The first thing you need to do when planning to build a house is to calculate your budget – consider how much you can afford to spend each month in loan repayments, draw up a list of your fixed costs and any loans you are currently paying back (car loans, other personal loans).

Gather together all the documentation that’s relevant to your project, along with the documents or identification papers that the bank or a broker might want to see (pay slips, tax assessment, a copy of your lease, rent receipt etc). You will also have to decide on where you want to build.

It is vital that a budget for constructing your house be drawn up in advance. It is this budget that will help you come to decisions and decide when compromises must be made.