Three Things to Know About Residential Construction Before You Get Started

It can be a very exciting thing to be preparing for building dream homes Montgomery County, or to add onto one that you already own. You will be able to construct things how you want them, and will have the home renovations Fauquier County or additions of which you have always dreamed. Before you get started, however, you should know about some of the difficulties for which you will have to prepare. Three of the most notable are a home construction loan, local building regulations, and restrictions to construction noise.

1. In Most Cases, You Will Need a Loan
The truth about construction is that it costs a lot of money; more money that most people have just lying around their bank accounts. Unless you are secretly hiding a Swiss bank account full of an untold fortune, then you will probably have to do what most people do when going forward with construction: take out a loan. Residential construction loans often also involve a lot more time and effort to secure than a regular loan, as they involve substantially higher amounts and do not promise to make returns on themselves, such as with a business loan.

Additionally, they will often ask for a down payment of the loan, which is usually 20% or more of the loaned amount. They will also need to approve both you and the builder before they complete the loan. You should also know that these kinds of loans would only be approved for conventional house construction, so you should not hope to acquire a loan for building a yurt or repurposing an abandoned missile silo. Consult with a bank or lender for more details about this process.

2. Find Knowledge about Local Building Regulations
After securing the money, but before making plans for your home, you should become familiar with the building or construction laws in your local area so that you do not get yourself into trouble down the road. If your driveway will connect to a highway, then you should know about the highway laws; you should also be aware of the local fire and electrical safety laws so that you can ensure that your home or addition complies with the safety standards. Make sure that you will not build your home on any environmentally or historically sensitive areas, as that can lead to headaches later on.

3. Prepare for the Construction to Be Very Noisy
If you live in a residential area, or plan to build your home in one, then you should be aware of s48A (3) of the Environment Protection Act 1970. This, combined with the Environment Protection (Residential Noise) Regulations 2008, has decreed that the environment must also be protected from excessive noise at certain times of the day and week. Every day of the week, from 8pm to 7am, from 8pm to 9am on Saturdays, and all day on Sunday, any loud construction noise is considered noise pollution, and can be heavily discouraged by law enforcement. Be sure to set a schedule with your constructors that will not put you in danger of violating these laws.

As you can see, there are significant laws and legal structure around construction. Be sure to counsel with a professional contractor before taking any steps. However, do not let the red tape stop you from reaching for your dreams.