Posted on October 01, 2010 by CJ Article Team

It seems like every person’s dream in the world is to build a brand-new home, but most people don’t know where to start. They’ve read a few books, got some great ideas and know what their house is going to look like, but what’s the first step required for building a new home?

The first thing that you’re going to need to do and I recommend that you do this before purchasing any property is to go down to your local planning department which is usually located at City Hall. Some cities don’t have their own building departments and this might require you to go to the county building department.

If you’re having problems finding your building department, because you live in a small city or unincorporated area, contact the next largest city in your area that does have a building department and ask them if they can help you find your specific building department.

After you have found the building department, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go down there or call them to see if they can send you or give you any information about new home construction in their area.

It’s very important, that you explain your situation to them. You would like to know what’s required and how much it’s going to cost to build your home. Get as much information as you can from your local building departments as possible.

I feel that it’s always better to go down there and talked to the people that you will be dealing with. If these people are rude or don’t seem to be very helpful, you can plan on having problems when building your new home. Trust me on this one; I’ve been there more than once.

If you don’t feel comfortable with your local building department or planning department and you haven’t purchased any property, you might think twice about buying property in that area.

I don’t recommend contacting a local contractor or architect to get their opinion on the home building process in their area, because there probably going to be more interested in selling you the job, then telling you the truth.

Starting with the basics and the basics of home building start with your local building department.