Starting a family gets expensive. On top of the car, health insurance, and food payments, rent is the largest cost of beginning a new life. One way to cut down on these costs is building your home from scratch.
This isn’t easy for everyone – but by building your own home, you can cut down on rent, completely design a space, and control your impact on the environment.
The easiest ways to prepare to build a home is to become a licensed contractor. This will allow you to begin working on your house right off the bat and ensure you are following all coding regulations. Sounds like it’s not worth the cost? Once you see the amounts stack up, you might change your mind and pursue a license.
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Why You Should Become Your Own Contractor
Buying a house can be cost. If you are able to oversee and perform all the contracting for your house, the cost to build decreases significantly and allows you to control your own destiny. You will have the freedom to build it your way instead of relying on an outside contractor.
On top of the cost-saving benefits, being your own contractor means you get to make the call on the design and the construction of the house. Seeking an eco-friendly design that recycles water on the property? You got it. Looking for solar panels to improve energy efficiency? You can do that, too. Your visions for environmental sustainability are all within reach when you are the contractor for your home build.
License Benefits
If you oversee decide to build your home, a license is the best way to protect you from any possible lawsuits or civil fines.
When you get your license, you are qualified to be bonded and insured. These help to protect you in case of an accident at the workplace or complaints from unsatisfied customers (aka your spouse).
While working on your own home, you should be immune to various levels of lawsuits. Nonetheless, a license will allow you to continue making money after your dream home is built.
Steps for Obtaining your License
To obtain a contracting license, the 3 main steps to getting your license remain the same in virtually every state.
These steps are:
- Submit an application
- Pass the business law examination
- Pass the technical exam
While these aren’t the only steps, these are the most important steps that need to be completed to ensure that you are starting the application process off right.
The contractor licensing exams are notoriously tough. The good news is that there are resources to help in every state.
A license from a previous state might not carry over. For example, if you live in the state of Tennessee but have a New York license, you need to get a Tennessee contractor license. There are centers in every state that will help you get licensed wherever you want to build your home.
License Fee Waiver System
Despite the above, if you’re already licensed in another state it might be possible to waive the fee if you have moved residences. For example, if licensed in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, or South Carolina, the Tennessee Government will waive the cost for you to receive your license. However, you must claim one for these states as your residency to claim the waiver.
Making Your Eco-Friendly Vision a Reality
Once you have obtained the appropriate licenses and reviewed the necessary regulations and codes for your state, you’re ready to make your vision of an eco-friendly home into a reality.
Powering your house with solar power, use recycled materials, and insulate the walls with old tires. Once you’re licensed, you can implement as many eco-friendly life hacks as you can manage. The money you saved on hiring a contractor can go towards making your home as environmentally conscious as possible, and the world will thank you for it.
