The first home I had built was a true turn-key job. I visited a Real-Estate agent, picked out a home about to be built in a subdivision, picked out my floor coverings, signed some papers, watched it being built, signed some more papers, and then I moved in. Easy as pie.

Building my own house from scratch, however, is a totally different world. There are surveys, recordings, permits, applications, more permits, contractors, codes, inspectors, yada yada yada, ad nauseum infinitum. It's a blooming nightmare, and worse, I went into it with NO knowledge of the process. I mean, how hard should it be to build a house, right?

I've written this home building primer so that maybe you or someone else that is thinking of building a home can avoid the pitfalls associated with this very important event. The codes and events I am referring to are for Gordon County, Georgia (unfortunately) but should be pretty much uniform everywhere. Be warned however, that this does not cover every event and contingency, and codes can vary widely by municipality. Before you do anything, check with your own local planning commission office.

The very first things you need to know are...

Patience - Without this, you will never complete your home. You are going to run into a variety of challenges when building a home, and sometimes, they just will not be worked out overnight, within the week, or even within a month. My home in particular became a lesson in God's direction and timing - He moves and works out things on His schedule, not ours. When we first started, we were told "no" at just about every turn for every reason. We had trouble with EHS, trouble with the Road Department, trouble with Power Company. It was very discouraging. But after waiting a few months for some details to work themselves out, we went from picking out plans to being fully financed and ready to build in less than two weeks. When the time is right, things will happen.

Don't expect something for nothing - NOTHING is free. Not even a piece of land that is given to you through a living inheritance transfer. Expect to pay for transfer fees, taxes, surveying, plating, and so on. Believe me, you are going to pay one way or another.

Ask lots of questions - Whether it's a contractor, builder, planning, or whoever, do your homework. It's better to find out all the facts before the start of the job instead of after things have been set. Bug people until you get the facts or the answer you want, and don't worry about them getting flustered about it. After all, YOU ARE PAYING THEM to do a job.

Don't put up with attitude - If anyone involved in the process is giving you flak, gently remind them that THEY are working for YOU, and that you are cutting the CHECKS. Your boss would not tolerate it from you where you work. And, if a contractor, builder, or especially the BANK is giving you problems before you hire them for the job, it may be best to find another one.

TRUST NOONE! Read the fine print, check the details, ask questions, then double check it again. Don't leave the inspections up to the inspectors; you need to be looking at things yourself. Be suspicious if your builder or contractors do not want you around the job site. Check your plans, then look at what they are doing. If there is something you don't understand or do not think is right, call it into question. For example, I had a temporary power pole delivered by a contractor for use during the build. Something didn't seem right about it, so I called the contractor, and he said it was within THEIR specs and that they had been doing it that way for years. Still not satisfied, I called the county Building Inspector and explained the situation. Sure enough, according to county codes, the pole was out of spec and unusable. If I had not called it into question, I would have been out $250.00 and had to dig it up after it failed site inspection.