Building a house is the wrong choice if you want to move into a new place next month. After all, it takes 9.4 months on average for a contractor to build a custom home for a customer.
So you’ll need to prepare your mindset for the wait if you want to build a house. Constructing a home takes time, and you can benefit from learning more about the timeline.
Here is a breakdown of the timeline of the home building process.
Preliminary Steps
A home building checklist contains every step required in the home-building process. This checklist begins with the necessary preliminary steps, and there are numerous. Here are some of them:
Choose a Builder
You’ll need to hire a custom home builder unless you want to build the house yourself. You can meet with several to find the right one, and they’ll explain the process.
They’ll also explain the benefits of building a new home in South Carolina.
Find the Right Home Plans
Your builder can help you find blueprints for the home you want if you need assistance. You can look online or in books. Additionally, you can hire an architect to create custom blueprints for your new house.
Purchase Land
Additionally, you must choose where you want to build your house. You can buy acreage or a lot in a neighborhood. Your contractor might also have land for sale.
Secure Your Financing
The contractor will also require that you have financing before beginning the house. Home builders handle financing in several ways, so you can ask your contractor to explain your options.
These preliminary steps might take a month or longer, making the process take longer than the 9.4-month average.
Site Preparations and Foundation
After completing the preliminary steps, your contractor will start the building process. The first couple of home building steps are site preparations and foundation work.
Homebuilders must prepare the site for a new home, including removing trees and foliage and leveling the ground. This process might take a day, a week, or longer.
Installing the foundation comes next, which normally takes around one week. However, it might take longer if you have a basement. It will only take a day or two if you use a slab foundation.
Structure
The home’s structure is the next step, which might take one to four weeks. Some Charleston homes are larger than others, causing them to take longer to build.
When the contractor begins building the structure, you’ll see the size and shape of your new home. As a homeowner, this is one of the most exciting parts of the process.
Exterior Finishes
After completing the structure, the contractor works on the exterior finishes. You might have to choose these materials during the preliminary stages of the home building process.
For example, do you want siding, stone, or brick? Many South Carolina homes use a combination of these materials. However, there are literally thousands of combinations of materials and colors you can choose.
Additionally, you must choose your roof materials and colors. For example, many homes use asphalt shingles, but you can select a metal roof or another material.
During this time, the builder also installs the windows, doors, and garage doors.
Finishing the home’s exterior takes several weeks or longer, depending on your selected materials.
Rough-Ins
While the contractor completes the home’s exterior, the subcontractors might begin working on the rough-ins. The rough-ins include the following:
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- HVAC
Rough-in work is the hidden work. For example, a plumbing system has pipes scattered throughout a house. However, the contractor hides them in walls and floors.
HVAC companies run the ductwork throughout the home, while electricians run the wires. Therefore, the contractor must complete these steps before proceeding to the interior finish work.
Your house building process goes faster when the contractors work on these things simultaneously with the exterior finish work.
Interior Finish
One of the best parts of building a house is the interior finish work. However, this step takes longer than the other steps, as the contractor must finish numerous things. Here are some of the interior finish steps:
- Cabinets
- Plumbing fixtures
- Doors and trim
- Flooring
- Painting
- Light fixtures
- HVAC vents
Each subcontractor must complete their work during this final stage of the building process. The contractors can work simultaneously with other contractors for most of the duties.
It might be close to one year at this point from the time you started the preliminary steps, but you’re almost done.
Punch List
Once the contractor completes everything, they can walk with you through the home, completing a punch list. A punch list is a final list that describes any final work the home needs.
You should complete this list with your contractor. You can point out things you notice, and the contractor will add those to the list.
For example, you could include wall touch-ups if you see scuffs or marks on your walls. You should include everything you see, big or small.
Most contractors offer a one-year warranty on their work. So you can contact the contractor before the year ends to fix any problems with your new home.
Closing
The final step of the process is closing. Closing is the process when you sign the documents for legal ownership of the house. You should wait to close on the home loan until the contractor completes every step of the home project.
Understand the Home Building Process
The home building process takes time. But it will be worth it when the contractor finishes the home. Of course, hiring the right contractor makes the project run smoother.
Contact us if you’d like more information about building a new home. We offer construction services for custom homes and remodeling services in South Carolina.
