Owner-Builder of Kit Home – Responsibilities and Preparation
If you haven’t had experience in a new home build, being owner-builder of a kit home may seem a little daunting. This is by no means an easy job, and you must consider if the savings will outweigh the learning curve you will need according to your experience.
Being as prepared as possible is a key factor, the better organised you are, the easier you will deal with situations that may arise. Apart from the co-coordinating the actual build, there are professional tradesmen to book, council guidelines to be taken into consideration, and site preparation to get done.
There are a number of things to put in place to ensure the smoothest run possible, and to see you are protected both physically and legally during your build.
Please remember that each state and even each local government area will have their own guidelines so do check this out in your local council area, as well as the state.
Insurance Needs
It’s always a good idea to be well covered by insurance for yourself and for the people who will be present on your site anytime during the build. Take out coverage before any work starts. Think about having at least the following types of insurance coverage:
- Public Liability –This is very important under the Duty of Care legislation. Duty of Care applies to everyone and claiming to not be aware is not enough to get you out of trouble should anyone be hurt on your building site. Bear in mind that this does not only mean workers, it can apply to any members of the public at anytime of the day or night. Someone who walks onto your site when dark and trips over, or hurts themselves in any way still has a legal right to sue you. So keep your site secured if possible and make sure the work area is as tidy as possible at all times.
- Workers Cover — This includes workers compensation and occupational health and safety issues. Usually also deals with dangerous substances and injury management as well. Look into this cover in your state to understand why you need to be covered.
- Construction Cover — This is insurance taken out to cover the cost of the construction, not just the replacement of the home itself. As owner-builder of a kit home you need to cover yourself for the amount you’d get charged by a builder for doing the same work you are about to perform. The time your use, your labour and the effort must be taken into account. It’s best not to cut costs here. Adequate cover will always be appreciated if you ever need to make a claim. Check with your insurer about exactly what is covered in the policy.
- Personal Sickness and Accident Cover — This will cover you for personal loss of income if injured or ill during your build
Professional Services Required
Owner-Builders of kit homes cannot perform all aspects of the build themselves. Requirements for qualified tradesmen in certain areas must be followed, and some areas may be best to leave to the experts if you have little or no experience.
Design — Kit home suppliers do take care of the design needs. Even if you want your own design the plans will be taken care of for you.
Other compulsory tradesmen are needed for:
- Plumbing
- Gasfitting
- Electrical
- Waterproofing
- Pest Profing
- Drainage
There are a few other areas you might need to get in professional advice or services for if you aren’t confident:
- Bricklaying
- Concreting
- Tiling
- Flooring
- Rendering
- Internal linings
- Carpet laying
In these cases owner-builders can become the assistant for the professional, saving money and time, and gaining experience along the way.
Preconstruction Preparation
This area can be considered to have some of the more mundane tasks for the owner-builder of kit homes. However, like any major task, the groundwork must be put in and attention to detail here will reward you. Do not cut corners or try and rush this process. Make sure you have exactly what you want in place before work starts to save money, time, and trouble later on.
Lot or Site Selection
With any luck you may already have you perfect lot. If not then put some consideration into this. Lot’s should not be chosen because they are the cheapest. Look into factors such as:
- Positioning i.e. sun direction, shade cover, location
- Size
- Views
- Other lots close by
- Soil type
- Cleared or bush
- Sloped or flat
- Future needs-e.g. starting a family
- Travel distance from major centres or work
- Water, sewerage, power, phone supply
- Landscaping needs
These things are important not only for future needs but for during the build. Check out regulations for noise levels, where you can park machinery, and such things as existing neighbor’s comfort. A little bit of up-front consideration can make all the difference if you happen to run overtime or hit snags throughout your build.
Home Design and Plans
Give a good deal of consideration to your final design plans. Kit homes will have layouts you can look over and decide upon. In most cases some design ideas of your own can be implemented. But do get changes finalised before the build starts. It is not a good idea to change the design as you go.
If you have been a home owner previously you may have a solid idea of what you want in a home. If this is your first home then don’t get carried away with the excitement of it all. Take on board ideas from the experts and even from family and friends. If you know anyone who has built their own home, or had a home built for them, ask for advice. Think about the practicalities of layout now and for the future, for example steep stairs or steps may not be a good idea if starting a family later. The main bedroom right next to the teenager’s retreat might bring you a lot sleepless nights.
Choosing colours are one of the most time consuming factors. Think about this early and even a basic swatch of ideas will help as you go.
Legalities and Regulations
Don’t leave this to the last minute. Be sure you are well aware of any and all responsibilities you have and the local and state regulations as far as the building process goes. There may well be specific guidelines for owner-builders to follow, so this is an area you must go and discuss personally with a council representative.
Finance and Budget
If you need finance, or even if you have secured finance, check into whether you can access any additional funds and how much if needed. This is always handy in the case of problems, or even if you decide to add something as you go. As Project Manager, the budget can very stressful. Again if you have done your preparation, and you have an upper limit it will help during the construction process. Try not to underestimate costs. Be realistic and do your homework to try and discover any hidden costs or unexpected costs that may arise.
Getting Ready for Construction
Add some sort of signage with your address and name outside your lot for tradesmen, deliveries, and others to find you. Think about the comfort of workers on site and provide a toilet. A portable one if nothing else is available. These are generally serviced for cleaning but keep an eye on it yourself. If you can afford one, hire a large skip bin for rubbish and debris to go into. Keep the blueprints and all related paperwork protected and onsite at all times.
This is most exciting time so be sure to get as prepared as possible to have a smooth build.
