Step 8: Construction Begins




Our company applies for all necessary building permits while the bank is processing the owner’s loan. This allows us to begin construction soon after the loan is closed. Construction length of a new home is generally determined by the size and complexity of the home and mother nature. Given average weather we can generally complete a 2,000 square foot home in 4 to 5 months. It is a good idea to walk the project with us at least once per week. If you have questions or concerns you should express them to us as they come up. Otherwise, it may become more expensive to change or fix something after construction has progressed.

You may find that you feel out of place on the construction site as your new home is being built. This is understandable because building a home is a new experience for most people. Never be reluctant to ask us questions as it is your right as a homeowner to be fully informed of every stage of the building process. This goes back to eliminating communication problems that are so prevalent in home building.

We provide a charted schedule to you showing when each phase of construction is tentatively set to begin and end. This will help you stay informed about the home building process. We have found that as you understand more about the process, confusion, anxiety and problems are greatly reduced.

We will give you deadlines for when we need your allowance items purchased or ordered. Doing your best to meet these time critical deadlines will help keep your home on track and will reduce the number of problems that have to be solved.

Don’t be alarmed if there are not people working on your home everyday. There are a number of good reasons why it may appear that no progress is being made on any given day. One reason is weather. Some aspects of your project will require a relatively warm and dry work site in order to proceed. Although, this might be a good place to point out a common misconception. It seems to be generally believed that you can not build a house in the winter. We have built houses almost every winter since 1987. If it snows, we shovel and get everyone back to work as soon as possible. Also, as construction progresses there are phases when local building officials must conduct code compliance inspections before work can progress. Another common reason for delays is that we subcontract out some phases of construction. Since we do not directly employ these subcontractors we must work around their schedules as well. While we include adequate time to build your home in the contract, as a responsible builder, will strive to complete your home as soon as time and quality allow.

Making changes to your home design as it is being built will often cost you more money. There are logical reasons for this. First, your contract price is based on your house plan and any changes we agreed to prior to setting the contract amount. If a change requires more labor and/or materials be added then it is only fair that we pass this added expense along to the homeowner. Secondly, we added to your homes cost the amount of overhead and profit (our margin) that we need from your particular project. Therefore, when a customer requests a change, a change order will generally be required and a cost of change will be established. As a professional contractor we will document the change and its costs on a change order form for your signature. We may also require that you pay for the change prior to performing the work. Because changes can be expensive and can add up to a tidy sum of money, it is in your best interest to decide on any changes prior to signing the contract when possible.

You will notice as your new home evolves through the different phases of construction that it will shrink and expand in your mind, several times. Generally, at the completion of the foundations, it will appear that the house will be smaller than you had imagined. As framing draws to a close it will expand again and you will feel a sense of relief. This will probably go on throughout the process of building your new home. Each phase of construction seems to have a dramatic effect on how the home appears.

At the beginning of construction the house will probably seem like it is going up very rapidly. This causes a tendency for homeowners to start anticipating move in day. However, after the home is framed up and the roof is on, things will appear to slow down. This is because there are still a multitude of details that have to be attended to before the home is complete. It may feel like we are dragging our feet while in fact we may even be ahead of schedule. We tell you these things in the hopes that an aforementioned knowledge will prepare you for what is to come.

Get In Touch

Your message was successfully sent!

Contacts

We Accept