Many people have dreams about designing and creating their perfect home. Some already have plans and lists of what they ‘must have’ should a lottery win ever happen. In reality, these sorts of plans should not come into the equation until you have the finances to back up your dreams or a plot of land to build your dream home on.

However, working on the assumption that you have the finances in place and are in the process of finding a plot or have recently acquired one, here is a short list of the next few steps.

#1 Draw up a list of what your self-build must have

Sit down with all those concerned with the self-build such as your partner, children, and any other dependants that will be living with you. This is to ensure that everyone is catered to when it comes to wants and must-haves. Leaving someone out at this stage could cause arguments or frustrations later on, either in construction or after your home has been built.

#2 Create a dream design to tick all boxes

After you have made up this list, start playing with your layout options. Having software such as a blueprint maker can make this far easier than drawing on pieces of paper. You will also be able to draw your blueprint to scale and even make it 3D for easier visualization for you, your partner, and other family members.

#3 Work out your budget

Undoubtedly, your budget will have the biggest say on what you can and cannot have or what size your dream home will turn out to be. It is important that you take your time with this part of your planning and that you are honest with yourself about your abilities to either increase your budget or purchase desired items and services cheaper than average. You should also set a contingency plan, as it is likely that your costs will rise while your dream home is being built.

#4 Decide on your building package

There are various options ahead of you as to how you would like your dream home to come into being. For instance, you could opt for a turnkey experience, build completely by yourself or hire the services of sub-contractors either as individuals or as part of a building company and oversee the build yourself.

So, to wrap it all up

Each stage of your self-build takes time and planning. It is crucial that you get every part right, and costly or frustrating if you get it wrong. This is even more so when thinking about layout and room or corridor sizes. It won’t be much of a dream home if you find too late that the corridors are uncomfortably slim or the rooms will not house the furniture that you either have or have been dreaming of. Or, for that matter, you have to sacrifice a large walk-in shower for a far smaller affair or, worse a shower-over-bath setup.