If you have found you decided to build your own home congratulations because this is a big step to take and something you’ll be very happy you have done. If you have not done this before it does of course take a little bit of planning and work in order to achieve everything. There are a number of things you have to start thinking about like what type of plans you require.

Let’s just have a quick look at a few examples to give you an idea of some of the basic type of home plans to get you started.

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With electricity and utility bills soaring, and global warming on everybody’s conscience, we need to find ways to reduce our power consumption. Passive solar home plans will enable you to build and install your own safe, reliable and fully functional homemade solar panel system that will help you reduce your power bill by a substantial amount. Don’t believe what the news says about solar being an ineffective and inefficient source of energy – almost all of our energy actually comes from the sun.

That’s right, because oil and coal are carbon energy stored in liquid or solid forms this means that the decomposed living matter that these two vital fuels are made up of originally came from the sun. The solar energy trapped inside these fuels is released when they are burned – see; we already use a form of solar power everyday.

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As an Owner Builder, getting approval from the Building Department can be a challenge. There are building codes to follow, neighborhood restrictions to comply with, and often a whole host of hoops to jump through. This can be overwhelming for the average person taking on a building or remodeling project.
 
It can take weeks or months to get a major project approved by your building authorities and if you’re not prepared well or if you have insufficient expertise, you can fail completely. This one challenge is often enough to dissuade people from attempting to manage their own projects.
 
THERE ARE PROFESSIONALS WHO CAN HELP YOU
 
I recommend professional help. Wasting time is wasting money. We’re not talking about painting a room or replacing carpet. A major remodel, addition, or building a home from scratch is a big endeavor and you’re going to need a lot of help. Getting the proper professionals lined up from the very beginning is going to help you immensely. The first real hurdle they’ll help you over is the approval of your building plans.
 
If you’ve been following my articles and the information found at sites like Dream Home Creation, you know the value in the practice of using a Home Building Coach to assist you in any major Owner Builder process. Your coach will guide you to all the proper steps and professionals to ensure your success.
 
How To Ensure Home Plan Approvals
 
In the interest of brevity and simplicity, I’m going to show you one path you can take to accomplish this goal. There are others. As an owner builder, you’ll find this path or a close variation of it, to be useful and easy to follow.
 

• Hire a HomeBuilding Coach first: Getting this consultant in your corner is going to make life much simpler. Her contacts, experience, and knowledge will save you time and money. Do this as soon as you decide to build.

 

• Use a professional drafter, designer, or architect: Your coach can lead you to the best solution for you and your local requirements. A drafter should be the least expensive but may not be “allowable” in your market. When using a drafter, you’ll likely need a structural engineer to sign off on the plans.
• Work with a Structural Engineer: As mentioned, with a drafter it will be required or highly recommended. Most residential designers and architects will work with these engineers anyway. The engineer is going to calculate and certify that all codes were followed.

 

• Communicate closely with your professional team: Once plans are submitted, the building department is going to come back to you with “corrections”. As an owner builder, you will likely be the one who must relay the needed changes to your team. Keep them informed and keep them motivated to make the corrections.

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