By the time you get to the construction phase of building your new custom home, you’ve already gone through a lot of steps. When most people envision building a new home, they see construction vehicles, crews, and materials on their site. However, these are just a few of many components of the homebuilding process.
Before the Superintendent can begin work, you must finalize your budget, make decisions about the floor plan, submit permits, and coordinate the site development work. Once you’ve done all this, then what? The good news is that the construction crew does most of the work from this point on, but there are a few items you still need to pay attention to.
Jobsite Readiness
Before construction begins, your Superintendent will confirm that the jobsite is ready. This step includes checking the grading, ensuring that there is sufficient safe workspace available around the site, confirming that the driveway is suitable for heavy vehicles, and more. Because you were communicating with your Superintendent during the site development process, your site should be ready to go. However, if there are any remaining site details to take care of, this is the time to do it. When the jobsite is ready, it’s time to pour the foundation and start framing.
Midpoint Inspection
Several months into the construction process, when the home is about half-complete, your Superintendent will schedule a midpoint inspection. You’ll walk through the house together to see what has been done so far. If you have questions or concerns, this is the time to talk about them.
During the midpoint inspection, you’ll also take a look at the finishes that are being installed to confirm that they are the ones you selected. You’ll also take a look at the layout of the kitchen cabinets and the flooring transitions before final installation, in case you have any last-minute changes. After the midpoint inspection, the crew has the green light to complete construction, so take this opportunity to ensure that the features and finishes are exactly what you ordered.
Equity-Building Opportunities
In addition to the equity-building opportunities you had during the site development process, you can also participate in certain aspects of the construction process to increase your stake in the property. Some of the ways you can participate during construction include:
- Installing a rain drain system
- Making connections to permanent utilities
- Backfilling around the foundation
- Installing a septic system
- Cleaning up construction debris
- Priming and painting the interior
- Detailing interiors
- Installing exterior steps, decks, and sidewalks
- Grading and landscaping
It’s important to coordinate closely with your Superintendent as you plan any of these activities. When building a new home, tasks must be performed in a certain order, and scheduling can be quite complicated. The Adair Homes team is there to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible so your project can stay on schedule.
Staying on Schedule
Once construction has started, the typical process can take approximately five months. However, it’s important to understand the factors that could affect the schedule. For example, inclement weather is out of everybody’s control, and if it prevents the crew from working on the site, it could delay your project.
Subcontractor availability can also influence the schedule. Although Adair Homes has strong relationships with our subcontractors, they are in complete control of their own schedules. We make our best efforts to coordinate their time on site as efficiently as possible, but ultimately, they decide when they can be there.
If you are participating in the homebuilding process, your availability can also impact the timeline. We understand that it can be difficult to fit building tasks into busy schedules, but the more you are able to complete within the designated schedule, the better your project will stay on track.
Adair Homes is Here to Help
Building a new house is a foreign process to most people, but we have done it thousands of times. When you have questions, we have answers. No matter where you are in the decision-making process, our Home Ownership Counselors are here to help. Give us a call today to learn more.
