A dream house – probably the one on top of everyone’s properties wish list. When you finally reached the point where your budget permits you to build your dream house, be sure to take the right steps and make the right moves. Building your dream house is probably the most expensive venture you will do for yourself. Expensive indeed but the most rewarding when done correctly.

One of the most important person that can help you turn your dream into reality is an architect. A great project like your dream house also requires a great architect. An architect is the person that turns your imagination into plans and your vision into reality. Since an architect plays a very crucial role in building your dream house, how will you know if you have found the right one?

Although people have been talking about sustainable building methods since the 1970s, it was only in the recent years when internationally recognized eco-friendly house certification systems started to function properly. It was understandable that he builders around the world would need an assessment system to guide them into the best practices and green building materials.

The first such system was introduced in Great Britain in 1990 – BREEAM or the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method. It gained international recognition almost instantly due to the stern assessment criteria and the rather transparent evaluation method.

Although the BREEAM is an internationally recognized system, many European countries developed their own local variations based on the BREEAM standards. Initially, the British system was aimed at newly built industrial and retail units.

In 2000 a new branch – EcoHomes was established to deal with residential properties. The latest revision of EcoHomes took place in 2006 and it is now pretty much in sync with the current eco-friendly house technology development.

When you are considering carrying out improvements to your house such as an extension, loft conversion or new garage, it is essential that you find a good, reliable builder.

I am sure that you have seen and heard about many of the horror stories and disasters created by so called ‘cowboy’ builders. It is so common nowadays that they have even made a whole television series on the subject (Cowboy Builders – Five).

So how do you ensure that you avoid all of these problems and go about finding yourself a good builder who is not going to let you down?

Well, it is a lot easier than you may think. Essentially, all it takes is a bit of common sense, a little bit of research and some clear instructions and if you follow our tips below and you should not go too far wrong.

Research

Legislation in the UK is in place that should see the CO2 emissions reduce by a staggering 80% from levels in 1990. As home energy use is responsible for over a quarter of these emissions, this target will have direct implications for everyone in the houses we live in both in terms of day to day activities and particularly at times when we come to move on and buy, sell or rent different properties.

Before it is possible to look to energy savings, it is important to understand how energy efficient your house is currently. Whilst new homes should have good energy efficient properties (and all new houses built after 2016 should be net carbon zero), older houses, which account for most of the UK housing stock, can have a very poor energy performance.

Have you decided to build a custom home? You have heard how complicated and frustrating this process can be, but with a few tips and resources you can make building a custom home an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

When choosing your construction team, you want to make sure that you do your research and pick someone that has lots of experience and will show you homes that they have built for customers. The building owner should arrange a meeting with you and the home owners, so that you can speak with them directly. Then you can see if they have had any major issues since moving into their new home. A good builder will be more than happy to have you speak with their clients. It will be good for their business.