Building a house is a big challenge.

Maria von Knorring, 39, estimates that it will take about 18 months for her to get her house built. “We found the ground in the spring of 2007,” she said. “It was six months before work started, and we hope to move in by New Year.” Von Knorring and her family sold their previous house in the spring and are now living in a temporary rental apartment until the new house is finished. “It was a good decision to sell the house first and then fully concentrate on the building process. It would have been too stressful doing both things at the same time.”

After land is found and financing is arranged, the next step many builders take is to find a good architect. Von Knorring and her family decided to share their architect with several other families. By keeping similar exteriors they were able to bring costs down and reduce the time unique plans would have required. One item that could not be hurried through, however, was the tangle of bureaucratic red tape a home builder must navigate.

“The biggest challenge was all the bureaucracy,” von Knorring confirmed. “There are so many rules, and the authorities are very specific. The rules are very regional, and each area may be different. For instance, in the part of Espoo where we are building we have to have two floors. If the total amount of square metres goes over 600 on the property, one has to build an air-raid shelter, which means extra costs. Neighbours have to be favourable to your plans as well.”

Complicated choreography

Once plans are made and approved, construction can then begin. It is a finely choreographed dance, usually controlled by the building contractor. Materials must be delivered on time, different stages of construction must be approved by the authorities and specialists such as plumbers or electricians have to show up when required. If one step is neglected the whole project can be temporarily derailed.

With today’s high cost of energy and more awareness of ecological responsibility, many people attempt to make their new home as ‘green’ as possible. Although government regulations require a certain level of energy efficiency, individual home owners are able to make many environmentally friendly choices. As with all such decisions, costs and benefits must be carefully weighed.

“We tried to be as environmentally friendly as possible,” said von Knorring. “We opted for materials that are very good insulators. We thought about geothermal heating, but it would have cost 15 to 20,000 euros as an initial investment and then taken 20 years to pay for itself. So we instead decided on district heating. Luckily the pipes are close to our property so this only cost about 4,000 euros.”

Lifetime of happiness ahead

Building the perfect house can be frustrating, but the end result can be a lifetime of happiness. It also pays to listen to the advice of those who have built their own home. Von Knorring is happy to give a last bit of counsel to those thinking of building their own house.

“Plan carefully in advance exactly what you want,” she said. “Find a good architect who understands you and your life situation. You have to have good connections with the building authorities, because you have to get along with them. It is worthwhile to pay more for a good contractor and good construction crew so you minimise mistakes. Finally, there are always budget overruns, so prepare to spend 30 per cent more than the budget.”

David J. Cord - HT
Lehtikuva / pekka sakki