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In this segment of DIY's Be Your Own Contractor, the contractors discuss the importance of advance planning. Plans and Planning - Michael Buchtel says that, based on his experience, the most critical advice that he can give to would-be DIY contractors is to recognize the importance of planning. This is an opinion that he says is confirmed by professional contractors that he knows.
- Skip Weahunt emphasizes the importance of planning if you have a fixed budget, or if saving money is a consideration.
- Andy Beasley advises doing all of your planning well ahead of time. Avoid getting into the middle of a construction project before defining your goals.
- Fred Samuels notes that what goes into the construction of a house should be a function of the needs of the individual family who will be living there. The needs of any particular family can be special and unique, and the plan and design for the house should reflect that. No single house-plan should be considered suitable for all families. Space and logistics should be considered in terms of the size and needs of the family.
- Betty King and John Spracklen suggest working with your spouse or partner to work out a list of the aspects of a home that are important to each of the individuals. Write the list down, add to it and refine it over a period of time. Planning was particularly critical for Betty and John since they wanted to "build green" -- i.e., utilize non-toxic and environmentally friendly (or "green") materials and alternatives -- in the building of their 4000-square-foot Victorian style home in Olmstead, KY (figure A). They researched their options carefully before construction began.
- Betty notes that the couple took three years to plan before construction began (figure B), and they still made mistakes and missed things. Their research included books, the Internet, and talking to contractors, green builders and friends. She regards the advance research they did as absolutely essential.
- Once you've determined your basic needs and space requirements, you'll need to then put together a formal house plan. Alan Sain was extremely thorough when it came to this phase. As an engineer, it was possible for him to personally develop blueprints and diagrams showing basic floor-plans, stud walls, elevations, electrical layouts, plumbing layouts, etc. Though this level of detail may not be necessary for all DIY contractors, Alan stresses that the more advance planning you can do, and the more detailed the plans, the smoother the actual construction processes are likely to go.
- Some of the contractors like Alan Sain and Lynn Underwood were able to develop and utilize computer-based CAD diagrams -- or Computer Aided Designs (figure C) -- in their planning. Programs that generate CADs are sophisticated but easy to use, and they are available to consumers who use PCs. Books, magazines and websites are also valuable resources for researching house plans that you may use in developing plans for your own home.
- John Spracklen advises going one step further -- contacting an architect to help you develop the plans. An architect has the skills and experience to help you develop plans that take numerous factors into consideration, and can help you achieve the look and style you want for your house structure.
- Lynn Underwood and Alan Sain point out the importance of utilizing the building code when designing your home to ensure that the house will meet proper safety and structural requirements. A building-code inspector will make a site inspection (figure D), and may turn down plans that don't meet basic or local criteria. Building codes are a critical element that should be incorporated into the early planning phase of the building project.
In the segment that follows, the contractors discuss the decisions involved in determining who will actually do the work.
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