The golden rule is to always be prepared. If you’re doing this for the first time, it’s going to be really hard for you to have every single thing covered, especially if you want to start building from scratch. This is a hard and demanding process and it’s going to take a long period of time to do it. Also, it’s going to cost you a certain amount of money – and not a small one. So, before you start anything, make sure that you have all the plans and permits in your hands – you don’t want to be forced to postpone your work the moment you start doing it. Take it step by step and don’t rush into anything before you check its legitimacy. If you follow these next few steps, you’ll ensure safe building which will go according to your plans.

The first thing you should know is that the process of building a house has two stages: gathering the required documentation and the actual constructing. The documents regarding construction are not hard to assemble, but it’ll take time. The other part where you actually do the work also has two parts: making sure that your building will serve its purpose and protecting the environment during the construction process – these two are equally important. So, depending on your needs, here are a couple of things you need to think through.

• You need to buy a property where you want your future home to be placed.

When you’re buying a piece of soil where you want your home, you need to check its stability. You don’t want to see your home dissolving just one year after you've built it. Other than this, learn about weather conditions you may expect. For extreme conditions like hurricanes or intense floods, you should consider having extra protection and use stronger materials when building. Then, make sure that you have conditions for installing water and electricity. It’ll cost you even more if you need to install all those pipes and wires just for yourself. Now, you should think about the neighborhood – if you’re raising a family, you need to pick out an area with good schools and a calm environment with a low crime rate.

• There are several permits you need to have.

The most important permit you need to have is the construction permit – without it you cannot do anything. When you get that one, you can start working on the one that allows you to have a septic tank, and then, there are those for electricity, plumbing and the mechanical one. After you've collected all of them, you should also consider of adding an environmental permit to your collection. If you have that one too, your home will be “green” and your children will be able to learn to keep the environment safe as they grow up.

• Do you have all the necessary materials and tools?

Depending on the property you've already chosen, there’ll be a selection of materials in front of you to choose from. You can always go with logs for your foundation, but there are modern materials like aluminum, glass or vinyl. Your choice should be coordinated with the climate you’re in. Naturally, you shouldn't make your house out of wood if you’re living in an area where you can expect a tornado or a tsunami. Before you decide which material you prefer, make sure that you can afford the amount you need. Other than materials, you need to think about tools – if you’re not hiring a construction company to realize your plans and you want to do it by yourself, there are a lot of tools that are considered essential. If your hobby is not being a handyman, try working with a company that rents the tools that you’re going to need.

• Acquire a plan for your new home.

After you've calculated how much money you have on your account to spend on materials, you should harmonize that with the size of your new house. According to your needs and material resources, make a plan with a construction worker. You need to show him your limits so you can avoid any unpleasant surprises. Also, you can get finished construction plans and, according to your needs, you will choose the right one – it’ll take less time than drawing one by yourself and you can start with constructing your new home even sooner than you think.