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A Step-by-Step Report on Building a House with EUROPANEL – Part 2

13.06.2019

Dear EUROPANEL supporters. At our meetings with prospective homebuilders, we are often asked questions about the EUROPANEL construction system and the entire building process, from obtaining a building permit to the completion of the project. We have prepared a report for you on a house currently under construction.

In today’s episode, we’ll secure the funding and start building!

Once the building permit is issued, the next steps involve securing financing and planning the construction. We often see situations where a client comes in with an approved mortgage but doesn’t yet have a building permit or even a design plan. That’s not the right approach. While banks make their money from loans and will do everything they can to lend you money if at all possible, government agencies and architectural firms aren’t usually as flexible or accommodating. When planning a house construction, it makes sense to first determine the approximate loan amount you can qualify for, then obtain the building permit, and only then arrange the mortgage. Since every project and every investor is unique, there is no universally applicable guide for this process.

In our case, after obtaining the building permit, we used the pre-arranged services of a financial advisor with whom we have had many years of exclusively positive experience to secure the mortgage. Simultaneously with arranging the mortgage, a construction schedule was established and a contract for work was drawn up with the construction company.

Construction work began on April 1, 2019—on April Fools’ Day—with the surveying of ground screw positions and their subsequent installation. Because the construction is taking place on less load-bearing soil, the number of screws is approximately two and a half times higher than on standard plots. Even so, this foundation method proved cost-effective compared to a concrete slab. The installation of the piles was followed by the placement of a prefabricated utility shaft and the establishment of water, electricity, and sewer connections. The location of the existing sewer line does not allow for a direct connection. For this reason, a transfer pump station was installed.

All these operations took seven working days. Nevertheless, the entire month of April was set aside for them in the construction schedule, because we are building in the Jizera Mountains, where it is difficult to predict the vagaries of the weather. Of course, a number of other tasks were underway alongside the construction. We ordered EUROPANEL materials, windows, the facade, doors, flooring, wood for the gables and terrace, and the ventilation system—materials that have delivery times of several weeks and will be needed soon.

The photos show the earthwork described above.