Building your own house allows you to customize it to your specific needs
Building your own house in Louisiana is no minor task. From staking out the lot, pouring the foundation on up to the finishing touches, building a house requires a tremendous amount of construction knowledge and skills. That being said, doing the majority of the labor and hand-selecting materials can save you a significant amount of money in the long run. Prior to drawing up plans, consider local building codes and plan accordingly from the beginning to avoid pitfalls or fines. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Check with authorities about specific building codes. Though most areas of Louisiana recognize national building codes, some local municipalities may have their own residential codes that you need to adhere to when building your house.
2. Draw up a detailed plan for the construction of your house. Submit your plan with any necessary documents along with your application in order to receive a building permit. As you work on various portions of your house, building inspectors will be performing inspections to make sure that you are following the local building codes.
3. Hire a registered surveying engineer to survey and stake out your lot for the proper placement and position of your house. A surveying engineer will be familiar with codes surrounding house placement and any errors will be his responsibility.
4. Clear your lot by removing any tree, bushes or rocks, and do so for the entire area of the house plus another ten feet surrounding it to make room for equipment, trucks and trailers. Excavate the lot to prepare the foundation or if you will have a basement.
5. Order and install any utilities that you will need, such as the electric service and any wells or septic systems per guidelines and codes set forth by your city's health inspectors. Pour the concrete footing for your home to support the foundation, either in trenches or in wooden forms.
6. Pour your foundation according to the dimension outlined in the building codes. If you are unsure about the specific height required in your foundation or crawl space that must be created, hire a contractor to lay the foundation. Once the foundation is poured, install or, "rough in" the water pipes and sewer lines that will be under concrete.
7. Install a concrete slab perimeter for any heated areas and have it inspected if it is required by your local building code. If you do not have experience with this, hire a concrete subcontractor.
8. Order all of the necessary lumber and materials and frame in your house. You may have to order more material throughout the course of the framing portion of your project because lumber can become warped or damaged, or mistakes are made that waste materials.
9. Install siding upon completion of the house frame. Rough in all utilities such as plumbing, electrical, air conditioning and heating. Install insulation according to local codes, which may have a minimum standard. Install underlayment, flooring, roofing and any chimneys you may be adding to the house at this stage.
10. Finish the interior walls by first installing drywall and priming it, and then install whichever type of interior trimming you prefer. After your interior trim is installed and primed, install the various cabinets, countertops, doors and shelves that will make up the rooms of the house, including the kitchen and bathroom accessories.
11. Paint the interior walls, install any other trims such as bathroom tiles or floors and complete the electrical and plumbing by "finishing out." Clean up the interior of the house and install the carpet.
12. Finish your house project by receiving the final inspections and closing any construction and interim loans.
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