Building Your Home

There are many basic things that we all desire of life , but most people want to own a home more than any other material possession. There is a sense of security in knowing that no matter how the cost of living or monthly rents may rise , mortgage payments remain the same, and that with each mortgage payment a little more of the home becomes yours.

Today many families not only desire but can afford to become home-owners. The planning and buying of a home is usually the family's largest single investment. Therefore the purchase should be approached with considerable care to assure that the home turns out to be a sound investment.

Building a home is a complex , time consuming task , a task for professionals - architects and contractors. However ,if a person decides to built his "dream house" by himself, he should become familiar with some of the following: Design , Site-Planning , Landscaping , Building and zoning Regulations , Specification-Writing ,Building Permits , Purchasing Materials, Excavation , Construction Methods , Painting , and a host of other details .It may seem that it will be more economical to dispense with professionals but, experience has proven the contrary . Let the "pros" do the work - but make sure they know exactly the house you want . It is obvious that selecting a contractor is of main importance .

Finding a "Good Buy." A frequent concern of most potential home-owners is whether the house they are considering is a "good buy." Similar appearing houses may vary in price for a number of reasons . A more expensive house may not necessarily be a better house , and a less expensive one may not be a better buy. The explanation is the Unit Price  - the real cost of the house per sq.m. of habitable area (exclusive of basements , porches , crawl space and garages) plus the cost of the land.

Extras and the Unit Price . Inclusion of extras in the price of the house will naturally change the meaning of Unit Price . In comparing two houses , with Unit Price of 2000 and 3000 Euros , respectively , how is one to decide which is the better buy ? . The answer again is to examine what the unit price includes. Are such items as a second garage or a garage instead a carport , or the existence of a private pool and private garden , standard ? If these items are extras in the 2000 Euro Unit Price house , but are included in the 3000 Euros Unit Price house , the latter may be the better buy.

Design Features and the Unit Price. Design features may also change the Unit Price. This may be seen in comparing a house constructed on one level with a two level house. The one level house requires a larger sq.m.  land area for a given area of floor space. This generally increases the cost of both roofing and foundation work . The two level house with the same sq.m. of habitable floor space as the one level house will require less roofing  and foundation elements and also less land. These are some of the important factors to consider when you attempt to analyze the cost of buying or building a home.