1. Study the characteristics of the site
A private house cannot be placed anywhere. The land documents must indicate that it intended for residential development. Also check if there are any encumbrances on the site – for example, not located Is he on a mortgage? To do this, ask the seller for an extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate.
Other points need to be taken into account: location, area, groundwater level. It’s good if the territory already has communications, such as electricity and sewerage, so you don’t have to spend money on installing them. Check the soil type as well. For example, if the soil is rocky, building a house with a basement will be problematic.
Yuri Pavlov
Architect.
There is a myth that if there is good soil in one place in the village, then it will be the same in others. But many times we encountered the fact that the soil in two neighboring areas was very different. Therefore, it is better to order a check. It’s also important to evaluate the area: if you want an expensive house, but there are modest buildings nearby, you will be very different from your surroundings.
Take an interest in the remoteness of the city infrastructure. It is unlikely that life in a private house will bring pleasure if you even have to drive an hour to the store. Alternatively, you can take a closer look at low-rise residential complexes.
Konstantin Porotsky
Managing partner of a development company.
A low-rise residential complex is a territory closed from outsiders, which has everything for life. For example, in our projects we provide not only shops, but also kindergartens, schools, co-working spaces, fitness centers, restaurants, walking areas, children’s and sports grounds.
2. Don’t neglect the design project
It will simplify work planning. A design project can be individual or standard. In the first case, it is made for a specific customer, in the second, you have to choose from ready-made options. A standard project is faster and cheaper. An individual one gives more space for imagination, but it’s easy to go beyond the budget.
Yuri Pavlov
The design project serves as a good technical assignment for related specialists. For example, electricians will not bother you again, because they will already have a layout plan and a plan for groups of lighting fixtures.
Konstantin Porotsky
We build standard houses using industrial technology: we order a house kit from the factory, which can be assembled on a ready-made foundation in 45 days. It includes three-layer reinforced concrete panels with insulation inside, plumbing and electrical wiring. The house turns out to be warm and durable.
You can select a project and performers on the platform “We are building.a house.rf” There are 950 standard options with an average area of 143 m² and 600 proven contractors from different regions of Russia. On the site you can also find ready-made houses in low-rise residential complexes.
Now, when purchasing or constructing private real estate, you can use an escrow account. The buyer puts money on it after registering the contract, and the seller takes it only after the finished home is handed over. This option appeared thanks to the “My Private Home” initiative. Its task is to bring the achievement of goals closer national project “Housing and Urban Environment”, that is, to improve the living conditions of citizens. Currently, six complexes are being built using escrow accounts – two in the Moscow region and one each in the Perm Territory, Voronezh, Ulyanovsk and Lipetsk regions. In total, by the end of 2024 they plan to build 693 houses using this mechanism.
3. Choose a strong foundation
It is better to focus here not on the price and ease of installation, but on the weight of the building and the composition of the soil. If you overlook these parameters, you may later encounter cracks or deformation of the house. There are several foundation options:
- Columnar. It is mounted on piles, which are located at the corners of the house and at the intersections of walls. Suitable only for small and light buildings on stable and homogeneous ground.
- Tape. Reinforced concrete contour running along the perimeter of the building. It can withstand more weight, but is not suitable for soils that swell at low temperatures.
- Slab. Monolithic slab made of concrete or reinforced concrete. Suitable for houses with several floors and for waterlogged soils. But such a foundation is more expensive than others.
- Pile-screw. It involves the use of piles that are screwed into the ground. It can even be used on swampy soil, but only for one-story houses.
Yuri Petrov
Director of a construction company.
You can also select a suitable foundation in standard projects. Before construction, we always study the terrain and soil quality – and recommend the best option. And after checking, we can recommend alternative materials – for example, a different type of flooring.
4. Make an estimate
It will include not only prices for materials, but also the cost of their delivery, payment of workers, obtaining permits and approvals, garbage removal and much more. In order not to miss anything, you need to carefully think through each stage – from digging a pit and laying the foundation to interior finishing work.
It’s better to start making calculations when you already have a house design in hand. This way you will know all the parameters and be able to estimate the amount of materials. Then you have to find out the prices for them and calculate the approximate costs. Probably, the amount will not be final – errors and force majeure are possible in construction. Therefore, it makes sense to budget 20% for unforeseen expenses.
Yuri Pavlov
There is a lot of unfinished construction on the market. Sometimes people sell a property already at the foundation stage because they did not pay attention to planning. The estimate will allow you to better navigate the price. It is important to note that for a comfortable life outside the city, it is not enough to simply build a house. You also need to set aside a budget for landscaping – parking, a gate, a lawn, and also take into account the prices for interior decoration, furniture, and household appliances.
5. Don’t forget to notify about construction
Before the beginning need to be sent notification to the local administration: it will check whether all the parameters of the future home comply with the laws. If not, the project will need to be revised. If you skip this step, you may get fine or other problems. For example, it will be extremely difficult to register such a house as a property and register it with the cadastral register. And without approval, it may be a problem to carry out communications such as gas.
After the work, you need to send a notification again, but this time about the completion of construction. If everything is in order, you can register ownership.
6. Find out if you are eligible for benefits
In Russia there are several programs suitable for individual housing construction. For example, preferential mortgage with a rate of 8% for amounts up to 6 million rubles with an initial payment of 30%. Any Russian over 18 years of age can apply for one, regardless of marital status. It applies to both the purchase of a private house under construction, and its construction from scratch, or even the acquisition of an empty plot of land for individual housing construction.
Gleb Ivanov
Owner of a private house.
Our family chose a house based on a standard project because the developer promised to build it in just 9–10 months. We took out a preferential mortgage and took advantage of the escrow account program – for this the bank gave a 1% discount. As a result, the rate came out to 7%. The documents were submitted through the employees of the mortgage center – the application was approved in just a few days.
Other types of government support more narrowly focused. Thus, a family mortgage allows people whose first child was born after January 1, 2018, and those who have two or more children, to take out a loan at a rate of up to 6%. Another option is a mortgage with a 5% rate for employees of IT companies accredited by the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation. Not only developers, but also accountants, lawyers, and managers can get it. The main thing is to be no older than 50 years old and have worked in the organization for at least three months. Plus, there is a special mortgage at 2% for the construction of private houses in the Far East.
All these programs are included in national project “Housing and Urban Environment”. It monitors the current conditions for issuing loans for the construction or purchase of a private home, and also works to ensure that benefits become available to more people.
The strategic initiative “My Private Home” also helps to develop individual housing construction in Russia. It is expected that thanks to it, by 2030, 500 thousand Russians will be able to get a loan for a private house. So, for those who plan to build it with their own hands, there is a pilot project for lending within the framework of the “Preferential Mortgage”.
7. Contact contractors
Doing everything yourself is sometimes cheaper, but there is a chance of making a mistake somewhere. And in the construction of a house, any miscalculation can be quite expensive. Therefore, at least the main tasks should be left to professionals.
Yuri Petrov
It is important that the contractor provides a competent estimate, which will indicate the costs at all stages of construction and determine the final amount. Make sure that he answers questions technically competently. You can also ask to see photographs of finished objects or even to go to some construction site that he is currently working on.
When the choice is made, sign the contract. During the construction process, keep receipts for the purchase of materials, acceptance certificates and bank statements of transfers. Do not agree to 100% prepayment – as a rule, money is transferred in stages, after completing each type of work. And check what kind of guarantee the contractor gives. By law this period must be no less 5 years.
