Building the House
Staking the lot & house = 1-3 Days
Clearing & excavation = 1-3 Days
Ordering utilities, temp electric, & portable toilet = 1 Hr
Footings (1st inspection made before pouring) = 1 Day
Foundation & soil treatment, the foundation survey = 1 Week
Rough ins for slab plumbing + inspection = 2-4 Days
Slabs, basement, & garage = 1-2 Days
Framing & drying in = 1-3 Weeks
Exterior siding, trim, veneers = 1-3 Weeks
Chimneys & roofing = 2 Days - 1 Week
Rough ins (can be done during steps 9 & 10) = 1-2 Weeks
Insulation = 3 Days
Hardwood flooring & underlayment = 3 Days - 1 Week
Drywall = 2 Weeks
Priming walls & pointing up = 2 Days
Interior trim & cabinets = 1-2 Weeks
Painting = 2-3 weeks
Other trims (Formica, tile, vinyl floors) = 1 Day - 1 Week
Trim out plumbing, electrical, mechanical, & hooking up utilities = 1-2 Weeks
Clean-up = 2-3 Days
Carpet &/or hardwood floor finish = 3 Days - 1 Week
Driveway (can be poured any time after step 14) = 1-3 Days
Landscaping = 1-3 Days
Final inspections, surveys, & closing of construction & interim loans = 1-3 Days
Enjoy your home!
The Steps Explained
Step 1: Staking the Lot & House
If the house is placed in violation of setbacks by a surveyor, they are responsible for paying to correct.
Inspect when the surveyor is done to ensure proper direction of your house.
When the lot is cleared & basement dug, you may want the surveyor to re-stake your house.
Initial stakes will be offset to mark 4 corners without being disturbed during excavation.
You will need a topographical plat (topo) from your surveyor if your lot slopes more than 3 or 4 feet.
A few considerations when positioning your home:
Interior light: A North-South facing house will be darker than an East-West facing house.
Water flow: How will it affect landscaping & basement drainage?
Other houses on the street: Setback requirements can be influenced by your neighbor's house.
The street itself: Should houses be parallel to the street? What if the street curves? Corner lot?
Privacy: Think about what your windows outlook, & what your neighbors might see.
Solar Orientation: South facing with lots of glass collects the most energy from the sun.
Minimum setback & side yard requirements: Make sure you're within the legal boundaries of your property.
Step 2: Clearing & Excavation
Clearing the lot includes removing trees, brush, rocks, roots, & debris from where the house will sit, & 10+ feet around the foundation.
Cut the large trees down to 10-12 foot logs & make your own firewood.
If a basement is to be dug, your sub must have & know how to use a transit.
Surveyor may need to check proper depth.
Some or all of the dirt removed from the basement might be put aside for later backfilling & landscaping.
Your contract price should include hauling all stumps, branches, & rocks to a landfill.
Burying stumps will create depressions.
Put unwashed crushed stone on the driveway for trucks to drive on during wet weather.
Step 3: Ordering Utilities
Arrange for temporary electric service for your subs.
Your electrician is responsible for installing & inspecting, but you will apply for the service from the utility.
Wells & septic can be installed at this time.
County or city health inspectors may be required to determine locations of these.
If no temporary water is available, you will want the well dug & temp plumbing installed for your brick masons.
Get a portable toilet on site.
Step 4: Footings
The footing is a mass of concrete supporting the foundation of the house.
It must be poured below the frost line, or it will heave when the ground freezes & thaws.
If you have to be several feet below grade level for your footings, only excavation & a concrete slab are needed for a basement.
After your foundation walls are up, put in a footing drain.
Building inspectors usually check the locations & sizes of footings prior to pouring.
Step 5: Foundation
Foundations can be made of brick, concrete block, or poured concrete.
The foundation wall needs to be high enough that the finish & framing are 8" above final grade.
A crawl space should be at least 18" deep for annual inspections.
The foundation should be waterproofed from the footing to the finish grade line.
Your soil may need to be treated for insects & pests, particularly termites, after foundations but before basement & garage concrete.
Step 6: Rough ins for Plumbing
If you have a basement with plumbing / are building on a concrete slab, your plumber needs to install the sewer line & water pipes after foundations.
Your treatment company may want to treat the soil after this underground plumbing is complete.
Step 7: Slabs for Heated Areas
Many locales require slab perimeter insulation, often foam board from the top of the foundation to at least 12" below finished grade.
A 4-6 Mil plastic barrier under the concrete will prevent moisture seepage.
A 6" x 6" #10 wire mesh should be in the concrete to reinforce it.
The top of the slab should be at least 8" above final grade & installed over a 4-6" packed layer of crushed stone.
Expansion joints around the perimeter of garage slabs allow the concrete to expand & contract without cracking.
All slabs should be at least 4" thick.
Step 8: Framing & Drying In
You need only to order the lumber, windows, & exterior doors, & you'll have a house in a few weeks.
Rain & snow during framing are not desirable, but seldom do much damage.
When framing is complete, order cabinets, bookcases, & any vanity cabinets.
Step 9: Exterior Siding, Trim, Veneers
This phase of construction happens while work progresses inside & should be done before roof shingles.
Masonry chimneys are installed after siding or veneer.
Veneers, such as brick, should be installed before final exterior trim is added.
Once this step is complete, you are ready for exterior painting.
Step 10: Chimneys & Roofing
Chimneys should be built before the roof is shingled.
This allows sheet metal flashing for waterproofing & avoids damage to the shingles.
A prefab fireplace & flue would also be installed at this time.
Step 11: Rough Ins
All electrical, plumbing, HVAC, phone pre-wire, cable, stereo, internet, & alarms should be roughed in any time after step 8 is complete.
Step 12: Insulation
Consult with your utility company on the insulation required to qualify for their lowest rates.
May require inspections by utility company & building inspection department before it is covered.
Step 13: Hardwood Flooring & Underlayment
Unfinished hardwood flooring, vinyl, or carpet underlayment can be installed before or after drywall.
Step 14: Drywall
Most residential walls are finished with 1/2" sheetrock.
Use waterproof board or paint with enamel paint in bathrooms & other moist areas.
Fire on 3 1/2 - 4 times the square footage of the floor area for the square footage of wallboard.
Your drywall sub can give you a price per square foot.
Step 15: Priming Walls & Pointing Up
After drywall & before interior trim, prime walls & ceilings with flat white latex primer.
Slight drywall imperfections can be seen & repaired (pointing up) after priming, & after interior trim install.
Step 16: Interior Trim & Cabinets
Doors, moldings, cabinets, countertops, & shelves are installed at this time.
Special molding or trim work should be discussed in advance to determine additional cost for installation.
Your millwork supplier can do a complete material takeoff for your trim & determine costs of extras.
Step 17: Painting
Your exterior painting can be delayed until this point, but unfinished siding may warp if sitting too long.
Step 18: Other Trims
Vinyl floors, ceramic tiles, & wallpaper should be installed now.
Step 19: Trimming Out
It's time for your plumber to set his fixtures.
HVAC must also be completed before your electrician.
Electrician will install switches, receptacles, light fixtures, & electrical appliances (oven & range). He will also wire devices for plumber & HVAC subs.
Step 20: Clean-Up
The bulk of outside trash, & inside trash can be picked up by a truck & hauled away.
Dumpsters are the responsibility of the general contractor, but don't hold a ton, so are better suited to remodels where trash containment is critical.
On new construction sites without landscaping, it's cheaper to bulldoze the trash & truck it away at the end of the project.
Step 21: Carpet &/or Hardwood Finish
Hardwood floors should be finished before any carpet is installed, because of the sanding required before stain & poly.
Step 22: Driveway
Try to time it so you have received all heavy shipments of materials, hauled off heavy loads of trash, & are finished with heavy equipment.
Concrete can support a moving van a week after pouring, but asphalt can't so put down a stone base & move in prior to completing an asphalt driveway.
Step 23: Landscaping
This job can be put off until after you move in, depending on your lender's requirements.
If you run into cost overruns at the end of construction, you may get away with grading & seeding or mulching disturbed wooded areas.
Step 24: Final Inspections, Surveys, & Loan Closings
All final inspections from the city for building, electrical, mechanical, & plumbing should be made after completing the house.
The lender will make a final inspection before it disburses the balance of the construction loan.
When approved, the lender will coordinate the necessary paperwork & schedule the refinance or modification of the construction loan.
Your lender may order a final survey to be sure no additional structures have been placed on the lot in violation of deed restrictions or zoning.
You must remember to convert your builder's risk policy to a homeowner's policy prior to closing.
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