A building project goes wrong most often in the first two months — before a single brick is laid. Skipping steps to “start quickly” usually costs more later. This guide gives you the order of work and the decisions that matter.
This guide is general information, not legal advice or an engineering design. Costs and approvals depend on your plot, location and the authority concerned.
Stage 1 — Check the land first
Before you spend on design, make sure the land is clean to build on: the title papers agree, there is no mortgage or case, and you have legal access. Then check what the planning rules allow on the plot — use, height, setbacks and road width. A land check here is cheap compared to redesigning later.
Stage 2 — Feasibility and budget
Ask the simple question: what can this plot hold, and what will it cost? A feasibility review gives a realistic floor area, a rough cost range and, for a developer, a rough sale value. Decide your budget with a margin for the unexpected — keep a contingency, because every project finds surprises.
Note that cost per square foot depends on specification. A number quoted without a specification is not a price.
Stage 3 — Design
You need an architect (layout, elevations) and a structural engineer (foundation, frame). A soil test informs the foundation. Ask for the drawings and calculations in writing and keep them. Services design — electrical, plumbing, drainage — should be done with the structure, not after.
Stage 4 — Approval
In areas covered by RAJUK or another authority, building needs approval before construction starts; some sites also need clearances for fire safety or height. Prepare ownership papers, survey/map evidence, drawings and identity documents. Approval is the authority’s decision; no one can honestly guarantee it. Track each step and date.
Stage 5 — Bill of quantities and tendering
A bill of quantities (BOQ) lists every item and quantity so that contractors quote for the same thing. Invite at least three quotes, compare scope, not just price, and check each contractor’s past work. Agree payment in stages tied to work done, not to dates.
Stage 6 — Materials: how not to get caught by prices
Rod, cement, sand, stone chips and bricks move in price, and delivered cost depends on brand, grade, location, quantity, transport and unloading.
- Ask for a dated quotation that states the unit (tonne, bag, cft, per thousand) and what is included.
- Compare delivered prices, not ex-factory ones.
- Ask suppliers to state the brand and grade and give a weight or quantity receipt.
- Order in lots matched to the work schedule; do not prepay large amounts to a supplier you have not checked.
- Keep a record of what was delivered against what was ordered.
A quantity estimate before you ask for quotes avoids over- or under-ordering. Our calculators give a rough starting point, and you can request material quotes.
Stage 7 — Construction and supervision
Have a qualified engineer or supervisor on site regularly. Check that work follows the drawings, that concrete and steel are as specified, and that photographs and measurements are recorded at each stage. Agree in writing how changes are priced before the work is done.
Stage 8 — Finishing and handover
Interior, plumbing, electrical, tiles and painting come last but take longer than people expect. Make a snag list before final payment, test every service, and collect warranties, drawings and any completion papers the authority requires.
What to do this week
- Check the land and the planning rules.
- Get a feasibility and budget range, with a contingency.
- Appoint an architect and structural engineer.
- Prepare the approval documents.
- Only then ask contractors to quote on a BOQ.
How BEST ABASHON helps
We help with land checks, feasibility, design coordination, approval support, BOQ and cost estimation, contractor comparison, supervision, and — optionally — material quotes and home services. Request a construction estimate.
