Building a Custom Home: What to Expect Start to Finish

Building a custom home is the dream of many homeowners. Knowing what to expect, start to finish, will help take a little stress from the process. There are many details when building a custom home and you need to realize minor glitches can occur and patience is required. Unless you are building a custom prefab home, expect the build time to be between nine to twelve months. Now that you know that, it is time to buy your land.

Have you found a place for your Custom Home?

Finding the land is the first step and you may already have a piece in mind when building a custom home. If you are building in a planned community, you will be limited to the designs you use, placement of the home on the lot, the color of the home, and many of the materials used to build the home. For more freedom when building your custom home, estate size lots in some communities or acreage will give you more flexibility of design when building your custom home.

Is your Financing in Place?

building a custom home

Unless you can afford to pay cash for your custom home, you will need financing. Construction loans are designed for just this purpose. They do require a higher credit score, solid ability to repay and are not offered by all lenders so you will need to find a credit source before you begin to build.

Have you decided on your Home Style?

When you go custom you can be as esoteric as you like or you may be constrained by the neighborhood rules in the area you have purchased your land. Before you start, you need to decide the style of home you want to build.

Do you want a single story ranch, a Cape two-story, split-level home or a design that is uniquely you drawn up by your architect?
Do you want two, three, four or seven bedrooms and bathrooms?
Do you want an office, gourmet kitchen, formal dining and living room or any other amenity added to your custom home plans?

There are many online home plan sites, where you might find the perfect custom home for your lot. On the other hand, you can have a custom design created.

Will you need Site Prep?

building a custom home

Of course, you will unless the land you purchase has been prepped. What is site prep? It is the leveling or excavation of your land in preparation for the foundation to be constructed. It can be as simple as scraping off a flat spot for a slab style foundation or as complex as excavating the side of a hill for the installation of a basement foundation for your home.

What type of Foundation will you Use?

Once the leveling or excavation is done, ditches for footers will be dug and then poured. If you are building a slab foundation, the area will be boarded up and the slab will be poured and leveled in preparation for the installation of the walls. If you are building a home with a crawl space, several runs of concrete blocks will be placed on the footers and the framing for the flooring will start here.

If your home has a basement, the walls can be constructed from concrete poured into forms or from concrete block. Once the walls are up, the flooring can be constructed so the remainder of home can be built atop it all. Up we go.

Are you ready for Framing?

building a custom home

Once framing begins, your home will begin to take shape and form. During this process, the walls will go up, the roof will go on and will be shingled or covered with your choice of roofing material. By the time the framing is finished you still have two-thirds of the way to go, before you are finished.

Is the Drywall Hung?

Now that the house is, dried in, the windows can be put in and dry wall hung and finished, ready for paint or wallpaper. Insulation will be added to walls, at this time, where applicable and insulation can be added to areas walls and the attic at this time.

Is it time for the Mechanical Systems?

While all of these other activities are going on and tasks are directed toward your home being finished, your electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems will be installed. This will include your heating and air system, ductwork, hot water heater and any other systems that you have added to your custom home.

Is it time to finish your Custom Home Build?

Now that you have running water, electricity, heat, and air, it is time to add the finishing touches. Kitchen and bathroom cabinetry will need to be installed; any tile included in your plans will need to be installed, including tile in the bathroom and kitchen. Light fixtures will be installed; counter tops, mirrors, and fixtures and any other finishing touches will be done now. The walls will need to be painted, and then lastly comes the flooring and any kitchen appliances that have not been installed. The final phase is the cleanup. You may do this yourself, or have professionals come in and get your home ready for you to bring in the furniture.

Are you ready to Move In?

Building a custom home requires preparation from start to finish. Preparation of the site and building is required when building a custom home, but so, too, is the preparation of your attitude toward the process, because building a custom home is not instant and will require patience. In the end, though, you will have a home of which you will be proud and that you can enjoy for many years to come.