Your home will most likely be your largest investment in your lifetime and for that reason most people want to make sure they get it right. Lots of folks wish to have a new home, a brand new that no one has ever lived in before.

Well this makes a lot of sense of course and yet how can you possibly find the best one which you are suited for? Sometimes people decide to move into a different scenario and that is to build there new home their way literally from the ground up. Of course this takes time and patience.

First they decide on a rough sketch of what they want and go thru hundreds of floor plans trying to find something remotely similar to what they want. Next they look for a raw piece of land to put their home on, perhaps a hill with a view or in a specific area in which they might like to live the rest of their life and then retire?

From then on it is a costly endeavor as they find an architect and attempt to get their plans submitted and approved. Next comes the hassle, stress and compromises of costs, contractors, planning department approvals and let me tell you it is enough to throw marriages into turmoil and make you want to pull your hair out.

But if you are committed to the process and patient you are now on your way and along the way you will see that everything costs twice as much as you thought and takes three times as long to get accomplished. So, please consider all this in 2006, if you are considering building your own home.

When a potential owner/builder has decided to move toward the process of building a new home, I regularly see a bit of confusion where the “cart before the horse” comes into play. What I mean by that is owner/builders try and concentrate on the design or plan idea before they have secured land or a lot.

I understand the excitement of the plan design process and putting on paper their ideas for their dream home, and let me share some insight on why it is important to have your land purchased first. Here are some considerations before sitting down with a plan designer:

1. Does the land/lot have any covenants you are not aware of? What I mean by this is you should check with the previous owner, Realtor and County or City planning Department and see if there are any restrictions or covenants on what you can actually build there.

2. What are the setbacks for the land/lot and how will that affect the size and footprint of your proposed home? A setback is designated space, pre-determined by the local planning Department, which is not available for your home to sit on. This is usually for right-of-ways for utilities, widening the roads, etc. So for example, if the lot you are considering is 50 feet wide and you have a 5 foot side yard setback, that means you have to take off 5 feet from each side leaving you 40 actual feet for the width of the home foundation. This is an issue also for a City lot where you may want a side garage.

3. Are there height restrictions in the area? What is the maximum height of the roof from grade (level of the land) that you can build? May be a problem for a larger 2 story plan with a steep roof line.

4. Where are the views? Once you have the land and walk around it, you will get a pretty solid idea where you would like the kitchen, living areas and bedrooms to face on the lot. If you have a plan already, you may find that the existing drawing does not account for the right positioning or amount of windows that would take advantage of the view.

5. Sewer and septic. If this is an acreage lot, then you need to see if the land has “perked” and what size of septic field and system you can build and how many bathrooms you would be allowed per how many bedrooms. Your Realtor and local Heath authority should be able to answer that question. A perk test is used to see how the actual soil absorbs or retains water. A failed perk test means alternative septic systems which can be very expensive. A city lot will usually have a sewer system to tie into, but check with the Realtor or local planning department.

6. Privacy. If you find a piece of property that has steady traffic on the front street, you may change your mind on where you want your master bedroom or living area to be. If you have plans already done, this may be a re-draw.

7. Engineering. More and more States and Provinces are requesting engineering reviews on plans before they will issue building permits. If you find land that may be of interest to you, research the local Building Department and find out if structural or civil engineering is required. Better to find out now before you already have plans done that can’t be engineered for that zone.

There are many variables in the owner/builder process, especially if things are not thought out correctly or done in a specific order. I have seen too many clients spend thousands of dollars on “dream plans” only to have them restrict where they can find land, are too big for the lot they found, or just don’t take advantage of the views, slope of the land, area etc. and end up either getting new plans or giving up altogether.

I am not saying that if you have a set of drawings done that you cannot find the perfect lot for them or that you have done something wrong. What I am suggesting, is that it would be easier and more prudent in the early planning stages to have finding land as the priority before plans and increase your success for a great new home building experience.

I’ve built three homes from scratch. One was four bedrooms, three baths at around 3000 square feet. Another was five bedrooms, four baths at 3600 square feet. Finally, I bought a lot in the mountains and built a cabin with two bedrooms and two baths. In each case, I chose the lot, exposure, and home. They were builder’s lots and I chose the design from existing models with custom features. The process was both exciting and frustrating.

The exciting aspect is the ability to control your outcome. By picking the lot, exterior, and interior elements, it’s truly a custom experience. We got to work with interior decorators and made all the hard decisions. The inside would include all the wall colors and wallpapers, flooring along with carpet and tile, cabinetry throughout, kitchen design, appliances, window treatment, lighting fixtures, and placements. Also, we chose the countertop materials for the kitchen and bathrooms, surround sound built-ins, and numerous other conveniences. Outside, we installed pools, spas and decking, in the case of the cabin. Rockwork, grass, bushes, trees, and even a putting green were just some of our creations. We got to watch all of it come together over many months of supervision and anticipation. Finally, each one emerged and we got to live in our respective dream homes.

With all that we did, you might be envious of our good fortune that allowed us this amazing opportunity three times over. You would be right, but there were many problems we failed to account for. To start with, we had to choose a lot in subdivisions that weren’t built yet. By choosing a lot, we committed to the location. Unfortunately, without the other home built yet, we were at the mercy of whatever came after us. If the homes around us ended up blocking the view we envisioned, there was nothing we could do about it. If they decided to plant huge trees, erect tall play sets, or other obstructions, that was their choice, but one we had to live with.

This occurred in every case to varying degrees and, had we known, we might have planned differently. For example, we might have picked a lot among homes already built and established. We also had to put up with years of construction noise, debris, and inconvenience dealing with workers and their vehicles. In retrospect, we probably would have done things a lot differently.

You see, we were misled. We thought the only way to customize a home is to buy one from scratch. What we failed to comprehend is that anyone can buy an existing home, gut it if needed, and make whatever changes are required. New flooring, cabinets, wall and window treatment, lighting, and so forth, can be changed for a price. The advantage of this approach is: (a) you still choose your lot, (b) you know everything around you and what to expect, (c) you are spared the aggravation of the construction process, (d) you still can remake the interior or exterior, and (e) you can bargain on the price.

Don’t get me wrong: we loved the three homes we built. But if we had waited, we could have gotten the same homes in the same subdivisions after they were completed, at a later date, and might not have chosen the same locations. So learn from our experience and consider all these options. I know we are, as we decide where our next home will be. I can honestly say, it won’t be built from scratch, but it will still end up being exactly what we want. So, do you need to build a custom home to get one? Myth busted!

Austin, Texas is becoming one of the nation's most popular places to build a custom home. There's the culture, the lifestyle, the weather, and of course ... the affordability.

When building a custom home in Austin -- or anywhere else, for that matter -- there are no hard and fast rules that apply across the board. The very nature of a custom home means it is different from others, so the building process often varies from home to home.

With that being said, there are certain steps you can follow to ensure your home building process is a smooth one:

1. Determine Your Budget
Having a custom home built may be the biggest financial decision you ever make. So before you start talking to builders or looking at lots, you need to determine your budget.

Start by adding up your monthly expenditures. Leave housing out of the equation for now -- just focus on food, shopping, lifestyle, car payments, insurance, investments, etc. Compare these figures to your monthly income to see how much of a house you might realistically afford.

If you currently own a home, this calculation will be much easier. You simply have to ask yourself, "How much more could I comfortably pay each month for a larger mortgage?"

2. Determine Your Location
When choosing a location for your new home, start with the obvious questions. Is it close to work, school and shopping? Are there major roadways, railroads or other noise-producers nearby? What are the taxes like? How are the school systems? (Quality of schools is important whether or not you have children, because it affects your property values.)

Once you've answered the obvious questions, move on to the less-obvious ones: What kind of development is planned for the foreseeable future? Will that beautiful meadow across the street be a parking lot in two years? As of this writing, there's a lot of development and expansion happening in Austin, Texas, so be sure you get a long-range picture of your preferred location.

3. Make a List of Builders
Once you've decided what part of town you want to live in, you can begin making a list of builders who work in the area. You might start by using the search engines, or by visiting some of the online directories of home builders, such as Reals.com, AmericanBuilders.com or BuildingOnline.com.

Once you have a list of some of the top builders in your chosen area, start your fact-finding mission. Request brochures, visit model homes, surf their websites. Do whatever you can to gather information on each builder's reputation, expertise, price range, floor plans and other important criteria.

4. Decide On a Builder
Choosing your custom home builder is a major step. But if you've completed the previous step and conducted some thorough research, you'll have a much easier decision to make.

Once you've established that a builder has a good reputation and a genuine commitment to your happiness, you need to ask the big question: "Does this builder create the kind of home I can see myself in? Does it feel right to me?" Take your time answering these questions and making your ultimate decision.

5. Choose Your Lot
Before you can start looking at floor plans for your new dream home, you need to choose a lot. Floor plans are often dependent on the lot you choose, so the lot usually has to be decided on first.

The reasons for this are sometimes obvious and other times not. Obviously, a longer home will require a longer lot. But there may be other considerations at work. For example, maybe the developer wants to stagger one-story homes and two-story homes throughout the community for overall appeal.

These considerations will vary from builder to builder. For now, just realize that the floor plan will usually depend on the lot you choose. So remember to ask plenty of questions about this along the way.

6. Pick a Floor Plan
One of the great things about a custom home is that it's, well … custom. Sometimes a custom home builder will offer basic floor plans that you can modify as you wish. Other times, the floor plans are created "from scratch" in coordination with an architect. Either way, you have an opportunity to build a home around your present and future needs.

This step of the process will involve many questions. How much space do you need? How many rooms? One story or two? Any special features, like a wraparound deck? This can often be the most exciting part of the home building process, because it involves turning your vision into a reality.

7. Negotiate the Contract
Be sure to get a written contract signed by the builder and the architect / designer (if there's an architect involved). A contract for new home construction should describe the project in detail, and it should include a listing of all the features to be included in the home. Ask for a contract amendment if the project changes later on, and make sure you get all of your questions answered before signing.

If you happened across a home built from an underground house floor plan you could be forgiven for thinking the owners might be Hobbits because the only things visible might be a door or window set into a foliage covered hill. This type of home is actually a series of small, interconnecting domes made from cement and partially or completely submerged into the earth.

Such unconventional house floor plans are actually a step in the right direction for those persons thinking outside the box in terms of energy conservation and environmental benefits. Living underground in such earth-sheltered housing has its merits and takes a very conservative view in energy usage.

When considering an underground house floor plan, look for the following applications:

1. The house floor plan should blur the distinction between indoors and outdoors. The purpose is to exist in close harmony with nature.

2. The windows should be honeycomb style to harness solar energy.

3. Since the windows for this type of floor plan don't open, an intake vent system with filters should be installed to draw fresh air from outside. The filters help keep out unwanted pests.

4. Air should be fanned from a solar collector through the home duct work into a rock store beneath the main living space. The store system maintains an efficient heat-exchange which works with the insulating soil to maintain a comfortable temperature year round. A good system would require no additional heating or cooling.

The dome shaped rooms give rise to maximum floor space and minimum wall area. Floor areas do not to conform to traditional housing expectations and and the living spaces are defined with curved walls with no sharp corners. Natural sunlight can be channeled into the house via the use of a skylight lined with natural reflective materials

Underground house floor plans got their start in the 1970s from an Austrian architect named Eisenhofer. Sadly, most dismissed his energy efficient and unconventional house plans as nothing more than a hippie experiment. It has only been within the past few years that interest in earth-sheltered housing is attracting some interest. As people become more environmentally conscious, the popularity of underground house floor plans as an energy efficient alternative can only increase.

So you've decided to take a really big step in do-it-yourself projects. Building a prefrabicated cabin is one project you REALLY need to prepare for. Like building a traditional home you have alot of steps to take in completing this project.

Most of these cabins come panelized as kits, with the doors and windows pre-hung and already installed in the wall panels. The siding, if you choose that option, is pre-stained and pre-installed. These units also come with detailed plans that take you step-by-step down to where to put the last nail.

I'll assume you own the land parcel where the cabin will stand. Now understand there are a laundry list of things you have to do prior to starting:

Talk to your local planning office about planning permission, and check whether you'll need building regulations approval.

Find a local surveyor and ask their advice on whether the site you've chosen is suitable for a log cabin, what kind of foundations you will require, and the likely cost.

The cost of transporting your log cabin to your intended site.

Put together a project plan to include the physical aspects of your log cabin project, such as delivery, installing services such as electricity, plumbing and gas, and moving in, financial aspects such as any additional costs (delivery, services, foundations and land survey, planning permission and building services, removal services, kitchen, bathroom, furnishings) and when everyone wants to be paid, and people aspects - who you need, what do they need to do and when, and do they agree?

Take a reality check. If all is well, all you have to do now, is implement your plan.