House Construction Checklist

Check Out Builders

• Before you hire a building contractor, you need to contact previous customers to find out what experience they had with that builder. Look over the contractor's website for general information, but always add to the process by checking with the licensing board of your state and the Better Business Bureau. Get more than one bid and make sure the bids are submitted in writing. Get a solid starting date and a flexible but realistic construction-ending date.

Building Permits

• Consult your town's building and zoning code agency to determine if you need a land survey. Compare prices to determine the savings of using a draftsman to create blueprints based on your ideas over hiring an architect to build from scratch. Be sure of who will be in charge of pulling building permits, you or the builder, and consider doing it yourself if you can make the process go faster.

DIY Projects

• Look over the building process to determine whether you can realistically do any of the work yourself. While you can save money by doing some things yourself, you should not overestimate your actual abilities or underestimate the time required to do these projects.

Planning for Changes

• Prepare for future necessities during the planning stage or early in the construction. Your plan for a single bathroom may suddenly seem like a bad idea, so allow enough lead time to change plans for additional bathrooms. Lay out -- in real space -- construction elements such as kitchen counters. What may seem like plenty of space on a drawing may reveal itself as too small or cramped when you see what the space is actually like.

Building Materials

• Make your decisions on building materials as early in the process as possible. Consider all aspects involved in choosing a cement foundation as well as wood, tile or linoleum versus carpeting for the floors. Decide if you want structural features such as a skylight in a large room to cut down on lighting costs. When choosing and buying building materials, look for outlets that will provide discounts as well as warranties.

Cleanup

• Plan for cleanup while the house is being constructed. If the contractor doesn't supply a large dumpster, make sure you can rent and set up one by the time building begins. Be sure to handle the disposal of toxic materials and recyclable materials in a proper and legal manner.