You've been looking forward to building your own home for a long time. You have put hundreds of hours into online research, talking with professionals, friends and family and now you finally have the funding to start the project. 

Managing your new home build project can seem like a cost effective option and it can also feel like the best way to ensure that you build the home of your dreams because you will be in control of the whole project. It also carries with it some big stresses and we've put together a small list of things for you to consider before going down this pathway:

1. Learn about each part of the process. First up, you will need to know the order of operations for each piece of work and then you will need to know the timeframes each part of the build will work to. Mistakes here are costly because you will pay for contractors to stand and wait for their turn if you do not coordinate each moving part well. 

2. Get recommendations for trades professionals. A professional project manager will know many trades professionals and will also know the reputations of many businesses in the industry. You need to replicate this kind of network and knowledge so you have the right kind of people to call on throughout your build.

3. Understand all the paperwork that you need, when you will need it and who else in the project will need it. Council consents, plans and drawings, specialist reports, quotes, payments, warranties, finances and insurances. There is a lot of paper involved in building a house and several different parties that need specific paperwork to do their job.

Project managing your own build can be both a rewarding and stressful experience. A good middle road for those that want to be involved in the process, without the pressure, is to enlist the services of a design and build specialist. As the client, a good service will put you at the centre of the process. Your ideas will get the benefit of their experience, you will be able to visit the site through the build process and be able to sleep through the stress of coordinating all the services to have your home built.