It usually takes longer than you'd expect to get to the stage where the builders are on-site. It's a good rule of thumb to start the process one year before you'd like to begin actually building. Keep in mind, great builders are in high demand and often won't be available with less than 6 months notice.

Don't worry if you don't know how to fix your house - that's the job of your architect. All you need to do is make a list of the things that drive you crazy about the way it is right now. Cramped kitchen? Not enough natural light? Constantly tripping over toys? Write it all down.

Finding an architect to design your project is your best bet of making the most out of your space. Your architect should listen carefully to your list of needs and budget, ask thoughtful questions about your likes and dislikes, and be able to provide you with options for different design solutions.

Your architect will start by carrying out a measured survey of your home. This just means they'll spend a day measuring every room in your house so they can make scale drawings of your existing house. Once they've done this, they can start drawing designs for your proposed house.

After your architect has given you design options, you'll work together to pick the best bits and put them together. Once you're happy with the design and have checked that it is realistic for your budget, give your architect the go ahead to obtain planning permission.

Planning permission is simply when you tell your local council what you want to build and they - hopefully! - authorise you to go ahead and build it. Not all building works require planning permission; your architect will be able to advise you if your plans do require it.

Once you've sorted out your planning permission, it's time to get into the technical stuff. Your architect will work with a structural engineer to assemble a package of drawings, calculations, and a written document called a specification. These will show exactly how to build your home - and prove that it won't fall down!

Whether you needed planning permission or not, almost every project is still subject to building control. This is the local authority responsible for making sure your project will meet all the legal standards for insulation, safety, etc. Your architect will send Building Control an application with the specification, drawings and calculations. Building Control will then make regular site visits throughout your project to check that everything is going according to plan.

If you haven't yet thought about how you want your project run, now is the time to do so. Are you planning to be on-site full time to organise everything and ensure the project runs smoothly? If not, consider hiring a Project Manager. This person will be your advocate throughout the build and work closely with your builders to ensure that everything is done the way you want it.

Your architect (or Project Manager) will work with you to create a Scope of Works. It will cover every detail of what you want built. This document, along with your specification and drawings, form the tender package that you give to builders so that they can quote for the work. The more detail that goes into the Scope of Works, the more accurate your quotes will be.

Congratulations! After the prep work and decision-making, the builders are finally on-site and your dream home can start to become a reality. If you're working with a Project Manager, at this point you should be able to sit back and relax in the knowledge that your vision is about to become a reality.

At the end of your project, your builder or Project Manager will walk through your home with you and check that you are happy with the work. There should be a minimal number of snags, but a few are inevitable on any project. Snags are just things that are not quite right at the end of a building project, such as a door that sticks when it closes. Putting these right is the final stage of the build.