Everything to Know About Building a Home
So, you’re thinking of building a home. If you’ve never built a home before, you might be wondering what the process is like and how to get started. There is a lot that goes into building a custom house that everyone should know beforehand. From designing plans to obtaining permits and finding the best home builders, here’s everything to know about building a home for a successful project.
The Process of Building a Home
Curious what the process of building a home is like? Here’s what to expect when you set out to build a custom home.
Search For Local Home Builders
The first step to building a home is finding the right home builder. A local search of all the home builders in your area is where to start to find the right services in your community. Maybe look at your local home builder’s association or people who sponsor local schools and organizations. Ask your friends for referrals!
How do you find the right home builder to work with? Here are the top qualities to select the perfect fit for your project.
Expertise
One of the most important qualities to have in a custom home builder is years of experience. Working with a contractor that has a demonstrated understanding of building homes with excellence is crucial for a successful and less-frustrating project.
Most home builders have a portfolio/project page on their website of their past work with exterior and interior photos. Browsing this page gives you an idea of each builder’s taste in style and how well they execute their services. Never forget to check their About page to learn more about your contractor, like how many years they’ve been in service.
Reviews from Past Clients
Reviews is another place to assist in finding the perfect home builder for your project that’s equally important as expertise. Reviews can be found online with honest feedback from past clients that indicate important information about each builder, such as customer satisfaction and how trustworthy the builder really is. If a lot of customers have glowing remarks, odds are, you will too! Common places to find reviews are Google, The Better Business Bureau and Facebook.
Schedule a Meeting
The best way to find out which home builder is right for your project is to schedule a meeting, whether it is in person or over the phone. These meetings allow you to to discuss your ideas in detail and hear how the builder will carry out your project. By having these conversations, you will know very quickly whether you will enjoy working with that builder or not. You can also get answers to your questions by asking ones like, “What does the process look like by hiring you to build our home?”
BUY A TICKET
We like to describe the process of selecting a Contractor as buying a bus ticket. When you make the decision to use someone you are buying a ticket to ride the bus with them through the duration of the planning and completion of your project. The Contractor is driving the bus, guiding you through what is most likely uncharted territory for you. Be sure to pick the right Contractor so you can have a smooth ride from start to finish.
Secure Your Lot
When you’ve selected your builder and all paperwork and contracts are complete, it’s time to find your lot if you haven’t done so already. The lot is the land area your contractor will build your home on. If you’re having a hard time finding somewhere to build, your contractor can assist you to find the right location. Before closing on your land, have your builder meet you on site to make sure your land is buildable and will meet the needs and desires that you have already discussed with them.
Develop a Floor Plan & Home Design Concept
Now the fun part begins! Once you’ve found a lot, developing a floor plan and home design concept is the next step. You will work with your builder on these designs to develop the layout of your home. This is also your chance to discuss with your builder your visions and design concepts that will go into the fixtures and look of the interior and exterior portions of your home.
Acquire the Right Permits
Before your project can actually start, you must go through the process of acquiring the right permits that allow you to build on your property. These permits are necessary construction laws to follow to ensure your project is following all safety codes. This process can take up to several weeks for all permits for zoning, construction, and grading to be acquired. Your hired home builder is not allowed to start on your property until everything is approved. You should discuss this with your builder early on to discover whether they take care of permitting and inspections for your project for you.
Prep the Land
After all permits are secured, construction is ready to begin with land prep. This may start by clearing and leveling the land if your lot is not already cleared or leveled. The amount of work that it takes to do this varies greatly on how the land is set up. Another major factor to this process is determined by whether you would like to add a basement, finished or unfinished.
Set Up Foundation & Framing
Now that your land is prepped, your home builder will officially start on the construction of your home. The first to be “built” is the footings. The footings are excavated around the perimeter of the home, as well as the location of any piers designed to support load bearing walls within the home or a girder to support floor joists. Then, concrete will be poured and set up for it to cure and pass inspection before the foundation walls of the home can be laid. Your foundation and piers will be installed then the floor system, walls, and roof of your home will be framed based on the layout you and your builder designed with an architect.
Install Rough-Ins
Rough-Ins are the next necessities to be installed once your home is framed. This process includes installing your electrical and plumbing, HVAC system, windows, doors, insulation and drywall. Your aesthetic selections such as flooring and paint colors will come at the end of construction so nothing is messed up while the interior and exterior are still being built.
Finalize the Exterior & Final Touches
Siding or brick, the roof, doors, decks, patios, and porches will be built along with any landscaping features you and your builder designed such as garages, driveways, or backyard entertainment (like a pool area). Since this step is nearing construction, the final touches such as wood stain, paint colors, and all flooring will be laid. Lastly, all of those “Rough-Ins” that happened earlier will now be finished in the final stage of the house build. The electrical, plumbing, and HVAC contractors will come in and install the finishing touches of the outlets and switches, toilet and shower heads, and A/C vents.
Close On Your Project
Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for… it’s time to close! This last step includes you walking through your home once construction finishes to ensure everything fits your design and vision. If nothing needs to be changed, this is where you will close on your home and officially move in. While this is not a comprehensive list of everything that goes on during a house build, and the amount of time it takes, this will give you a great idea of the steps of the project from start to finish.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Home?
While it would be nice to have a set-in-stone figure, the cost of building a home varies by each project. The final cost of building a home is based upon several factors. Want to get an estimate? Read to the end for a Ballpark Price per Sq. ft.
Size
Size matters when it comes to building a home and the cost. Obviously, smaller homes will cost less than larger homes. This is because larger homes require more materials and labor, though size is not something to compromise just to save a few dollars. Think realistically about the size your home needs for you and your family to live comfortably and not on top of one another.
Location
The cost of building a home varies by state, especially where you are building in your state. Certain neighborhoods or cities may cost more than others, which is something to keep in mind as you start to shop for the right lot of land. The lot itself can change the cost drastically if it is heavily wooded, has rocky soil, or has extreme slopes.
Cost of Labor
Your building cost will also include the cost of labor and materials from your contractor. Consultations are where your prospective home builders will disclose their price and cost of construction. Choosing the right contractor that fits your budget is important, but should not compromise the satisfaction of your project’s completion. Trusted contractors with a background of customer satisfaction and high-quality workmanship far exceed the cost of cheaper contractors that will leave you unhappy and forking out more money to fix their mistakes.
Current Home Trends
The aesthetics and fixtures included inside (and outside) of your home contributes to the overall cost. Building modern homes with lengthy kitchen islands, spa bathrooms, and intricate rooms increase the cost. While you’re developing the designs with your contractor, discuss what you’re willing to keep and what isn’t a necessity to keep your project within budget.
General Expenses
There are general expenses that all affect the cost of building a home that vary from state to state. These general expenses cover all required permits, marketing for your contractor, and more.
Ballpark Estimate
All of this considered, a custom house built to our standards can cost on average from $200 - $220 per Total Square Foot. What does Total Sq. ft. mean? We define Total Square Foot to include everything that is under the Roof. Yes, certain parts of the house are more expensive than others, but our Ballpark Price is based on the average under the roof.
How Long Does It Take to Build a House?
So, now that expected costs are out of the way, how long does it take to build a house? Similar to the previous section, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, but the rough estimate for home construction is anywhere from eight to twelve months. This time frame includes everything, including gathering permits, finalizing designs, building the house, and closing.
During your consultation, your home builder will disclose how long the project should take given that everything runs smoothly. However, there are several factors that can affect the timelines of your project that can cause it to take longer than expected, which includes:
Planning & Design
This is the most underrated and most important part of the project. Taking the appropriate time during this step can solve so many problems down the road. What is included in this step of the process? This is where we will sit down with an Architect or draftsman and draw up the plans for your house. We’ll meet with an Interior Designer with the goal to make all of the selections. Lastly, we will produce a detailed Scope of Work, Job Schedule, and Quote. This is the planning that we believe is crucial to a successful and efficient project. So often contractors will start without the majority of this information and they and the homeowners regret it the rest of the way.
Loan Closing
Don’t forget that to build a house, most people need financing from a lender to accomplish their dreams. This process can be started before the plan is complete, but this can’t be finished until you have a contract prepared for building the home. Once the project is planned and designed, you can begin to close with the bank. This process can take 1-2 months depending on the bank’s workflow and the closing attorney’s schedule.
Elaborate Customization
Though it’s important to build the home of your dreams, the more customization you add to the project, the longer it will take. The same is true for building larger homes. Keep this in mind when you go to ask your builder to add certain details to your home’s construction. An example would be to use fully custom cabinets that take months to be delivered rather than semi-custom cabinets that are pre-manufactured, but still accommodate the custom layout that you desire.
Obtaining Permits
As we mentioned before, obtaining all necessary permits can be a lengthy process. This is because all requests to build, grade, and line up the home to meet all codes takes a long process to review. Permits may be granted between 4 weeks to 2 months, so during this time we are sure to make all of the progress we can on making selections and planning any remaining information.
Weather Conditions
The weather plays a large role in how fast your project is completed, especially during the land prep and foundation phase. For the land to be cleared, the yard to be graded, and footings to be excavated and poured, the ground needs to be dry.. Other weather conditions may make the job site hazardous for all workers. The weather is not so much of a problem once the home is framed and the roof is on, but until then, any bad weather may delay your project.
Land Prep
If your land lot is wooded or sloping, the process of clearing and leveling the land also affects the timeline since this has to be done pre-construction. Land topography plays a big factor in ensuring the foundation of your home isn’t compromised down the road from flooding thanks to subpar clearing. Depending on the condition of your lot, land prep can take a few weeks to complete before foundation setup can begin.
Issues During Building
One thing to keep in mind when building a home is to be prepared for any possible issues that play a part in dragging out the home building process. These issues can range from actual building errors, to foundations not passing inspection, grading or drainage issues, and more. A quality contractor will do their best throughout the project to limit these issues, but mistakes or unforeseen issues are inevitable and have to be handled when they arise.
Work With the Best Custom Home Builders
Interested in building a home? We specialize in building dream homes our clients will love for decades to come. Our team focuses on reliability and honesty from your ballpark estimate to the final touches so you will be confident your home exceeds every standard and desire.
Working with a custom home builder you trust is vital for a home building project to be as stress-free as possible. That’s why we strive to listen to all your concerns and provide you with the right advice for building a home your family will enjoy that matches your personality and aesthetic with functionality.
Ready to bring your vision to life? Contact Keith Smith Construction today to get your project started. We’ll begin with a 30 minute phone call to discuss your vision, priorities, budget, timeline, and ballpark estimate. Then, we can start planning the house of your dreams, meeting with an architect, and preparing for your new home!