also consider;

• Tracking your spend - Always have your budget to hand and be ready to track all your spending, however small.
• Timelines - You should have already established a clear timeline - be sure to check your progress against that, noting any hold-ups or instances where you’re ahead of schedule.
• Site meetings - Set up a schedule for regular meetings with your project manager or, if you’re self-project-managing, your contractors.

Good luck with your self build project - it’s a hugely exciting time. Just make sure to keep your eyes on the prize and all the planning, hard work, sacrifices will be worth it when you’re enjoying life in your dream home!

Fully preparing yourself for your self build project will pay dividends when it comes to this final stage. Our centre is home to more than 200 permanent exhibitors who can advise you on all aspects of self building, from finding a plot to choosing a roof, and at NSBRC we’re here to help and advise you at every stage of the process so that you can go into the build stage with total confidence.

For more information about us, our centre, or our courses and shows, please contact us today and we’ll be happy to help.