If you are buying a custom home, it helps to know what to expect over the next several months. Your initial steps may vary a bit depending on your situation. Regardless, once you have decided on your home’s style and size, your builder will kick things into gear. Be sure to ask your builder about the specifics of their procedures, but here is an overview of the construction process and what to expect during phase.
Prep & Pour
After your blueprints are finalized and you get the go-ahead from local building authorities, your lot will be prepared for building. It’s heavy equipment time, so expect backhoes, bulldozers, and dump trucks. Workers will clear trees and other obstructions, level the lot and dig the holes and trenches.
Not it’s time for the home’s footings and foundation. Footings are essentially the things below the foundation that keep everything from sinking into the ground. Most footings and foundations are poured cement reinforced with steel rods called re-bars. Footing forms are laid along the outline of your home and filled with concrete.
Rough Framing
Some people call it the skeleton, others refer to it as the shell. What it really means is that things are finally starting to get vertical. The walls, floors, and roofs that define the shape of your new home go up. Of course, there’s a reason it’s called “rough framing.” you’ll be looking at wood or sometimes steel studs, floor joists and roof trusses. It’s still hard for most people to really visualize the finished product at this point.
Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC
After the roof, windows, and exterior walls are complete, the house is considered “dried in.” That means the interior should be protected from the weather enough for tradespeople to begin installing heating and cooling ducts, plumbing and finally electrical wiring. Each step will require an inspector to sign off.
Insulation
Time to fill those walls with insulation. Your builder may use fiberglass, cellulose or foam. The insulation could be sprayed in, blown in or rolled in on a blanket. The format doesn’t matter as much as the R-value, which indicates how well the insulation will work to protect your interior from temperature fluctuations. Much of the decision on what type of insulation to use will depend on budget and climate. Whatever material is used, it will need to go in all exterior walls as well as crawl spaces and attics.
Drywall
Things start to get real when the drywall goes up. The seams will be taped and mudded and any spray texture finish applied. Your builder will probably use nails to hand the drywall but if you’re willing to pay more, screws will be less likely to pop through. After the drywall is up the walls will be primed with paint.
Interior Finishes & Trim
Interior trim – doors, baseboards, door casings, window sills and stair balusters come next. The final coat of paint goes on the walls and everything from kitchen counters and cabinets to bathtubs and vanities will be installed. The builder will install any hard-surfaced final flooring like tile, vinyl and laminate. Hardwoods man need to wait unless they are prefinished.
Exterior Work
Meanwhile, the exterior gets some attention too, Driveways, walkways, and patios will be poured. Final grading to make sure water gets directed away from your home will be completed, along with final landscaping and any exterior finish work.
Final Trades
Toilets, faucets, hot water heater, electrical panel, light switches and fixtures, outlets and heat register covers come in next, along with your HVAC system. Once again, a building inspector will likely need to sign off on each system. You will also see final touches like shower doors and mirrors go up at this stage.
Flooring Completed
Now that the heavy construction foot traffic is over, it’s time for crews to install carpeting and hardwoods. Be sure to check with the builder before popping in for an impromptu visit. You don’t want to inadvertently walk across your newly finished hardwood floors before they have had time to cure.
Final Inspection & Walkthrough
In addition to check up on the work each step of the way, expect a local building official to do a final inspection. Once this is completed, you will get a certificate of occupancy so you can move in! You can attend this or any of the inspections done during construction, just ask your builder when they are scheduled.