Steps In Building a House

We'll go into more details on each of these steps in a moment. But, for now, these are the basic steps to building a house: 1. research 2. read books related to home building 3. ask questions 4. research 5. read magazines related to home building 6. ask questions 7. contemplate 8. spend time visiting and observing your intended building site 9. ask more questions 10. help somebody else build their house, even for a day 11. ask questions 12. look through mountains of plans 13. stop at houses you like and politely ask questions 14. go on new home construction tours 15. go to home shows 16. ask questions 17. attend some building workshops 18. ask around about good subcontractors 19. examine your finances 20. research covenants, codes, setbacks, zoning, etc., on your piece of land 21. talk to your future neighbors 22. pick a likely plan and build a model from it 23. contemplate 24. ask questions of your bank about their building restrictions for approving a loan 25. investigate other funding sources as a backup 26. plan your temporary housing options while your new home is being built 27. have an architect look over your final plan 28. ask questions 29. dig the hole, frame the walls, run the wiring and plumbing, put the roof on 30. move in 31. work like a dog to pay off your loan Ok, ok, so this is a bit of an exaggeration. What I really wanted to do here is emphasize how critically important the planning phase is. There is so much to know about building even a basic house, that you will never be able to know everything before breaking ground. Even folks who make home building their living are always learning. There's a mountain of knowledge you can

acquire before setting shovel to soil. The more you know before jumping into your house building project the greater your chances of things going relatively smoothly. So what would a more realistic list of steps in building a house look like? Let's look at it from the likely possibility that you want to be the general contractor for the project, but not necessarily do all the typical subcontract work. While keeping in mind that the planning, research, questioning, contemplation, etc. phase is all important, it would probably look a little more like this: 1. thorough planning and research 2. site selection and evaluation 3. finalizing plan selection, including working with an architect on detail adjustments if necessary 4. draw up a materials list and get quotes from 2 to 4 supply yards in the area; this includes truss design and ordering 5. mortgage or other finance acquisition 6. construction site insurance 7. permit application and approval 8. establish temporary electricity from power company 9. interview and secure contracts with subcontractors 10. survey site, find a good excavator, triple check property boundaries and setback laws, stake out foundation corners, and set up erosion control 11. remove topsoil from site and set aside, dig hole for basement (or whatever foundation type you're using) 12. put in gravel road base for driveway (keeps the mud down a bit) 13. set forms for footings & pour concrete 14. set forms for foundation walls & pour concrete; waterproof & insulate exterior of foundation 15. backfill foundation after thoroughly set 16. frame floor joists, apply underlayment 17. frame walls, apply exterior sheathing & house wrap (if putting in a single unit tub/shower surround make sure to place it in or near the future bathroom space before too many interior walls are framed up) 18. frame roof or place roof trusses 19. apply exterior finish to roof 20. wiring & plumbing 21. install heating & cooling system (duct work?) 22. for country setting: dig well & install septic system 23. exterior finishing 24. insulate 25. interior wall finishing 26. flooring 27. bathroom finishing & kitchen finishing 28. final grading & landscaping of site 29. final occupancy inspection and permit 30. house warming partaaayyyyyy!

Truthfully there's many of these steps that are done concurrently. And some simply have to be done before others. It should be obvious that walls can't be framed up before the first floor joists and underlayment are set down, and that the concrete of the foundation walls have to thoroughly set up before applying waterproofing, rigid insulation and backfilling (they usually say 3 to 5 days depending on temperature). I'll eventually build a page on this site going into detail on each one of these. Unfortunately there is one step in this process that I didn't do. Number 6, construction site insurance. During the whole construction process of my house there was only one injury, and pretty serious at that. But, the guy had great health insurance through his employer so it all turned out ok in the end. I don't even want to specify what the injury was for fear of his insurance company tracking me down, even after all this time. All I'll say is it had something to do with a pneumatic hammer. In hindsight we were pretty damn lucky that nothing else happened. This list (well, 2 lists really) on steps to building a house is based on my experience of house building. Depending on the area of the country, or planet, that you're building, your permit process, legal restriction, and climate and soil factors will be different. And there will undoubtedly be problems and dilemmas that come up during the process that will throw you for a loop. The inspector many not like something and insist that it be changed before signing off; there's a strike at the truss factory and there's no definite delivery of your trusses; the color of your special order roofing material is wrong and has to be exchanged. I could go on ad infinitum. You get my point, though. Planning is critical, but it's best if you're adaptable and flexible when glitches come up. The most important step to reach, beside the final inspection and occupancy permit, is to get the materials and structure under cover. Buy or borrow lots of tarps. Cover you pile of building materials with plenty of tarps. Get the walls and roof framed and sheathed as quickly as possible. If the final roofing material isn't available, put tarps on the roof. Short and infrequent exposure to rain isn't too much of a problem, but several days of rain and standing water on the plywood and OSB is bad. This kind of manufactured lumber has lots of glues and resins and will easily delaminate when soaked long enough, which is about a day or less. If you experience a pouring rain make sure to get into the structure and sweep out any standing water on the underlayment. This is the main reason the basement floor concrete isn't poured too soon. Even with the roof on and the exterior walls sheathed there's still many large openings (future doors and windows) that can let in a driving rain. Building on a slab is a whole 'nother ball game in terms of deflecting standing water. Rob Roy told of a home builder that had half finished cordwood walls on their monolithic slab. After a rain there was sufficient standing water on the slab floor next to the cordwood walls to cause some serious water absorption and expansion issues. If you're intending to build on a slab at least have a raised curb incorporated into the edge of the structure. This extra 2 to 4 inches will raise the water-absorptive materials out of reach of all but the deepest, flood-level, water. Just a suggestion.

These lists will give you a good start in contemplating drawing up your own list, too. The list of inspections that will be done on your house is also a good guide to the order of things. Even if you start out with a list that comes from an experienced builder you'll find there are things you'll change to suit your own unique project. Best of luck on your adventure in house building! It's an experience I'd recommend to anybody that wants a serious challenge in their life.

The construction phase of the home-building process is when all your dreams and plans come to fruition. It often is the easiest, most gratifying and most enjoyable part of the process. Successful execution of your plan requires a joint effort by the builder, the subcontractors, the suppliers, the building department officials, the lenders and you. The methods and materials used to build a home vary from region to region, but the following basic tasks must be completed for most newly built homes: Site work, which may include clearing trees from the lot, cutting a rough unfinished driveway, placing stakes to mark where the house will be situated on the lot and hooking up temporary electricity service. Excavation and foundation, which may include digging a hole for the foundation, setting and pouring the foundation, installing plumbing pipes, pouring the concrete floor of the home, digging trenches for utility lines, waterproofing the basement walls and grading. Framing, which may include installing steel beams, erecting a wood structure and installing windows and exterior doors. Roofing and exterior work, which may include applying roofing materials and installing siding, an outdoor deck, rain gutters and a garage door. Mechanicals, which may include installing plumbing, electrical and heating/cooling systems, pre-wiring the home for a security system, running wiring for telephones, cable television and an intercom and placing pipes for a central vacuum. Interior finish work, which may include installing insulation, installing and finishing drywall, painting and staining, and installing cabinets, countertops, hard surface floor coverings, baseboards and built-in appliances. Trim, which may include hanging interior doors, attaching window trims, installing fireplaces and mantles, setting plumbing fixtures, installing light switches and electrical outlets, hanging electrical fixtures, setting heating registers, thermostats and heating/cooling unit and installing faceplates for the central vacuum, intercom, cable television and telephone outlets. Final work, which may include installing carpet padding and carpets, cleaning the exterior and interior of the home, finishing the driveway and landscaping and completing any miscellaneous fix-up work on the entire home.

It's important to understand that home construction varies dramatically from place to place. Ask the builder to educate you about home construction requirements and practices in your region of the country One of the amazing things about American homes is that the huge majority of them are built using completely standardized building practices. One reason for this consistency is a set of uniform building codes that apply across the country. Another reason is cost - the techniques used to build homes produce reliable housing quickly at a low cost (relatively speaking). If you ever watch any house being built, you will find that it goes through the following steps: Grading and site preparation Foundation construction Framing Installation of windows and doors Roofing Siding Rough electrical Rough plumbing Rough HVAC Insulation Drywall Underlayment Trim Painting Finish electrical Bathroom and kitchen counters and cabinets Finish plumbing Carpet and flooring Finish HVAC Hookup to water main, or well drilling Hookup to sewer or installation of a septic system Punch list Many of these steps are performed by independent crews known as subcontractors. For example, the framing is generally done by one subcontractor specializing in framing, while the roofing is done by a completely different subcontractor specializing in roofing. Each subcontractor is an independent business. All of the subcontractors are coordinated by a contractor who oversees the job and is responsible for completing the house on time and on budget. We will walk through these different stages so that you can see what is involved, understand all the steps and learn about the different materials used in the construction process. We will use a typical three-bedroom home as our example.

Before You Build: 5 Steps to Your New Home

By Jackie Craven, About.com Guide
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Building a new home begins long before the foundation is poured. To avoid costly mistakes during the construction process, start with these five important steps. As you move from dream house to real house, be sure to ask questions and share your progress on our architecture forum. 1. Plan Your Budget Begin now to think about how much you can afford to spend and how much building your new home is likely to cost. Chances are you will need a construction loan and a mortgage. It's not too early to find out what size loan you qualify for. Also, knowing the approximate costs will help you modify your building plans to meet your budget.
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How to Build on a Budget How Much Will it Cost? Plan For Hidden Costs

2. Choose Your Lot Whether you are building your home in a suburban development or a site with sweeping ocean views, you will almost always need to choose the land before you select floor plans or other details. You (and any pros you hire) will need to investigate factors such as soil condition, drainage, zoning and building codes in the region.
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Where to build?

3. Line Up Your Team Unless you are a homesteader, you'll need a team of experts to design and construct your house. Key players will include a builder, an excavator, a surveyor and a home designer or an architect. Many homeowners begin by selecting the builder or contractor. That pro then selects other members of the team. However, you may also opt to hire an architect or designer first.
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Do You Need an Architect? How to Find an Architect What is a Building Designer?

4. Pick a Plan Many new homes are built using stock plans from a catalog. The builder or a home designer may make minor modifications in room size, window style or other details. A custom-designed home, on the other hand, is created specifically for the family which will live there. In most cases, custom-designed homes require the services of a licensed architect. Whether you opt for a stock or a custom design, you will be wise to choose a plan that will meet your needs for many years to come.
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How to Find Building Plans Building Plan Books and Catalogs How to Choose the Best Plans

5. Negotiate a Contract Be sure to get a written contract which has been signed and dated by both the builder or contractor and the architect or designer. A contract for new home construction will describe the project in detail and include a listing of all the parts to be included in the house. Remember to amend the contract if you or your team make any changes to the project later on.

Steps to Building a House

One of the amazing things about American homes is that the huge majority of them are built using completely standardized building practices. One reason for this consistency is a set of uniform building codes that apply across the country. Another reason is cost -- the techniques used to build homes produce reliable housing quickly at a low cost (relatively speaking). If you ever watch any house being built, you will find that it goes through the following steps:
y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y

Grading and site preparation Foundation construction Framing Installation of windows and doors Roofing Siding Rough electrical Rough plumbing Rough HVAC Insulation Drywall Underlayment Trim Painting Finish electrical Bathroom and kitchen counters and cabinets Finish plumbing

y y y y y

Carpet and flooring Finish HVAC Hookup to water main, or well drilling Hookup to sewer or installation of a septic system Punch list