5 Mistakes People Make When Building (and how to avoid them)

After 20+ years in the architecture industry, we’ve seen the same costly mistakes come up time and time again. If you’re planning a new-build or home extension, here are the five things we think you should know before you start.

1. Paying for a Professional Architect

You may know exactly what you want in your new home. It makes sense for you to be driving your project, you’ll be the one living with it every day. But working alongside a good architect to come up with a design that suits your vision will allow you to benefit from their knowledge, skills and experience.

This could include their understanding of Building Regulations and what the local planning department might approve or object to. An architect can also suggest materials you might not know about already. They can also point you in the direction of good builders.

While it might be cheaper to go with a less experienced designer, think about whether it’s worth the risk. The same is true for project management. You may feel highly organised and capable of laying out a decent spreadsheet, but you might find you don’t have enough time to keep on top of the day-to-day site management of a building project?

2. Budget: Cheap Quotes Save Money

One issue we often see is wishful thinking when it comes to budget. A builder’s quote that seems too good to be true is probably just that.

Self-builders often forget to add a contingency fee for inevitable, unexpected costs. Without a solid financial plan, projects can be abandoned midway. A low sum could be missing key elements from its breakdown, or the contractor charge huge fees for any changes. Also be aware of the main differences between an estimate (an educated guess that isn’t a final figure) and a quote (a fixed-price agreement, as long as nothing changes during the build).

Basically, your low-cost quote could soon spiral into becoming more expensive than the high quote that looked pricey! The trick is to be clear about the work involved (careful planning in the design stage will pay off). Assess what the quote includes and always visit a house a builder has worked on to talk to a client and get a genuine recommendation.

We think that defining your budget and achievable goals for a new building is really important. Be realistic, what can you compromise on and what can you not live without? This is one of the reasons that Architects can save you money in the long run; because they understand the process and can plan for a successful build. Materials that can be bought in advance can insulate you from changing prices. Negotiating an ‘all-in price’ with builders can put the emphasis on your contractor to get the job done on time and on budget.

3. Plan, Plan, Plan

Our clients are often successful people who understand what it takes to get a good end-result. At Swain, part of our brief stage is working out what is important, and possible. We base our designs on these decisions. Failing to consider future needs is really important. Have you considered: room to grow or downsize, adaptability of space, potential changes in health, family care or energy efficiency. All these potential outcomes can result in a home that does not meet long-term requirements.

Changing your mind or having to address something that wasn’t considered at the concept stage will blow your budget. It’s expensive to introduce new ideas once work has commenced. The length of time it takes to complete a build affects the project cost, so there is a natural desire to get construction under way as soon as possible. But resist the temptation to speed through the process and rely on sorting out any unresolved issues later. It will save you money in the long run.

It pays to experiment with different approaches to the design and test out ideas on paper before deciding on the final proposal. This means taking time to think things through and to thoroughly discuss them with your family and friends, as well as your architect.

4. “It doesn’t look like I thought it would”

We don’t think we’ve ever experienced this at Swain Architecture but one of the worst things that could happen during a build is that the end result doesn’t match the expectation of the client. One of the features of self-building is that often clients haven’t commissioned architects before. Projects that looked amazing in sketch and plan form are not always as obvious to a client with no building knowledge as they are to an architect or builder.

As a scheme develops, hopefully you will be dealing with people who can bring plans and elevations to life for you, but if you do not have this skill you can ask for the design to be fully explained to your satisfaction.

This could mean extra drawings or illustrations. If plans, elevations and cross sections through the construction fail to provide enough reassurance, a simple 3D model on the computer can be very helpful. Sometimes asking for more at an early stage prevents costly mistakes.

5. Self-building Creates The Perfect Property

Most of our homes are built in ways that are quite forgiving of imperfection. The mortar between bricks may vary a few millimetres, render might be slightly uneven, a gutter isn’t at a totally consistent slope. Usually, no one will notice. Some even say this kind of minor irregularity is part of the charm of a house.

A building is a package of (sometimes conflicting) features. The aspect, plot size and shape, neighbourhood make a big difference that can’t always be overcome by design and build alone. It is possible to achieve a very high-quality end-result but you may have to pay through the nose for perfection and it’s worth ensuring that the core ingredients are right before embarking on what can be a big investment of self-building. Consider: air flow / waterproofing / space planning / views / damp control / sun and shade / neighbourhood / local amenities / views / landscape / climate.