This is the “big picture” perspective of your project. Before you start designing, there are 3 overriding questions that need to be addressed to establish the boundaries you need to work within. What do you want to build? What are you allowed to build? What can you afford to build? Let’s take a look at each one of these in more detail.

What do you want to build?

What are your goals for your project? This will be the framework for decision making throughout the process. It will be a touchstone you can return to periodically to check that you have not strayed too far from what you truly want out of this process. This is the what and the why of your project. What is the vision and feeling you are trying to achieve? Why are you compelled to build? How will you measure success? What will it mean to you if this project doesn’t get built?

What are you allowed to build?

Now that you have an idea of what you want, you need to determine what you are allowed to do in the specific location you plan to build. For that, you will need to understand who sets the rules for building. These can range from zoning restrictions and building codes to design review boards and local environmental regulations. There could be multiple entities with different levels of authority in the location you plan to build so you’ll need to make sure you know all the groups that need to approve your plans.

Once you know the rules, you should look into how much flexibility there is in the rules. Most of the time there is a process for getting some amount of leniency with regards to the rule. Understanding that process can help as you work through may be helpful in developing the best solution for you. Sometimes there is flexibility built into the rules and other times you will have to ask for permission. There is no guarantee you will get approval so it’s better to go through that process as soon as possible once you determine the need for it. You don’t want to spend time and money on a design that you won’t be allowed to build.

What can you afford to build?

Last but not least, you will need to decide what your initial budget is and how you are going to determine it. You will need to establish how much you wish to spend and how you determine that amount. You will also need to decide at what point you simply can’t or won’t build. This is important to know so you don’t waste your time and money designing a cabin you can’t afford to build.

You will need to determine what is included in the budget you have established. While the hard construction cost is an obvious expense, there are a number of other possible expenses you may need to account for in the budget. Will you have things like land costs, survey costs,  realtor fees, design and engineering fees? Will you be hiring a contractor for preconstruction services (estimating and constructability review)? What site improvements and utilities need to be addressed for construction? How much are permit fees? Will there be construction financing costs? These are just some of the things that may increase the total project cost. 

How will you be paying for it? If you are doing this with funds you have available on hand then it is a relatively simple answer. If you will be financing all or part of the project, you will need to determine how much you are willing to borrow and what you and your project qualify for.

What’s next?

Who do you want on the team that you will work with to design and build your cabin? When do you want each team member to be involved in the process? How will you find and select the members of your team? Are there people outside the formal team that will help influence your decisions? Which team members will be responsible for guiding you through which decisions? Will all decisions be made before construction starts or will some decisions be deferred to the construction portion of the project? What are the schedule and financial implications of this? Now is the time to start building your team for a successful project.

Best of luck in the pursuit of your dream cabin.