What are the Principles of Building Planning

Planning the building is one of the actions that will save you the most money. Be aware of the principles of building planning that will save money.

Planning is a process that is sometimes underestimated. It doesn’t get all the attention it should. Either due to ignorance or because it may seem like a waste of time or something very heavy. 

Nothing is further from reality.

In this article we will see why you should plan the construction of your house or any other type of building and how to do it in the most effective way.

Principles of building planning

Here are the principles of building planning that you need for perfect construction of a house or any other type of buildings.

Orientation

Before designing the project of our future home we must take into account which is the orientation we have on our plot: if the sun shines during the day, if it is oriented towards the north or west, if we want to apply feng-shui to the time to give life to our house or any other type of building this is the time to study the best orientation that we can give to the lines that will make up the plans of the house or any other type of building!

With them, we can design and decide every detail that will define how our house or any other type of building will be, our home. It is important to dedicate some time to this phase: from here the foundations of our future are built. Isn’t it worth spending your time?

Location

When we acquire our plot we must take into account the location in which it is located.

It is also important to know if the plot has all the necessary requirements for construction: water, electricity, telephone, sanitation, gas, … And if the plot has urbanization charges (economic or work commitments with municipal regulations) the architect who design the house or any other type of building will be up to date with everything you need, although at the town hall you can also make all the necessary consultations.

Decoration

We ourselves are the ones who must decide the style we want to give to our home. We can allow ourselves to be advised by experts (architects, decorators, interior designers …) But we have the last word: we are the ones who are going to spend the ‘rest of our lives’ there. So much better if we decide it, don’t you think?

We must also take into account when decorating our house or any other type of building, how is the house or any other type of building: its spaciousness and distribution can also partly condition the style we want to give it.

The design style must fit the tastes and lifestyle of the people who will be living in the space. You do not have to stick to a certain style, but you do have an overview of the type of house or any other type of building we want to build.

Once we have chosen the styles that we like, we have to take into account the architecture of the house or any other type of building and see if it makes it easier to carry out.

Distribution

It is very important that the distribution is practical and functional. The shape and size of the different rooms that make up the house or any other type of building must be in line:

• Bedrooms: with enough space to place the furniture that we want to include and taking into account any future changes (increase in the family, need for a study area, etc.)
• Bathrooms: does the couple share a bathroom? If we have children, boys and girls? And do we have room for all the glazing, paving, expert boards? Does the purchaser handle all the bureaucratic paperwork. That they are going to demand of us. Why?
• Kitchen: the distribution, the ‘work’ bench, the storage, etc. Are very important.
• Living room vs living room-dining room: it depends on the type of life we ​​have, the meetings we have with friends or family, etc.

Permissions

We must take into account before starting the project all the papers, permits, licenses, etc. That they are going to demand of us. Because that will prevent the delay of the work and because it will avoid possible fines, stoppage of works.

The architect in charge of the project is the one who usually handles all the bureaucratic paperwork. But just in case it is better to be up to date with everything we are going to need: building license, occupancy certificate, etc.

Materials

At this point, the most advisable thing is that we leave the acquisition of materials in the hands of experts. Although, yes, with a more or less closed budget: cost, quality and term are the aspects to take into account.

From carpentry to glazing, flooring (wooden flooring, tiles, marble), tiling (tiles, paint, ‘eco’ options), paint (plastic, with pigment of mineral and vegetable origin …)

Defining the material to be used in each environment will help us to ‘create’ in our plans more defined areas, where even the decorative elements may appear ‘looking for their place’ helping to have a global vision of the unit and the complete design of the house or any other type of building.

Access

Access to the house or any other type of building is a determining factor when planning its construction: only one access, access also through the back of the house or any other type of building, garden area, access to common areas (in the case of residences, etc.) With the help of experts we can define what the distribution will be, the security measures to take into account, get the most out of each space, etc.

Garden

Depending on the land that we can dedicate to our garden and the use that we are going to make of it, we must take into account aspects such as orientation (sun during the maximum hours possible, shaded area, elements that we want to include such as table and chairs, barbecue, plants, trees, etc.).

What is planning of Building or a house

Planning the construction of your house or any other type of building is nothing more than drawing up a plan. That plan has to guide you from your current state (a) to where you want to go (b) (your built house or any other type of building)

By planning we mean:

• Collect all the phases and works necessary for the construction.

• Make an estimate as realistic as possible of the time it takes to execute each job.

• Identify the order of the work to be performed and how they interrelate with each other.

• Define everything that is needed in each job

• Define what has to be done for a job to be done effectively.

That is, planning is making a detailed program of the work to be done and knowing what actions correspond to each phase . This will help you to have a global vision of the whole process.

Depending on the case and country, planning can be done by different people. It can be done by the contractor, the surveyor or the architect.

Regardless of who does the planning, there are 2 essential things:

• That is well detailed

• Follow up.

Even if the client does not do the planning, it does not mean that they should ignore the process.

I recommend that you ask for this planning and that apart from the person in charge of monitoring it, you also do your own monitoring.

Planning is always important, but it becomes even more important when some of the work is outsourced.

It is important to know which jobs can overlap and what is needed to perform each job.

That is why I always insist on the importance of training before building your own house or any other type of building . Training does not mean that you have to get a degree related to construction. Not!

Training means learning a minimum. Take courses, read books or blogs , watch youtube videos related to the subject, attend conferences. Just like you do to get ideas for your house or any other type of building, do it to learn a minimum of architecture.

Learn what collaborators you need and what their role is. How to choose an architect that saves you more money than it costs you. How to choose the optimal plot for your house or any other type of building. What actions do you need to plan your house or any other type of building and what phases does it have? Where you can save money and where you shouldn’t . Mistakes that you cannot make in the construction of your house or any other type of building.

Building Planning benefits

Good planning for the construction of your house or any other type of building gives you:

Global vision

Planning your home construction gives you a bird’s eye view of the entire process . It allows you to distinguish the parts and see how they are related to each other.

Security and peace of mind

It allows you to always know what the next step is . What is needed for an activity to be carried out . Once an action is executed, you will know what the next action is.

This frees your mind from that uncertainty about not knowing whether or not you are going in the right direction.

Optimize activities and deadlines

Planning you and it forces you to define the activities and therefore to think about the times necessary for each activity . By requiring you to reflect on the necessary parts of each phase allows you to optimize the estimated times. Having a global image, allows you on many occasions to reduce deadlines thanks to an optimal sequence.

Anticipate mistakes

The careful analysis that construction planning requires of you helps to anticipate possible errors or problems that may appear . It will help you to do each action in due course. And therefore to avoid that deadlines are passed or that one action is paralyzed while waiting for another.

The construction of a thing is not an exact science. There are always “errors” or unforeseen. But good planning helps you minimize them.

Saving

Good planning of the construction of your house or any other type of building will save you a lot of money . Since by requiring you to have that global vision and define the actions required in each phase, you can optimize the program . By optimizing the program you can reduce waiting time for workers, collaborators, reception of materials, etc. By reducing the waiting time you can reduce the time on site . As you well know, time is money.

Therefore, a good planning and a good program will reduce waiting times, the time to rent scaffolding, occupy the road, rent a portable toilet or construction containers and pay the rent of your current house or any other type of building or pay wages. Of workers.

If you agree with an electrician that on Thursday the 5th at 10 in the morning he will be on site. If when you arrive at work you cannot do your work for some reason beyond your control, 2 things will happen:

1. That you have to pay him even a minimum for a job that he has not done, for inconvenience and travel.
2. Let it take a few days or weeks until he can find a place for you, as he will have to fix his schedule.

Poor planning means delays and therefore increases the construction time and its price.