There are few things in life as exciting as building a new home from the ground up. Compared to buying an already-existing home, building your own home gives you the opportunity to be involved in the architectural design, down to the smallest details. You’re able to have it built to your own specifications, and you also have the joy of watching this project come together. To determine if this is the right route for you, you should first know the different stages of home construction.
The home construction process is an exciting one, but may seem a bit overwhelming if you’re new to the process. There are many details that need to be covered to make sure the home will remain sturdy and hopefully without major issues for years to come.
Consider these various stages of home construction and the process below to familiarize yourself with how your new home will go from a drawing on a blueprint to a brick and mortar house that you can be proud of.
Benefits of Building Your Own Home
New home construction has a number of benefits when compared to buying a house already on the market.
For one, it cuts out a lot of the hassle of the home-buying process. You won’t be worrying about potential problems with an existing home if you build a home from the ground up.
You also won’t need to go through the process of visiting open houses; when building your own home, you may visit a few models to see what styles you like for your custom home, but this will be much less stress than driving all over the city on the weekends to make open houses.
A brand new home built just for you will also provide you with customization; you’ll get to choose what features you want and where you want them, rather than look for a home on the market hoping to find something you like.
You can also create your dream home design, exactly how you’ve always dreamed of.
During the different stages of home construction, you’ll also face fewer costs because major items in the house won’t need to be replaced any time soon.
Building a home from the ground up certainly has its perks when it comes to convenience, customization, and costs.
Stages of Home Construction
There are numerous stages of home construction which all contribute to turning a vacant lot into the home of your dreams.
Many processes are relatively uniform across cities and companies because of laws, regulations, and building codes.
1. Excavation:
The first stage is excavation. Backhoes will clear your lot of trees, rocks, and debris to prepare for construction. The ground is leveled, as well.
If your home will have a basement, it will be dug and the concrete poured in preparation for the foundation.
2. Foundation:
The foundation is then poured after footers are placed to give it support. The foundation itself will be poured concrete, and any drains, sewer or plumbing work that needs to be in the basement will be placed.
3. Framing:
This one of the first stages of home construction when your homes shape begins to come together for the very first time.
The floor, walls, and roof are built using plywood. It’s essentially a skeleton frame of what your home will be.
It is then wrapped with a house wrap to keep excess moisture out, which protects from mold and wood rot. The windows and doors are also put into place at this stage. During this time, the roof is also completed with whatever roofing material you choose.
4. The Essentials (HVAC, Plumbing, Electricity):
Once the frame of the home is up, siding can be added. Once walls and roof are up, construction workers can then begin adding the essentials of your home, or the HVAC system, plumbing, and electrical work.
These are crucial items in your home because the HVAC system will ensure proper air flow, heating, and cooling; ducts, vents, and perhaps the furnace will be installed at this point.
Plumbing work needs to be immaculate to ensure there are no leaks; pipes will be set up and connected to faucets and water lines.
Electrical outlets are also set up and wiring is completed to bring electricity throughout the house.
5. Insulation:
Insulation goes in next; this is what will keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
A number of different kinds of insulation can be used, from fiberglass to foam; however, the important thing is that this is installed prior to drywall being put up.
6. Finer Interior Details:
Once the essentials are in place, it’s time to start working on finer points inside, like doors, trim, and moulding. Drywall will also be painted at this point.
Lighting will be installed in rooms like the kitchen and bathroom, and other details like counters and flooring–be it carpet, wood, or vinyl–will be installed.
These and other interior remodeling details will be completed after the essential items are out of the way.
7. Exterior Details:
Now that most of the construction work is done, your construction company will begin to spruce up the outside of the home by pouring concrete for sidewalks, walkways, patios, and driveways.
8. Landscaping:
Once the major work outside if finished, grass, trees, and other shrubbery will be planted to turn this lot into a full-fledged home. You’ll be ready to move in very soon once your builders get to this point!
These are, essentially, the main stages of home construction.
Remember, however, that throughout the process, there will likely be periodic inspections by city building inspectors to make sure the process meets building code and that items are being installed safely and properly.
Conclusion
Building a home can be a very satisfying process; you will be able to craft the home of your dreams with custom features.
You can then watch it go from an empty plot of dirt to a beautiful, brick and mortar house.
The process may seem overwhelming, but when broken down into basic stages of home construction, it’s really just a matter of bringing all the pieces together to prepare the house for your family.
This process is a gradual but exciting process, from the basic work of pouring the foundation and setting up the framing, to installing essentials like HVAC ducts, plumbing pipes, and electrical wires, to the interior and exterior details.
Make your dream house a reality by finding a construction company that can assist you in all aspects of your home remodeling and construction today!