.png)
Building your own home is an exciting and rewarding journey, filled with multiple stages and decisions that ultimately lead to the creation of your dream space. It's a journey that requires thoughtful planning, dedication, and patience. Each stage brings its own set of tasks and considerations.
In this 5-part blog series we’ll be taking you through the home-building process.
Part 1: The Home Building Process: From Idea to Plan
Part 2: The Home Building Process: From Plan to Build
Part 3: The Home Building Process: Your Home After Completion
Part 4: The Home Building Process: How Long Will It Take?
Part 5: The Home Building Process: How Much Will It Cost?
In this first part of the homebuilding series we explore the steps you’ll take from the moment you have ideas about building a home to when you will have a detailed blueprint that you can use for construction. Let’s take a closer look at what to expect at each step.
As you begin to consider the homebuilding journey, you’re most likely full of ideas and actively looking at what other people who have taken the same journey have experienced. Before diving in, assess if building a home aligns with your goals and lifestyle. Consider your needs and whether, financially, you are in a position to take on a building project. Once you’re sure building a home is the right path for you, secure the land you intend to build on.
You’re going to be entering a major stage of the process which is the design stage. The design stage is where professionals help you express your ideas into a way that they can be built. To prepare for this you will need to create a brief that expresses what you want to achieve and then hire an architect. In the initial stages of your architect will work with you to understand your requirements and give you initial feedback on what will be possible in terms of design and budget
The technical work begins with studying your land. Do you have water? Where is the electricity going to come from? What type of soil do you have? Is your land sloping or flat? These investigations confirm your plot features and are important for developing the design. At this stage, it’s advisable for you to site your borehole if your plot does not have access to the local authority water supply.
An architect is able to advise you on the investigations you will need at this stage or can help you to manage the process. The common types of investigations at this stage are
The design stage covers several sub-stages that are sequential steps to getting your project from conceptual ideas to detailed construction information that can be used for pricing.
During the first part of the design stage the preliminary design or conceptual stage you’ll be exploring, with your architect, the different design options that will best meet your goals. During this stage the architect will create design concepts and make early budget assessments. Using the information collected during step 3, the rough shape of the building and ideas of the aesthetics are formed in what is called a schematic design. The relationship of each room will be considered in what is called space planning. The architect will also consider how your home will sit on your plot.
The information produced at the beginning of this stage is conceptual in nature and meant to incite ideas and get feedback from you. It will involve several meetings and drawings produced in a sketchy format until a design solution is found. From most architects, you can expect to receive design concept drawings that include a floor plan and a site layout.
At the end of this stage you will select the best idea you feel meets what you want to achieve.
In the next stage of the design process you’ll work with your architect to develop your design ideas further. The exact sizes and relationships of the rooms and the overall volume of what your home will be like will be confirmed. Together with your architect, you will begin to conceptualize the material palette of both the interior and exterior finishes. You’ll be finalizing design decisions like where all the fixed furniture should be located.
At this stage a planning submission drawings package is produced. These are drawings that let the planning authorities know that what you want to build meets the building regulations. It is a legal requirement to get planning permission so be sure not to miss this step. All registered architects in Zambia are trained to understand the local planning regulations and can help take the stress out of this process.
When you get to Step 6 you’ll be submitting your drawings to the planning authority for approval. In Lusaka this will be the Lusaka City Council or the Lusaka Planning Authority. The approval process involves submitting drawings that are circulated to various departments of the planning authority. There are times that the planning authority has queries and your architect will have to step in to help you respond to them. Getting approval means the design of your home meets the building regulations. It also means that you are being given a green light to start building your home.
To help with the planning approval process it’s good to engage with the local authorities as soon as you purchase your land and are ready to start the design process. Let the planning officers know what you intend to do and ask for their advice. Use the early engagement to get familiar with the process and the planning officers you will have to deal with.
During what is commonly called the detailed design phase your architect will produce construction drawings. These can be considered as a building manual for the Contractor. They comprise detailed drawings and specifications that describe the project.
The information produced at this stage will depend on the complexity of your project. It will also depend on your preferred method of construction. Will you be hiring a contractor or will you be managing several smaller trades? Will you be building in stages or are you ready to build everything at once? These are important questions to discuss and confirm with your architect. The information produced can be adjusted depending on your preferred contractor selection method i.e. issue the information for several contractors to bid or negotiate with an identified contractor.
At the end of this stage you will have a set of drawings and technical information that you can use for the construction phase.
You will also have reached a very important milestone in the process - being ready to hire your construction team. In the next part of this series we’ll take you through what you can expect during construction.
Don't know where to begin with your home building project? Our one-to-one service is a great way to get support. Find out more.
