Fula Development
HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE
Each of us is dreaming of their own home. You long for a beautiful and comfortable living but only after you have immersed yourself deeper into the process of building it, you will start to realize how many unpleasant and demanding steps actually lead to the final product, your family home. From the first draft of the designer to the final decision… We are here to provide you a stable and secure background and take the burden off your shoulders so that you only have to look at the smooth progress of building your new home. If you are preparing for construction, contact us as soon as you can; we can save you a lot of time and unnecessary expenses.
How can you build your home with us? The process of building your own house is challenging, comprehensive process leads to your dream house.
1. CHOOSING THE LOT
When you are choosing a building lot, it is always advisable to work with an architect who can provide advice about the suitability of the lot for construction. But you shouldn’t discard your inner feeling about the lot, its price and location, either. Before buying, you need to find information about the town planning scheme for that particular location. Building your house in a place that is assigned to have a highway running through it within a few years would not be smart…
The Land Registry Office will provide information about any rules or limitations of your chosen location. They also provide information on connecting to the utilities. You should beware of any protected areas or buffer corridors around high voltage transmission lines.
Clients should consider their ties to their chosen location. Will it be suitable for your lifestyle? What amenities do you require to have close to your home? Our planners also examine any possible dust nuisances, closeness of watercourses, terrain slope, geological and hydrological parameters. After you have made your decision about your building lot, you will enter into a purchase and sale agreement and become the sole owner of the lot.
2. CHOOSING THE PLAN
You have a rough idea about how your home should look. The architect will work this idea into the initial sketch. It is a simple draft that summarizes the requirements for the construction and the options afforded by your chosen lot. This architectural proposal will include the overall layout of the house, floor plan, the number of rooms, shape of the house, entrances, garages, and other necessary elements. With us, you can choose a custom-designed project that is tailorod to your needs, the site's capabilities and the environment.
The full plans are then filed with the local building authority office. Based on the approved plans and issued planning permission, we will provide you with a detailed quotation for a house with finished internal construction, a turnkey, or just an external construction house.
3. BUILDING PERMISSION
The “paperwork” part of the building permission is lengthy. In order to begin construction, we need a building permit and finished project documentation. The issuance of the building permit is closely tied to the approval of your planning permission. The planning permission determines the size and position of the construction, process for connecting to the utilities and other important provisions.
The building permission is a document that will put you on the starting line. Now you are only a small step away from the beginning of the actual construction of your house! After the building permission is issued, we can start the construction.
To begin the construction, we will also need an implementation plan that includes drawings at scale 1:50. The project documentation is drawn up down to the last detail. All the architectural, structural, construction and material decisions will be made based on it. The implementation plan helps avoid any potential technical mistakes and unnecessary costs. We care about precise execution, and we don’t leave out even the smallest detail. Well drawn up project documentation will save you time and money.
4. Utilities
Utilities already present at the boundaries of your lot are the most ideal. Being able to connect directly to the municipal water supply network, power grid, and sewer system will save you a lot of money. The further the utilities are located from your lot, the more money it will cost you. The best option is to order the utilities project documentation when you are ordering the plans for your house.
5. ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE FAMILY HOME
The construction begins with site preparation. The surveyor will mark out the boundaries of the lot which is then fenced permanently or temporarily. The site preparation includes cutting down any vegetation and preparation of topsoil. The building site preparation is done using heavy machinery that will draw aside any soil. It is important to perfectly level the area that is planned for the actual construction. To be able to prepare the site, we need a very detailed plan that shows the position of the house, driveway or a pool.
An authorized surveyor stakes out the main horizontal control points of the building based on the project documentation. The stakeout must be as precise as possible because this creates the foundation for the rest of the construction. Simple wood-based load-bearing boards are used to mark the boundaries; they show the location of the external masonry. We usually use batter boards to mark the outlines and levels in the first phases of construction. To prevent them from damage, they must be placed at a sufficient distance from the edges of the initial excavation. Now we can start excavation which is finished by pouring the concrete foundation.
Excavation includes digging out the foundation and benching. We also take care of any slope terrain adjustment, grading and topsoil.
Before pouring the foundation, we always check the depth of the base excavation and we make sure not to pour over it. It is necessary to also take into account the water supply and electricity system lines. We pour the foundation and smooth it over. We never underestimate insulation; we use asphalt-based membrane, especially when there is danger of groundwater penetration. The insulation is laid on flat surface previously treated by penetration paint. Afterwards, it is necessary to thoroughly smooth out the concrete to make sure it is properly distributed and to prevent any cracks.
Concrete works come hand in hand with masonry works. These include mainly the external and load-bearing walls. They are mostly made from bricks, foam concrete or concrete and wood based materials. Load-bearing walls must be placed very precisely on hollow concrete blocks that are already cemented. This is important in order to preserve a structural soundness and safety of the whole building.
Vertical load-bearing structures have to withstand significant tension forces. That is why the load-bearing walls are secured with reinforcing steel bars (rebars) to prevent them from bending. The rebars are placed into formwork into which concrete is then poured. This is used for brickwork or reinforced walls. The main purpose of the gird is to hold the walls and the ceiling of the house tightly together. It assures a better stability of the house and increases its spatial rigidity.
The building of the roof begins with the truss, i.e. the load-bearing roof structure which works on the principle of closed triangles reinforced at the top. The lifespan of your house is tied to the quality of your roof. The roof slope is determined by the design of the house and also by the climate and altitude. The timber truss helps shift the load from the roof cladding into the load-bearing walls. After the timber truss has been erected, you can start with sheet metal works and shingling.
Before installing your windows, you need to prepare your window openings. The better you prepare them, the faster you can install your windows. The window openings should be the right size and rectangularity. When installing the windows, we take great care with our work because any mistakes during the process may bring about the risk of appearance of mold and sweating with time. We use so called window tapes to prevent any heat leaks and unwanted thermal bridges. It is also very important to center the window so that the fit is perfect and no gaps are created to avoid any water penetration, draft, of creation of wet corners.
After we have prepared the screed, we can begin with electrical and mechanical works. We cut out the lines for our electrical wiring, install the junction boxes and then install the wiring system. We do the same with the plumbing system.
After installing the windows, we can now start preparing our drywalls. Drywalls are robust, resistant, light and durable. They provide brilliant insulation against sound and hold heat in. Drywalls not only offer excellent insulation but they are also aesthetically pleasing – even and smooth. Usually, we first put up framing and then insert the drywall panels in it. The joints are then filled with plaster.
Insulation of the ceiling as well as insulation of the exterior walls helps keep the inside temperature at optimum and saves electricity. Installation of insulation materials such as polystyrene and mineral wool must be done in so called “hockey sticks” (L-cuts). We always look for an optimal solution which will ensure the best insulation for the structure and saves you the heating costs at the same time. We start with roof insulation, then move on to the windows, and finally, we insulate the facades. We focus on every small detail, especially around the window and door frames to prevent formation of thermal bridges.
We keep the interior wall coating and painting for the last phase of construction to make sure the only thing left are even walls waiting to be painted.
Finishing works include installation of interior doors, tiling, flooring, and plumbing and bathroom fixtures.
If required, we will get the structure ready for installation of a solar power system, heat pump, air conditioning, or heat recovery system.
The building authority performs the final inspection of the house before it can issue an occupancy permit. They will check that the structure has a fully functional roof with the required lightning rod and a roof drainage system. There also needs to be a chimney, and all windows and doors must be installed. All floors must be properly installed and all the utilities connected (gas, water, and electricity). If there are any balconies, they must have a functional railing. Bathrooms and toilets must include all necessary fixtures which must be fully functional. Only after the house has passed the final inspection can an occupancy permit be legally issued.
Our most favorite part
6. HANDING YOU THE KEYS TO YOUR NEW HOME
Handing the finished house over to you.
Unlock your house and experience in it your best moments!