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			How to Build a House - Just Getting Started by Richard Minor Article Rating = 3.08 (69 votes)

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Category: Home and Apartments : Do It Yourself and Repairs Wow what a question... You need to first define what the word "house" means to you - and how much $$$$$ you have to spend. There are so many types of houses. Some of the types that I can think of right off the top of my head are: Earth Bermed Adobe Rammed Earth Hay Bale Stick Framed (traditional in the West) Metal Poured concrete Concrete Block Brick (traditional in the East) New Tech/Hinge Tech After you have decided what general type of house you want then you need to specify the style of home you want - Like: Single Story/Two story Victorian Colonial Bungalo Ranch California Southwest Spanish style Dome Mud Hut...etc. After those criteria have been met you then need to begin formulating plans. You can scratch on paper to start with but the ultimate design of the house will need to be approved by the city or county Building Dept. where you live-- so it behooves you to have the plans professionally drawn by a qualified Architect who can make all the necessary structural and load calculations . Once you have plans in hand they need to be approved by the proper building authority. Lets back up a step--- Assuming that you have a piece of property--- Basic Requirements..... It must have either city water or a "tested Well". Your plans Must include a method of disposing of "waste", City sewer or Leach Field -- If it is a leach field it will have to pass a PERC test -- "how fast does the water drain into the ground on the property you are building on". Do you have Electricity and Gas available on the property and if not can you get Electricity and Gas on this property and what it will cost you to get Gas and Electricity (it can sometimes be prohibitively costly to get). You need to have the quote in hand and have the work approved by the City or County. Lets back up even farther -- How is this lot Zoned and can you even hope to build a residence here??? In short -- If you purchase a lot be sue you have the necessary permission/permits to build. Then the fun begins. Do you want to do it all yourself? If you do --there are a lot of areas of expertise that you are going to acquire. If you Contract some of it out how are you going to find reliable people to do the work? How are you going to be sure they do the work right the first time -- since you obviously don't know -- and most of us don't so don't feel bad. You should have the lot Surveyed to determine your official Boundaries. This will become important later as city "setback rules" apply to how close to your neighbors you can build -- Usually 5 to 10 feet from the Lot line. Have you ever leveled a lot?? Are you going to contract out the lot leveling task? What is the necessary drainage?? Have you ever poured concrete? Do you like to dig in the dirt? Or are you going to find a contractor to do that for you? How deep should the foundation be? (it's on the plans) How wide should the foundation be? (same) What do I need to install before the foundation is poured? Lots of stuff if your house is slab on grade (What is that???) -- A house with a foundation with a cement slab as a floor. Like the plumbing/ and other stuff. Or is your house going to be on a raised foundation (my Favorite). When do I need to get my foundation inspected by the City/County? Is one of my friends going to be there when the inspector arrives (usually AM or PM--that's all the better they can estimate their arrival. All this is just a thumbnail sketch of what is required just to get started -- Are you sure you want to do this??? About the author... Submitted By Richard Minor Description do it all guy Web Page not available Other Articles in this Category How to Install a Second Phone Line Yourself by Arnold Kim How to Repair Drywall by ckeeta How to Install Extra Phone Jacks by Len Edelstein How to Unstick a Sliding Glass Door by ckeeta How to Resilver a Mirror Quickly, Easily and Cheaply by thomasv Other Sites Storkin.com - Baby and Pregnancy Tips and Discussion iPhone Games at TouchArcade.com iPhone Apps at AppShopper.com Health Articles Menopause Symptoms HIV/AIDS Symptoms West Nile Symptoms Diabetes Symptoms Pregnancy Symptoms Read other Articles - click here.