It is not clear what we are building.
When planning the construction of a house, you must first decide on its purpose: what the owners will do here and what functionality it should have, says Oleg Kireev, development director of the My Hectare company.
Will it be a house to live in all year round or a summer cabin for seasonal vacations? The construction process itself depends on the answer. For example, you can quickly and easily build a house with frame panels. In summer it will be hot. But with the arrival of the cold it turns out that there are cracks in the house through which cold air enters and the heat does not stay inside. If you want to use the house in winter, you will have to pay extra for insulation and modifications. As a result, construction takes several years and more resources are spent than if all the work had been done from the beginning.
Residents were not counted
It is necessary to take into account the number of future residents, whether relatives and friends will come. Building the required number of rooms at once will be cheaper and easier than building an extension later.
Taking into account the residents, budget and personal preferences, it is necessary to determine the number of floors: if there are elderly people in the house, a one-story house will be more appropriate.
Construction deadlines were not taken into account
Decide what material you will build the house from. The construction period depends on this. For example, the construction of houses from aerated concrete takes a long time: from six months to ten months.
Construction according to sketch.
The main mistake is when there is no design of the house and they build it according to a sketch, says Semyon Goglev, director of strategic development of the Association of Wooden House Builders. It is necessary that the maximum number of sections be professionally designed: architectural design, structures, utility networks. Building without a project and having a foreman is like a lottery. A competent designer must take into account the results of research work, as well as the nuances of legislation. The finished project must please the client, with a minimum number of compromises, so that they are then satisfied with the result.
The communications device was postponed.
Think immediately about the topic of engineering communications. Modern wooden houses do not need time to shrink; when log houses have stood for a year and a half, construction takes from several days to several months, but all communications are installed during the construction stage.
He did not study engineering or geology.
The minimum cost of this type of work is 40 thousand rubles, and in most cases people save on this, says Kireev. But a house worth many times that is at risk. “The lack of geotechnical studies or at least pile driving can have undesirable consequences.
For example, without proper testing, piles can fall into the ground, explains Kireev. – There may be water, other soil or peat on the site, which will incur additional costs. Sometimes the cost of the foundation increases by 2-2.5 times during the construction process. In addition, research will help determine whether it is possible to make a basement or ground floor in the house, how to place the house so that water does not accumulate, and take into account other nuances. The question of “flooded” places is relevant when there is a possibility of flooding during a flood, Goglev adds. This issue should also be studied at the design stage.
We started construction without money.
Another mistake is to start building without having the full amount, says Goglev. It is advisable to know as precisely as possible how the construction will be financed, because if the construction goes according to plan, in the end it will be of high quality and cost less. At the very least, you won’t have to pay builders for forced downtime. If there is a project, a quote appears that takes into account all materials and labor.
The base is not calculated.
Two common mistakes: playing it safe and creating a foundation that’s too solid, or saving money by making one that’s not solid enough, Kireev says. It happens that a solid and expensive foundation has been paid for and poured, but a small frame house is going to be built. There is an unnecessary overpayment.
We entrust the construction to a random team.
Of course, you can also build it yourself, but it would be safer to entrust the process to professionals. However, the team or company must also be selected carefully. The first step is to hire a specialist in technical supervision, that is, in construction control, and together with him choose the builders and negotiate with them, advises Goglev. The ideal is to entrust the construction to a company, but if there is a project, a foreman and a competent team that meets construction standards can be hired.
When choosing a company, pay attention to the real and work experience it has, look at the portfolio, check its details on the Internet, read reviews (not on the company’s website), the expert advises. You can go see the houses already built by the company and talk to their owners. It is best to choose a company that produces house kits, designs (that is, has its own architectural design office) and builds, taking into account all work, including finishing.
Check whether there are enforcement proceedings or court proceedings against the contractor, advises Alexander Raevsky, managing partner of the Raevsky Group law firm. This can be done through the website of the Federal Bailiff Service (by TIN or name of the organization or by region of registration, surname, first name, patronymic and date of birth of the person), court cases can be found on the KadArbitr website. and on the website of the district court of the contractor’s place of registration.
We agree verbally
Without written agreements, difficulties may arise in holding the contractor accountable, for example, for failure to meet construction deadlines or for inadequate quality of work, Raevsky notes. The contract must clearly and in detail indicate what is to be built, indicate specific types and volumes of work, the delivery and acceptance procedure and warranty obligations. It is important to define clear dates for the start and completion of work or its individual stages.
Please pay attention to the payment procedure. It is recommended to pay for each stage after its completion, so the risk of losing funds will be reduced to zero. It is best to transfer funds to an account or transfer them by deed. Often, after transferring cash, the customer cannot prove that they have paid anything. If the contract provides for the customer’s obligation to transfer any documentation or sites for construction, they must also be transferred in accordance with the law.
When accepting a job, really check its quality and don’t just formally sign the document, Raevsky emphasizes. Otherwise it will be considered that the work was accepted without comments.
