You just bought your first pre-construction home, congratulations! As the first-time homeowner’s bliss and excitement of signing your first mortgage and deed settles, you may be wondering what the next step is and how long until your new home is move-in ready! Keep reading this article to learn about the steps that every pre-construction home goes through before move-in dates being set.
Phase One: Pre Construction
Before construction can begin, plans for your home are developed, finalized, and submitted to the municipal building permit office to be reviewed and approved. Permits are often required for work such as building, electrical, plumbing, septic systems, and sewer connections. Some builders are required to go through a developer to help develop the land. With Digreen Homes, we have our sister company Digram Developments, develop the land to our standard which includes clearing the land and preparing it for construction. During the pre-construction phase, several site tests may be conducted to ensure the water table, the soil, bearing capacity of the ground, and environmental test all result as stable conditions. In some cases, changes may need to be made to the original plans to ensure suitability.
Phase Two: The Foundation
The land is staked out to plan for each home. Top Soil is removed and piled somewhere else for later use. Excavation is done, and the concrete slabs to support foundation walls are poured and formed. During this time, hydro, electricity, telephone, and cable towers are brought in. The foundation walls are then built-in, drainage is set up to ensure moisture stays away from the home and an inspector will come into ensuring the foundation meets the municipal standards before the builder is given the green light to begin constructing the outer perimeter of the home. At the time, if you haven’t already made your home selections like flooring, tiles, cabinets, the builder may prompt that you begin making these decisions. Keep in mind that this prompt is for the sole purpose of ensuring the items are ordered in advance to avoid delays in shipments that delay the construction time. They most likely will not be installed for weeks or potentially even months. At this phase sometimes builders will also hit delays waiting for the municipality to send out inspectors before they are approved to continue with the building.
Phase Three: Framing
This stage can be very exciting! The frame of your home is finally happening. This stage is usually a mix of wood and metal to build the skeleton of your home. Once the house is framed, windows and doors will be installed to help support and prevent the structure from the elements. The basement floor is installed, as well as electrical and plumbing. Once this is complete, a structural inspection will need to take place before the builder can move on to the interior and exterior work.
Phase Four: Interior and Exterior Work
The home has passed the structural inspection and will undergo lots of work in the next several weeks. The exterior walls and interior walls are built. Before the drywalling is installed and an inspector may come to ensure insulation has been properly installed. During this time you may begin to have more frequent communication with the builder as they will need to ensure they have all the furnishings for the kitchen and bathrooms, etc, selected and on the way. Once those are installed, flooring, trimming, interior doors will be installed. In the final stages, the eavesdrop, the porch, the deck, the driveway will all begin to be constructed. Sometimes some of these steps such as the driveway may be postponed until the general construction in the area comes to an end. At this stage, many inspections will take place to test all areas of the home. These inspections are done by several different inspectors sent by the municipality.
Phase Five: The Finishing Touches, Walkthrough, and Handover
At this stage, the builder and crew are very busy with finishing touches and clean-up. The builder will take you for a walk-through of your new home, to ensure that any last-minute adjustments are made or concerns are addressed. After that, the date of possession will be set and you will be handed the keys to your brand new home!
Although there are many stages that your pre-construction home will go through that will require lots of patience, the final result of moving into your brand new home that meets your expectations will be well worth the wait!