Building a new home is a once in a lifetime opportunity for most people. Once you get wrapped up in the excitement, it’s natural to want things to happen overnight. But even when you have the best builders in the business and a well-planned home design it can take a lot of time to bring your dream home to life.
Typical Steps and Timeline for New Home Construction
Building a new home happens in stages. Here’s the traditional step-by-step process:
- Choose a lot to build on
- Find a builder for the project
- Finalize the home plan, plot plans and design selections
- Get permits and approvals to begin the build
- Prep and grade the construction site
- Set foundation forms and plumbing make up
- Pour the foundation
- Framing rough-in with interior walls, exterior walls and roof rafters
- Roof installed
- Windows and exterior doors installed
- Plumbing, electrical, wiring and HVAC system (mechanical) rough-ins
- Insulation installed
- Drywall installation and finishes
- Exterior finishes
- Interior trim and doors installed
- Interior paint completed
- Tile-work completed
- Kitchen and counter installation
- Plumbing and electric fixtures installed
- Flooring installed
- Driveway and walkway construction
- Bathroom fixtures and finishes installed
- Complete landscaping, fencing and decking
- Final walk through
Slowly you’ll see your new home come together. Along the way, you’ll have to pass a number of inspections to get the go-head to continue with the build. If all goes well, the build timeline could be as short as 3-4 months. However, some home builds can take six months to a year to complete.
At myHouseby you can complete the first three steps all in one place. You can discover home plans, connect with builders and also find a lot to build on that works with your home design.
Factors That Can Affect Your New Home Construction Timeline
Even the best laid plans can run into road bumps. When you’re constructing a new home there are plenty of factors that can affect your timeline, some of which are completely out of your control. The best thing you can do is research everything upfront so you’re better prepared.
New Development vs. Infill Build vs. Undeveloped Lot
Typically, building in an established new development is going to take less time than an undeveloped lot or infill build. This is largely because the developer has already lined up utilities and may have already gotten build plans approved.
An infill lot is already cleared for building, but it may have outdated infrastructures and limitations on what can be built in an older neighborhood. An undeveloped lot will often lack utilities and needs to be cleared, which adds to the build time. In some cases, paved roads to the undeveloped lot aren’t even in place.
Where You Are Building
Every municipality has it’s on regulations and permitting process. You’ll be at the mercy of those local government entities, and you have to work with their schedule. Just getting the build plans approved can take a few days or it could take weeks depending on where you build.
Mother Nature
What is the weather like where you plan to build? What season will the bulk of the building occur? Is there the potential for natural disasters?
Mother Nature can be a complete wild card during certain times of year. Frequent rain showers, a heatwave or storm can put a home building project on hold anywhere from a day to a week or more.
Availability of Workers and Supplies
The construction industry is experiencing a labor shortage right now. Established builders and developers have a dedicated crew and a network of contractors, which helps reduce the risk of running into manpower problems.
Supplies are another factor that can affect the timeline. Your builder should try their best to get supplies lined up in advance, but that also means you’ll need to make material selections and stick to them. There are also times when supplies simply are in short supply, and you may have to wait for them to become available.
Changes
Taking the time to plan things in detail beforehand helps minimize the time it takes to construct your home. But if you decide to make changes mid-build there’s a good change it will extend the timeline.
Begin Your Journey. . .
By selecting a home plan from one of our builder partners — pre-qualified by myHouseby based on their standards of excellence. From there, use our next generation technology to compare and contrast home plans in both new communities and existing neighborhoods within your budget that meet your needs. Once you select a base home, the design process begins.
Choose your options — from exterior facades to gourmet kitchens to hobby rooms. Design decisions are updated with every selection, along with the price. Then watch as your new home comes to life using our 2D and 3D augmented reality tools.
Once you’ve designed your home and are ready to proceed to the next step, a myHouseby Customer Care Representative will coordinate with you to schedule an appointment with a qualified representative from your builder who is fully-acquainted with myHouseby’s process, your plan selection, and design. After visiting your home site, confirming and finalizing selections, and signing your contract for the purchase of your home, the exciting process of watching your vision become a reality begins.
Visit our official myHouseby site!