Great Design, Naturally

1 Finance in Place

It is important as a starting point to obtain advice on your overall budget for your home. If you are intending to use a bridging loan or mortgage, make sure it’s suitable for the project ahead. 

Remember that costs can be very site specific and you won't know final costs until your detailed drawings are completed, specification finalised and tenders returned.  We advise to use a quantity surveyor to help with budgeting from an early stage. 

2 Buy the Land

Find a plot in your favoured location and make sure it is suitable for the intended purpose.   When you are ready to proceed, appoint a lawyer to put in a conditional offer on your behalf. Once applicable consents and legalities are dealt with, the land is yours.

To find land the best option is to keep looking on estate agent websites and be ready to move quickly.

3 Choose Your Design

Your budget and land will help guide your choice of design. We can offer advice to you and other building professionals involved to narrow this down to the most suitable. We can then help you decide on the house design that best matches your brief with your budget.

At HebHomes, we have a range of standardised house types and plan layouts to suit a wide variety of families, lifestyles and budgets.

4 Appoint a Professional

Appointing a local architect, surveyor or other construction industry professional is a must when self building a house. They will act as your agent and can offer expert guidance through the whole process, securing permits and ensuring your house complies with local codes.

5 Planning Consent

We will provide drawings of your chosen design for inclusion in the submission to the planning authorities. These can vary from neighbourhood to neighbourhood and It will be the responsibility of your appointed agent to assist you in obtaining all the other site-specific drawings and information you will require for the application. This includes location plan and site plan as well as parking and drainage arrangements. 

6 Building Consent

Once it has been established you can build your chosen design, we will issue you with a Supply only or Supply and Erect contract with an estimated kit price. We will proceed with producing detailed construction drawings for inclusion in the submission to your local department. A structural engineer will be required to design foundations and on-site engineering. 

It will be the role of your architect/agent to ensure that builing complies with local codes. 

7 Appoint a builder

The normal process is for your agent to put your house out to tender to three reputable contractors.. The agent will ensure that you appoint the builder offering the most suitable tender. Your agent should ensure that both the builder and yourself understand the contract you are entering into and its obligations.

Hebhomes will either supply the kit to site to your contractor or supply and erect. 

8 Procurement

Once Building Consent is approved and your main contractor is appointed, it is time to start procuring materials required for building your home. This will be your responsibility or that of your contractor to organise. Site access and connections will also need to be finalised at this stage.

It takes around 8-12 weeks for your windows to be delivered and 3 weeks for the kit to be delivered and these will be co-ordinated with your overall build.

9 Groundworks

Your site will need to be cleared, an access track installed and the suitable substructure, groundworks and foundations built.

This will be organised by your main contractor or, if you are undertaking a self-build, by yourself. 

10 Building Completed

With detailed drawings, professional guidance and a good builder, you can sit back and enjoy watching your house being built. After the arrival of the Hebhomes kit and its erection by certified installers, electrical and plumbing will begin inside as the outer skin is completed externally. And when the finishes are in place and the kitchen fitted, paintwork will bring the house to life.

You will most likely need to appoint a separate Contract Administrator (CA) to administer the contract while the work is on site and we would recommend you do so.

11 Move In

Once the house has been inspected and approved by your agent, you can lie back on your carefully chosen sofa and admire your wonderful new home. 

Building your own architect-designed dream home will never be easier than with a Hebhome.