Building a New Home: The Process
The process of building a new construction home is incredibly exciting! During the beginning stages of the process, you will finalize all the blueprints, designs, and make sure all permits are acquired. Then the new home construction can begin! This process usually takes about 6+ months, so be prepared to take your time and be ready for each phase.
1. Groundbreaking and Site Prep: The first official stage when construction begins! This first stage gets the property ready to build on. During this phase in the construction process of building a new home is when the land gets cleared, dugout, and utilities are installed.
2. Foundation: During this phase, your concrete foundation is poured, reinforced with steel rods, waterproofed, and inspected to make sure it meets city standards. Depending on the design of your home, you can have different types of foundation to include a slab, crawl space, or a full basement.
3. Framing: After your foundation has been inspected by the city that you are building the home in, the next step is framing. Framing gives the home structure support and shape- it is like the bones of a home. During framing, the home is framed in sections and then each section is joined together. This includes everything from the roof system to the subfloor and more.
4. Systems: Once the building shell has been completed sufficiently to keep out all types of weather, the builder will hire subcontractors to install major systems to include plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. When finished, these things will be signed off by a local building inspector and your builder.
5. Insulation: Insulation is usually applied to exterior walls, basements, crawl spaces, and attics. For Indiana, the USDA regulation states that the minimum amount is 14 inches of R-38 insulation. There are different types of insulation options that you might be able to choose from that can help your home to be more energy-efficient.
6. Drywall: During this step, the inside of the new build will really start to look like a house! This phase is when the drywall panels are hung up with the proper materials, a texture is applied/coated on each wall, and then the walls are primed with paint.
7. Finishes: Definitely one of my personal favorite reasons to why people build a new home, the finishes! There are interior and exterior finishes. The interior finishes include details like countertops, cabinets, vanities, doors, flooring, and so on. Exterior finishes include things like driveways, patios, landscaping and more. The finishes are a great way to make your new home feel like yours, but so are the flooring and fixtures- those come up next in the process!
8. Flooring/Fixtures: During this stage, a lot of elements are completed that go into the conclusion of your new build construction. Whichever flooring you have chosen will be installed- carpet, hardwood, laminate, etcetera. Fixtures are installed to include faucets, toilets, doorknobs, HVAC systems, electric panel box, glass fixtures, heat register covers, hot water heater, and beyond.
9. Inspection: Once everything above is complete, a local building official and your builder will complete a final inspection and you will receive a certificate of occupancy. At this time, I also recommend that you have an independent inspector come out to inspect your home.
10. Final Walkthrough: Before closing on the home and moving in, you definitely want to do a final walkthrough to make sure that all items were completed as written on the contract. Sometimes things get damaged in the process or something is missing that you want to make sure gets complete!
Throughout the process, your builder will do checks of the house as it is being constructed. If you choose to hire a Realtor, I will help with checking on things as they are completed throughout the process, go to meetings with you, and be an advocate during the course of building your new home. Once you have completed the final walkthrough it is time to celebrate your new home!
Happy Building,
Melissa Smith
