Are you dreaming of building a home you designed? You’re not alone. Many people love the idea of one day building their own custom home. This article will look at the steps involved in building a house and give you a basic overview of the process and what’s involved. Note: Unless you already have experience building houses, this is not a project you should take on without a team of professionals. The cost of getting it wrong is steep and could prevent you from constructing a new home entirely. Make sure you have an experienced team around you that can handle the difficult work of building your house from scratch.

Steps to Building a House

Establish Your Budget

Before you plan anything, the first step is to develop a rough budget. Depending on where you live, new homes can cost anywhere from $80 to more than $200 per square foot. You also need to factor in design, engineering, permitting, and contractor costs. There are also local taxes and fees that need to be considered. Even when your house is built, there are decorating and furnishing costs to add on. This long list of expenses will add up quickly, so it’s crucial to take the time to inspect and review your budget carefully before moving forward.

Seek Financing

Chances are you’ll need to seek external financing. Be sure to explore different options before applying for a loan. The right financing option depends entirely on your financial situation and proposed budget.

Secure Your Land

The next step of your new home construction checklist is to find the right location. Keep in mind this process can take quite a while. Several factors go into determining the perfect lot for your dream home, including:

Topography
Orientation
Proximity of neighboring houses
Surrounding home values
Land cost

This is where it’s worth calling in the help of an architect. They’ll be able to perform a site visit in addition to recommending appropriate consultants such as a land surveyor or soils engineer, as necessary, to determine whether the property is suitable for a new build. Plus, if there are any additional restrictions, such as if your desired location is in a designated historical area, they’ll be able to uncover all that.

Design your Home

Before gathering any materials and hiring contractors, you need to design your blueprints. This is one of the most essential steps for how to build a custom home. Think about your wants and needs. Dream big and then scale back. Note which rooms and features are most important to you. Rank them in order of priority. Get inspired with images of homes from magazines and on social media websites like Pinterest.

Once you’ve got an idea of what you want to get out of your new home, it’s time to think about the size. Here are some essential questions to ask yourself (and be brutally honest with yourself here):

How many stories will your new home have?
What are the zoning code and/or neighborhood overlay code limits on size?
What rooms are a “must-have” in your new home?
Do you need room for your recreational activities?
How are all your rooms going to fit together?
Will you have enough space for future life plans (children, for example)?

Again, you’ll need to hire a professional who can draw design and construction drawings and determine whether your ideas are viable. If it all seems like too much work or the cost of hiring a professional is simply too high, prefabricated ADUs from United Dwelling come with the drawings already done for you. This can help you to get your home built and ready to live in sooner.

Hire a General Contractor

You hire an architect to look over your designs, but a general contractor brings the drawings to life. They’ll monitor your entire build and be a constant presence watching over the build when you’re not around. General contractors are experts in building homes and are an essential part of any checklist for building a house. Look up different general contractors online. Contact them and ask poignant questions about their experience. This should include asking them for images of previous builds they’ve managed and customer testimonials. Unless you’re a highly experienced home builder yourself, you cannot afford to start construction without one of these trained professionals by your side. Before hiring an architect or a contractor, one should look up their license number with the respective licensing board to check that their license is current and in good standing.

Prepare Construction Site and Pour Foundations

You will need to apply for permits before any work can be carried out, including demolition. Some municipalities will approve permits quickly, but be prepared to wait a few days or weeks, even months, to have all the necessary permits issued. Your general contractor will be able to support you in arranging all the necessary permit applications. Each stage of construction will also involve review and sign-off by building inspectors before work can continue.

Construct the Rough Framing

This is one of the most exciting steps of your build your own home checklist because you’ll start to see your new home coming to life. During this phase, the flooring, walls, and roof will be completed. The shell of your home will consist of either oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood, known as sheathing. This is wrapped around the exterior walls and roof of your home. The sheathing will also be covered in a protective barrier to prevent moisture from entering the shell of your home.

Complete Rough Plumbing & Electrical

Electricians and plumbers will now begin running pipes and wires through the interior of your home. They’ll also start installing the vents and sewer lines, along with water supply lines for any fixtures. If you’ve opted to have a bathtub or other large plumbing fixtures in your home, this is when these items will be installed. This is simply because it’s easier to maneuver large, heavy objects during this stage of the building process. Wiring for any entertainment and music systems will also be included in this step of your checklist for building a house.

Add Insulation

Insulation is critical to maintaining a comfortable temperature within your home and saving money on energy bills. All new builds should be made to maximize their energy efficiency. Most new homes will use cellulose, foam, or fiberglass as a form of insulation. Your general contractor may also make recommendations to enhance your home’s energy efficiency, such as mineral wool, concrete blocks, or rigid foam. The right type of insulation revolves around the local climate.

Hang Drywall and Begin Interior/Exterior Finishes

Builders now start to hang and tape drywall, complete the texturing, and add primary coats of paint. If you’ve chosen to apply exterior finishes to your home, like stone, brick, or stucco, this is also the time when you’ll start to see them take shape. At this point, your home will begin to look livable.

Interior Trim/Exterior Walkways/Driveway

The thirteenth step of your building a house checklist will involve installing interior trim, such as stair railings and door casings. Any cabinets, vanities, and fireplace mantels will also be brought in at this point. It’s also the time when your building team will start to construct any exterior walkways and lay your driveway.

Finishing Touches

One of the last steps to building a house will involve installing fixtures, fittings, countertops, mirrors, and exterior landscaping. The length of time it takes to finish off these final touches largely depends on how intricate your design is. Either way, your house is almost completed, and it won’t be long before you can start moving in your belongings. A building inspector will also visit to issue a certificate of occupancy. This ensures that the construction follows local building codes and is safe for move-in.

Final Walkthrough

Our final step is the most exciting part of building a custom home. You’re now ready to see your house in all its glory. This is your chance to inspect each room and spot anything that needs to be touched-up or fixed. Don’t be afraid to point out something that doesn’t conform with the design drawings. Mistakes happen, and sometimes things are lost in translation when taking on building projects. If anything needs to be changed, your building team will go back and make changes.

Make sure you’re observant, as the pre-settlement walk is your final opportunity to spot any chips in your countertop or scratches on cabinet doors. While issues may arise after your building team has departed, you won’t have any recourse to complain as there’s no proof that damage occurred due to the building team or your movers. Assuming everything is up to your standards, you can start moving your belongings in and make your new house a home.

A Note on Building Inspections

There will be at least five, but likely more, inspections during the construction process. These inspections are designed to ensure that your build continues to meet the standards of local code and that all safety measures are being met. In nearly every location in the country, these inspections are mandatory. While they may seem like a hassle, they exist to spot problems before construction has finished.

Now that you’ve read through the steps to building a custom home, are you ready to get started? Here at AJ, we’re skilled and practiced on helping you design and build your dream home on your budget - from the plan designs to the final walkthrough, we’ve got you covered!