If you’re in the market for a new family home and you’ve been thinking about building your dream house from scratch, you may have been wondering what the custom home building process entails. Building your own home can have countless benefits, from the ability to personalize your house to suit your tastes to adding in modern upgrades to choosing your ideal location. The construction process, however, can seem complicated and even intimidating if you’re not sure what to expect. Thankfully, being prepared with a little knowledge about the process ahead of time can help it go smoother. To learn more about the home building process, check out these four key facts.

1. Deciding What You Want Comes First

Before you can start building, you need to figure out all the details of exactly what you want and how you want it. This step is sometimes called the idea inception stage, where you start with the seed of a concept and nourish it until it’s grown into a full-blown picture of what you want. You can start by collecting inspiration from architectural magazines, talking with a professional interior designer, taking home tours and even putting together a scrapbook of your favorite ideas. Be sure to take into consideration not just style but function, too. If you have specific products and technology you want installed throughout the house, or if you have unique lifestyle requirements, incorporate these into your design ideas.

2. Do Your Research on Prospective Builders

Once you have some ideas in mind, it’s time to find your builder. In some cases, you may need an architect to help you create your design and then help you find your builder. Since you’ll be trusting them with your dream home, you’ll want to check them out thoroughly. Read online reviews, talk to previous clients and current suppliers and maybe even take a look at some of their previous work. Ask pertinent questions like whether the project was completed on time and on budget and if the owners are happy with the construction quality.

3. Buy Your Ideal Piece of Land

Before you can start building, you will of course need a piece of land. As opposed to getting stuck with a particular neighborhood, building from scratch affords you the opportunity to choose your perfect place to live. If you want to relocate to the countryside, a better school district or simply be closer to family, this is a great time to do so.

4. The Construction Happens in Phases

Finally, when it’s time for the builders to get to work, your home will go through several phases before reaching completion. After determining a budget, it could take six months to a year and a half to complete. At the end, you’ll do a final walk-through check.

Building your own custom home from scratch is an exciting chance to make your dream house come to life exactly as you always envisioned it. The construction process, though, can seem complex if you’re unfamiliar with it. Thankfully, a few key facts can help guide you through it. Keep these steps in mind and you can start building your dream home with confidence.

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When it comes to construction projects, there’s not always a right or wrong answer. The architectural plans, the materials used and the overall aesthetic are, to a certain degree, all subject to personal taste. Of course, there are some structures which tend to follow a template – almost all modern city skyscrapers are a combination of steel and glass, for example. But there are many other projects which offer greater scope for variety. The use of timber, for instance, offers plenty of advantages. As with any material, it’s vital that you’re working with the appropriate tools and this guide from SGS can help in that regard, while the end results can be spectacular. As long as you have the right kind of timber for the job, it can be extremely simple to use, while it also offers excellent durability and versatility – not to mention providing a warm, comforting aesthetic and superb insulating properties.

But there is an extra dimension to the benefits of using timber in construction projects, and that is its sustainability. For years, environmentalists have protested against mass deforestation, with 1.3 million square kilometres of forests lost between 1990 and 2016, while it is estimated that 17% of the Amazon has been lost over the last half a century. However, responsible forestry encourages the careful management of the world’s woodland, including the replanting of trees in an attempt to achieve zero net deforestation. This, in turn, can increase the availability of sustainable timber, which offers plenty of benefits. Here are just three of them.

Carbon Capture and Storage

It is estimated that every cubic metre of timber stores approximately one tonne of carbon. Even when a tree is harvested, the carbon remains within and will only be released if the wood is burned or rots down. So, if sustainable forestry is practiced, new trees should be planted to replace those which are logged. These trees will absorb carbon quickly as they grow, effecting a positive impact on the environment.

Low Embodied Energy

This term relates to the total energy spent on all stages of the timber’s journey from logging and processing to production, transportation and finally its use within construction. Because wood needs only minimal processing compared to other building materials like steel or concrete, its embodied energy is greatly reduced and greenhouse gases – such as carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide – are emitted at a much lower level.

Efficient Use

Of course, not every part of a harvested log is suitable to be processed into large, sawn timber. However, the leftover scraps can still be utilised for other means. For example, chippings can be collected for landscaping projects, sawdust can be used for animal habitats and much of the remaining timber can be used for smaller products such as kindling, fencing or chipboard. This reduction of waste limits the impact on our environment as well as offering a more cost-effective solution.