Category Archives: House Building

Insurance Cover & Safety on a New Build Home

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The construction of your new self-build property is an exciting time, watching your house being built from the foundation right up to roof level and completion.

A much less exciting, though absolutely vital aspect of self-build houses however, is the provision of proper levels of insurance cover. Your loan provider may insist on you obtaining adequate insurance cover before releasing the staged payments of your mortgage.

The insurance cover you need for your self-build house can be divided into various categories.

Public liability insurance provides you with insurance cover against the possibility that visitors to your new house site , whether invited or not, receive injuries to themselves or to their property whilst on your land and building site.

Without public liability insurance, which currently is not legally compulsory, you are exposed to the risk of being forced to personally pay any claim awarded against you. Having public liability insurance reduces your cost to just the excess on the policy, which is normally around one thousand euro. It also gives you peace of mind and allows you to concentrate on what you really want to do, which is build your own house.

As well as public liability cover for yourself, you should ensure that each of the building tradesmen and contractors employed by you are adequately insured and properly certified. If you have any doubts, ask to see the documentation relevant to this insurance.

The cost of public liability cover depends on the level of cover you need and the number of people working on your house building site. The level of cover varies but usually ranges between 1.5 million and 2.5 million euro.

Employers liability insurance protects you against claims being made against you by tradesmen working on your land or building site, even if the tradesmen or contractor is working for someone else. Employer’s liability insurance will protect you against possible negligence claims from both primary contractors and any subcontractors or tradesmen working on your new build house site.

Public liability insurance will not protect you against claims made by people working on your site so it is vital that you obtain employers liability insurance. Again, the loan company providing you with a mortgage for your new house may insist on the proper level of insurance cover.

Contract works insurance is a insurance policy for builders and may include cover against the loss of machinery, materials or tools by theft, fire or vandalism. An important aspect of contract works insurance is that it usually has provision to cover the loss or damage to machinery that is hired and brought onto the building site.

Personal Accident Cover is also important to minimise the monetary loss you may suffer if you are injured in an accident on site and unable to continue working for a period of time.

No matter how small the building project, you should treat the construction site as a professional workplace.

As well as having proper levels of insurance cover, you should reduce your risk of claims made against you by setting a high standard of safety from the very start of your house building project and demonstrating that you are committed to keeping that standard.

Make sure all the tradesmen and contractors employed by you are properly insured and certified. If you have any doubts, ask to see the documentation relevant to this insurance.

Minimise your exposure to insurance claims, from both building site workers and also from visitors to your new house site.

Make sure that the proper protective gear is worn by workers on your house building site at all times and that notices regarding site safety are prominently displayed on your site entrance and around the site. Move these safety signs around the building to reduce the chance of them being taken for granted and so that they will receive more attention from contractors and visitors to your site.

Do all you can to keep the site building tidy. Piles of broken bricks, loose cable and tubing and offcuts of wood should all be regularly removed and either stored safely or else disposed of. As with safety, if you set a high standard of tidyness, construction staff are more likely to follow your lead. If you allow your site to accumulate rubbish, the chances of an accident and a subsequent claim against you are increased.

Building a House – Useful Tips

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There are many reasons why people prefer to build their own house. Definitely, owning your own home is better than renting. It is a very good form of investment since a real estate property, particularly land, appreciates in value. Whether you build a house to live in or with the intention to immediately sell for profit, a house can be a source of funds when you need them; you can sell it or you can secure a loan with your home equity. Following are a few useful tips you need to consider when building your own house:

Build with resale value in mind. – Of course, people who build their own homes do so to meet their specific wants and needs. However, there may come a point when it would be necessary to sell it in the future, even if your original intention is to stay in it for the long term. Do not build a house strictly to satisfy your own tastes and needs. For example, a one-bedroom, four-bath house may be ideal for you but it will be very difficult to find a buyer for it when the need arises.
Never overbuild a house for a particular neighborhood. – Owning the grandest and the most expensive home in a community is a big boost for one’s ego. However, when selling time comes, it will be disastrous. This is because the price you can get for your house will largely depend on the prevailing market prices in your particular area or community.
Hire the best contractor you can afford – Quality, more than quantity, is important in building a house. Experienced and competent contractors may charge more, but you can be sure of a safe home for your family to live in. In the long run, this may even prove to be cheaper as future maintenance and repair costs will be negligible.
Be ready for delays. – House building is a complicated process where a lot of people are involved – suppliers, workers and subcontractors. Because of this, delays usually happen that will affect the whole process. Provide allowances for such delays.
If possible, monitor the progress of the construction – In a house construction, a lot of things can happen in one day, especially during the framing phase. Spotting a mistake during the early stages will save a lot of headaches, not to mention money, in the future. You can also be sure that construction will proceed according to your specific requirements.
Stick to your budget whenever possible. – Usually, the total budget for house construction will include allowances for variables such as flooring (with option for carpet and vinyl), plumbing, lighting fixtures, and many others. Make sure that procurement of such items will be within the set allowance. Exceeding the budget will mean additional expenses for you.

House Building Checklist

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House building is never easy especially if you do not know a thing about construction. It takes a lot of time and it necessitates lots of money. You will have to pay literally and figuratively for every mistake that you will commit. This is why it is of paramount importance that you prepare a checklist. This will give you a chance to anticipate troubles that may arise and lessen the risks of committing colossal blunders. Below are some of tips that may come in handy when you are preparing a checklist.

Do you have the needed budget? – Funds are necessary as without it, you can do nothing. You will need this for the processing of essential permits, the materials that needs to be purchased, labor costs, overruns expenses and other costs. You have to determine what factors that you need to consider when you are estimating how much you will need to raise. This will help you prepare the amount so that you will be able to finish the project. Most owners stop the construction due to lack of budget.

When will you start building? – This is also important as the start of house building will affect a number of pertinent factors such as budget and logistics. Price of goods may increase to a certain extent through the years. You will have to provide for inflation as market condition shifts. Also, you have to coordinate people and things. No one can hire a project manager and start building a home all in a day. It usually takes almost 6 months in order to complete a small house.

Are the plans ready? – Plans can be bought or drawn by a plans designer or an architect. It will depend on whether you want to have it personalized or not. Consulting your plans with professional will also cost you a little. However, it will save you a lot of stress especially if you do not know how to draw one. It will also be the best solution if you want your specifications to be applied.

Have you acquired the necessary permits? – There are building codes that have to be complied in house building. You can seek help from your local authorities in order to ensure that you are following it. You also have to acquire the essential permit so that you can start building legally. Such documentations can be a help in protecting your investment so it will be best to comply.