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How to plan for your dream house?

All of us have a dream home. We all have that desire to dwell in a home that is not only comfortable but also well designed. We want to live in a house where we can get everything we want from rest to recreation. It would certainly be fulfilling to live in a home like that. But how can we get our dream house? What are the steps that we need to take in order to acquire it?

Today, we will give you 10 clear steps on what you need to do to reach your dream house. Of course, we have to do something in order to reach our dreams. Dreams come true if you pair that with actions. Hence, here are some steps that will lead to your dream house. It might not be easy but it is possible. But if you refuse to take these steps, you will not be able to get what you wish to have for a home. Read on and start taking steps towards your dream house.

1. Save money.

Save money

Before you even think of having a house, make sure that you will begin saving money. Saving is preparing for your expenses in building and acquiring a house. You have to make sure that you will not just dream about it but also do something in order to achieve the dream. If you will just keep on dreaming and not do anything, then your dream house will not be realized. Take the first step which is to save money.

2. Budget and costs.

Budget and costs

Once you feel that you have saved enough money, try to create a budget to check on the costs of the project. Consult professionals like an architect or a civil engineer because they could give you an accurate budget and costing for your dream house. If your savings are not yet enough, you can still look for other ways to finance it.

3. Consider your home needs.

Consider your home needs

Check on your lifestyle. What do you do and what do you need in your home in order to live comfortably in it? Do you need your own recreation area? Or a home library? Or a pool? List down what you want to have and what you truly need for a home. This can be a good guide for you in designing your dream house.

4. Find a good designer.

Find a good designer

It is important that you have a designer for your house. Look for professionals who can help you design your home. Let him know what you want for your dream house and he will be able to help you with that. In choosing a designer, look into his/her credentials and work experiences. This will help you check if that person can really work well for your home’s design.

5. Look for a home site.

Look for a home site.

You will not be able to build a home if you do not have a lot to build it on. Hence, you need to look for a vacant lot to build your dream home. But before you do that, decide on the kind of area you want to erect your home like a hilly type or near the beach or something that gives you a good view of nature.

6. Create a house design.

Create a house design

This is the step that would be done by your designer but of course, you have to be involved in it. Check on the design if it suits your taste. Is it the kind of design you want for your home? If not, suggest some changes into it. Make sure that you will think before you create some changes because once the design is final, you will not be able to undo it especially if your house is already constructed.

7. Acquire the blueprints.

Acquire the blueprints

Since you have finalized the house design, you can now have your blueprint. You will need this as guide for the builders and also to get the building permit from your community. It is important that you have the blueprint before you start with the project. A blueprint is similar to a syllabus for a lesson in school which serves as guide in the lessons for all the students.

8. Prepare building essentials.

Prepare building essentials

Part of the building essentials is the blueprint but aside from that, there are other things that you need to prepare which varies on the requirements in your area. But it would definitely include consent to build, planning permission and other permits. Also, make sure that your contract with the building contractor is already okay.

9. Build your home.

Build your home

After completing all the things above, you are ready to build your own home. By this time, you have already chosen your contractor who would supervise all the work. But be sure to check on the work progress every now and then. When the exterior of your house is done, the interior design will be next. Get an interior designer who can do the work well for you. And do not forget the landscaping too.

10. Move in and enjoy.

Move in and enjoy

After months of building your home, you will be able to occupy it. Do not forget to work on the permit to occupy your home. Move in your home and enjoy your stay in your dream house. Add in some decorations if you want to in order to complete to your home’s look.

5 Important facts for best construction.

For a very long time, we have been constructing buildings including strange structures and mind-blowing buildings. While construction is how we usually shape the structures around us, the technique, the process, and the scale have all changed a great deal. Due to this, construction is now more than just the assembly of infrastructures and buildings.

Here are 5 fun facts about construction.

1. Some bridges goes absolutely nowhere
Although a majority of bridges moves consumer goods, commuters, and utility services, there are some bridges that go nowhere. There are many reasons why these bridges don’t connect to endpoints or stop mid-span including not being fully completed or being designed as viewing bridges. Some of these bridges include
· Half bridge of Hope in Russia- This is a wooden structure that resembles a bridge reaching one point to another. However, it does nothing apart from existing as an engineering marvel and an art installation.
· The bridge near Castrop-Rauxel, Germany- Constructed in 1978, this bridge is unique because it’s part of a highway road bridge that was never completed.

2. Hoover Dam
Constructed from 1931 to 1936, the Hoover Dam is an amazing dam that could take you from California to New York. It was a unique undertaking with 3,250,000 cubic yards of concrete used in the construction being enough to build a two-lane highway of 3000 miles between New York and San Francisco.

3. Factoring is the best way for construction companies to increase cash flows
For construction firms, both small and large, beginning a new job and making a payroll can be a major issue. This is true especially if you’ve never received any payment for your previous jobs. Regardless of your credit history, the best fix is factoring. This is where a specialized and experienced company will purchase your invoice and allow you to take care of your previous debts or to start a new job.

4. The highest bridge on earth was built I 2016
The Beipanjiang Bridge is more than 1854 feet above a river and more than third a mile. This unique bridge reduces the time that it usually takes to move from Liupanshui in Guizhou to Xuanwei from approximately 5 hours to less than 2 hours. Although this is the highest bridge in the world, the tallest bridge is Frances Millau Viaduct.

5. It took an equivalent of a small US City’s population to build Burj Khalifa
One of the tallest man-made buildings on earth is the Burj Khalifa which is currently the tallest man-made constructed things on earth. Since it’s one of the tallest and largest undertakings in the world, it took so many people to construct it. This building has 163 floors above the ground and one floor below the ground. Once the construction process reached its peak, there were over 12,000 people working on it every day. Basically, over 80% of US cities have less than 10 thousand people. This means it took roughly the population of a small city of the US to construct one building.

10 Things kept in mind during construction.

With different cities differ the real estate scenario and their rulebooks. Depending upon the area, the respective building bye-laws, development control regulations, permissible FSI, ground coverage and other common jargons with city-specific standards should all be taken into consideration before you decide a house construction. Also, the recent changes or amendments in the real estate bills and acts, any updates or allowances made in this respect must be carefully noted to avoid any inconvenience, unanticipated costs or delay in sanction of plan and to ensure maximum transparency.

1. Appointing a reputable developer, a reliable contractor and efficient architect for construction of your house is of utmost importance which will determine construction from the scratch to the finishing touches. One should select a building project plan for bungalow or row house with the help of a good architect who has made successful projects of the same. If you have never been involved in overseeing the construction of a house and are new to act or supervise, hire a building contractor to supervise you and the building of your new home for a much smaller fee than their nominal fee. You may ask your friends or relatives for a reputed builder who has a good experience in the construction business and carefully employ the one whose name is repeatedly suggested by a few.

2. Compliance of Vaastu & Feng Shui factors in designing of a house can be considered if one attaches importance to these sciences that are believed to facilitate positive energy inflow, and thereby create the plan accordingly as such changes are difficult to make once the construction is completed. Moreover, to avoid any misbeliefs later due to luck and misalignment of the house as may be stated by fortune tellers/pandits, it is better to contemplate over them beforehand.

3. It is imperative to decide whether to hire a builder or to be an owner-builder. One can hire a builder according to the house plan with or without material and personally supervise the house to see that proper quality of materials as fixed/decided is being utilized.

4. Getting documents ready, agreements signed, plans sanctioned – A clear title from the seller must be bought which should state the land use as non-agricultural (NA) where construction can be started immediately with or without a construction loan. Additionally, improvised drawings, designs layouts, height, carpet area, FSI being availed of, built up area being provided, necessary approvals for construction or extension, consultation with an advocate for registration and legal purposes, sales deeds, sales agreement, material costing must be properly executed.

Checklist to check before constructing a house

5. Area, dimensions, design, space requirements – It is necessary to finalize your own requirements, size and number of bedrooms, chart out and place them before the architect to show your minimum requirement. Try to make the best use of natural sunlight and ventilation to minimize the need for artificial lights during daytime. Try to keep the lift, staircase etc. with large glasses on one side to avoid the requirement of lighting during daytime. These days, architects make use of 3D visualization software to showcase how the house would look like so you can take the advantage to cross-check for elevation/section/dimensions on paper and virtually so as to make changes as per your taste, since what may seem good on paper may not necessarily look good after construction.

6. Electrical fitting, plumbing and other fixtures – Contracts with various contractors should cover a period of 3 years after the house construction is over so that any problems arising out of faulty construction is taken care of by the contractor even after completion. Since the pipelines are laid when there is no water in the lines there is a great chance of mix-up between the hot and cold lines. Hence, it must be made sure that these connections are properly checked after the water supply connection has been provided. Also, one must ensure that the water and electricity meters are installed for each dwelling unit separately to avoid any conflicts later. The contract with the building contractor should provide for rectification of leakages, damp spots, seepage of water for the maximum period of 2-3 years. The guarantee cards must also be retained in case any of them become defective and for future maintenance purposes as well.

7. Man, materials, and money- Managing contractors to finish the House Construction in time have to be administered as there are times that labor does not show up for work or if work has to be paused due to the shortage of raw materials. More time means more money required and which correspondingly defines the need to borrow more money or refinance your construction loan. 

8. Valuation and comparison of prices- Take out an estimated cost breakup of your home of each cost of construction such as foundation, RCC, brickwork, plaster, electrical work, plumbing, woodwork, door frames, kitchen, trolleys, interiors etc. Good builders will give you all the cost breakup and come up with the total cost to build your new home. One must remember that extra costs may be incurred which are sometimes unpredictable and vary according to the market situation. Make a contract with the builder and architect about the time schedule for stages of payment to be given with delay clauses. It must be seen that the cost of construction is under our control as it tends to increase over time. Also, if they have more money they have a tendency to delay your work and most of the disputes arise because the contractor has taken more money than dues.

9. Consideration for the environment while constructing a house is attached high importance these days. Techniques like rainwater harvesting and solar water heating can also be considered while constructing a home so that you may save money and energy for you as well as the society in the long-term.

10. Last but not the least for House Construction, the thing to be considered is the insurance while constructing the house thereby enabling a safe game. One must also periodically supervise the construction of the house, list out and convey to the respective contractor about these shortcomings and the required modifications accordingly.

Construction in America

With expenditures reaching over 1,231 billion U.S. dollars, the United States is the one of the largest construction market worldwide. After the recession, construction projects that were once stalled have now accelerated their progress once again. Positive trends in the residential market are the primary drivers of the booming construction industry growth. Within the United States, new construction put into place is among the highest in the South Atlantic and Pacific regions. Bechtel is currently one of the largest U.S.-based construction firms. The construction and engineering company is headquartered in San Francisco was one of the largest construction contractors in the United States, based on revenues.

History of Construction

To some it might seem obvious what Construction History is. However the subject is frequently debated. Construction  History is the history of how we construct the world around us. It is not restricted to buildings but also includes the construction of civil engineering and infrastructure. So it includes bridges, sewers, power stations, mills etc. as well as conventional buildings. Importantly the subject focuses on how these objects were constructed.

Histories of Techniques and Dating

Construction history is thus key to understanding and dating  structures. If you can show that a particular technique was used in a certain period, then you can use that information to date a building or construction or subsequent additions to a building. As most buildings are added to over time, being able to show when changes were made is fundamental to understanding how old and how significant they  are.

Histories of building crafts and craftsmen

Of course to understand the histories of techniques we also need to understand the social and economic factors that led to them. So Construction History also encompasses the development of guilds and trade bodies, contracts and accounts, methods of payment and procurement, working hours, rates of pay and conditions for workmen, and their training.

Histories of Understanding of Building Technology

Allied to our understanding of the role and conditions of those who worked on building sites, construction history seeks to understand how people in the past thought about building technology itself. How did they calculate whether something would stand up? How did they set out buildings on the ground? Here there is a clear overlap with the history of engineering and the building professionals, including the roles of overseers, designers, architects and engineers in every period.

Periods of Study and Sources

Construction History encompasses all periods from the various earliest signs of human activity to the very recent past, from cave dwellings to nuclear power stations. Obviously the techniques used to study these periods vary. Early buildings lack written records, so the descriptions tend to depend entirely on archaeological recording and interpretation. Later, written records can be used along with archaeological recording. In more recent periods very details accounts may survive, with drawings, models and photographs to show how building were put together and oral histories can be compiled from those who worked on them.

Who Studies Construction History?

Anyone who studies buildings in the manner described above is acting as a construction historian, often without realising it. Field, industrial, and building archaeologists are engaged in construction history on a day-to-day basis. Architectural historians and architects working on historic buildings engage with it continuously. So do engineers and building surveyors working on existing structures. But those interested includes economic and social historians as well. There is so much left to be studied in the field that it is open for research from the professional and amateur alike. Those compiling local histories or family histories may find they have much to contribute.