Design Process
Steps to Build an Eco-Friendly Home
On the Slow Studio blog, we always try to provide you with tools to make the task of building a home easier and, above all, to help you understand each of the steps to build an eco-friendly home, a process as complex as it is exciting.
Many clients come to the studio and tell us “I want to build an eco-friendly home but I don’t know where to start.”
We have a very clear understanding of the steps to build an eco-friendly home since, as architects, we build several homes each year. However, for someone building their own home, it will typically be the first and often the only time they embark on this exciting process, which is why it is important to have proper guidance.
In today’s post, we aim to clarify the steps to follow so you have a clear understanding of where you are in the process and the complexity of each decision that will need to be made.
If you also want to build an eco-friendly, efficient, and healthy home, this process will be even more complex, but not necessarily more difficult. It is simply a matter of following steps in an orderly manner and knowing whom to contact at each stage.
WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO BUILD AN ECO-FRIENDLY HOME?
Let’s examine in detail the steps to build an eco-friendly home.
STEP 1: DEFINE THE PROGRAM OF NEEDS
This is a preliminary step before making any decision and must be clear before you begin researching or contacting any professional.
We must answer the question: what will my home be like?
In this regard, Jade Serra, architect at Slow Studio, has written several guides to understand the steps to build an eco-friendly home and define what our home will be like, as well as what questions we should ask ourselves in order to guide our architect.
Essentially, what your architect needs is a program of needs, or in other words, a list of everything your home should include.
For example, if you are a young couple who currently does not have children but plans to have them, you should consider that your future home will have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a pool, kitchen, living room, and dining room. It is also useful to think about how you would like to live—whether you want some areas to be multipurpose, if you will have family visitors, if you want a garden with a pool, etc.
As we always say, paper can hold anything. This is the time to let your imagination soar and think about what you want your home to have.
REMEMBER
A program of needs is a list of everything your home should include, but it does not need to be drawn in a sketch—unless you have a very clear idea. The architect will be the one to help you place the program within a home design, optimizing spaces and, above all, adapting them to the climatic conditions of the location to make the most of sun exposure, ventilation, etc.
STEP 2: CONTACT AN ARCHITECT
The next step to build an eco-friendly home will be to find an architect.
Clients often search online for home construction companies to obtain a fixed price, but in recent years, numerous unlicensed builders have appeared who hire architects to draw plans for prefabricated or modular homes that they sell at a supposedly fixed price with little or no quality guarantee.
For this reason, professional guidance is essential. In Spain, it is not possible to build without an architect’s signature, so modular or prefabricated home companies will inevitably need to work under an architect’s supervision. Therefore, it is best to first select an architect who meets your requirements.
At Slow Studio, we are a team of architects, and in this case, once we have completed a custom home design tailored to the client’s needs and budget, we work with construction companies that collaborate with us to establish a fixed price for building the home, whether in wood or traditional construction.
In many cases, our clients have compared several architects before selecting us, and the process of building a home can last more than a year, so trust and a good relationship with the professional who will design it will be a key element. However, we always insist that whoever the professional may be, they must work with rigor and prioritize fluid communication with the client at all times.
STEP 3: Sign a Contract
One of the main steps to build an eco-friendly home will be to sign contracts—first with the architect, but later with the builder, for which we provide guidance at Slow Studio.
It is important to be wary of professionals who will work without a clear contract with defined guidelines and deadlines, as well as a total fee. The economic crisis has led many architects to offer to do projects for free and even provide a fixed construction price before entering into project details.
It is important that the first contract we sign is with our architect and that they have committed to respecting clear fees and deadlines throughout the project development, establishing a schedule of deliverables and payments, as well as penalties in case of breach of contract.
As an essential recommendation, it will be important for the architect to clarify the relationship between themselves, us, and the builder. The architect must be on our side at all times and oversee the construction of the home. Do not hesitate to ask what responsibilities they will assume in this regard.
In our case, we offer as standard—unless the client expressly requests otherwise—construction management supervision, which is nothing more than accompaniment and guidance throughout the entire home construction process, from searching for a builder, comparing different offers, negotiating and signing a contract with deadlines and penalties, to directing and overseeing the entire construction process.
STEP 4: visit the bank
Once we have signed the contract with the architect, or in parallel, it will be necessary to visit our bank if part of the home must be financed with a mortgage.
Is it possible to obtain a mortgage to build a home?
Absolutely!
In the case of self-development, where we ourselves will be the developers of our home, the bank will provide us with capital as we need it. Once the total mortgage amount is signed, payment deadlines will be established in which we must demonstrate, through technical certifications, the construction of each part of our home so that the next mortgage installment is released.
Visiting the bank (if we do not have the total amount saved, which is typical) will help us establish a total construction budget for our home.
At Slow Studio, we usually ask our clients to give us an approximate idea in advance of what they want to invest in their new home, so that we, as architects, can adjust the design to the total budget by adjusting quality and square meters.
It is possible to build an eco-friendly home with a tight budget or with a more generous budget. It is simply a matter of prioritizing decisions. For example, a rainwater collection system is very eco-friendly and useful, but its cost is quite high and the payback period can reach 20 years. For this reason, it will sometimes be necessary to prioritize decisions to achieve a home that is as eco-friendly as possible within the established budget limit.
In our case, since we believe 100% that a home should be a healthy environment for its inhabitants, when faced with two possible solutions, we will always opt for the most natural option possible without this representing an increase in construction cost.
STEP 5: the home design
Well, once we have signed the contract with our architect and have the budget forecast, as well as the program of needs, it will be time to begin fitting together our new home.
In general, architecture projects are divided into 3 phases:
– Preliminary Design:
which typically lasts 1 to 2 months and in which the design of our home is defined, from the first sketches to a finalized design with which the client feels comfortable. Generally, once this design is approved, few modifications are accepted since this design will be the basis for the technical construction project.
During the preliminary design, decisions are made but nothing is finalized. For example, the construction system, structure, or foundation will be decided, but these will not yet be defined and subsequent changes can be made.
– Basic Project:
this is a detailed technical project of our home. In this phase, the structure, installations, foundation, and construction systems will be defined in detail. Once this document is completed, it is possible to apply for a building permit from the municipality to save time.
– Executive Project:
this is an expanded basic project that details all the information necessary to build the home. This document is required to begin construction of the home and is what the builder will use to prepare a detailed budget for each of the materials and construction systems of the home.
STEP 6: building an eco-friendly home
As we mentioned earlier, among the steps to build an eco-friendly home, it is important to have an architecture project before searching for a builder. The builder search process is usually conducted through a competitive bidding process, a process in which the Slow Studio team offers you absolute support and guidance.
There are many ways to save on costs and construction time if clear guidelines for the builder have been established during the design phase.
For example, at Slow Studio, we offer the possibility of building a modular eco-friendly home that is partially manufactured in a wood workshop and transported to the site semi-prefabricated, so that we not only save on construction time and costs but also ensure the correct execution of each construction element.
Generally, in our country, we will build with traditional construction or wood, the latter being less common but increasingly in demand, since it is now possible to build with wood from local forests at a very competitive price and with excellent results.
The home construction process will then begin with the selection, comparison, and negotiation of prices and deadlines with different builders, signing a contract, and launching the construction work.
Are you thinking about building an eco-friendly home?
At Slow Studio, we accompany you throughout the entire process!
From purchasing the land to custom design to construction, after more than 10 years of experience building custom eco-friendly homes, we have created the Slow home, a home that is built at a fixed price.
Do not hesitate to contact us without obligation so we can evaluate your eco project. Our team has specialized in efficient and healthy homes that take advantage of the climatic conditions of the location to make the most of materials and construction systems.