If you are planning on building a home, you may be wondering about the house building timeline and what it is. Just how long it takes to build a home from start to finish from the ground up.
This is important to know before you officially start planning this project as you want an accurate timeline idea. You want to know what to exp[ect so that you don’t end up frustrated or disappointed.
Keep reading to find out what to expect when it comes to the timeline of having a home built.
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What is The House Building Timeline?
The general period of time that it takes to build a home is anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. This is dependent on the amount of work that can be done at once, the weather, financing, and the size of the home being built.
These are all things that can drastically affect the timeline for building your home. That is why it is important to remember that this timeline is not set in stone, it can change throughout the process.
Though your contractor should have an accurate idea of the timeline, things can come up and mess with this. This is not uncommon as issues are to be expected, and they can slow down the progress of your home.
The good thing is that this is usually no more than a few days to a few weeks depending on the gravity of the issue. More serious issues might slow down progress by a month or a few months.
Making Goals
The very beginning of having a home built starts with the goal being put into place. This doesn’t even involve planning yet. It is really just when you finally make the decision that you are going to have a home built.
This is also when you will start to budget and save up money so that you can afford to take on this dream. This period of time can take anywhere from 1 to 5 years, though some people have had this goal for over a decade.
This is the time to pinch pennies and start to create a realistic budget for yourself.
Planning and Preparing
The next step you are going to take is the planning and preparing stage. This is when you will hire a contractor and start the process of getting a construction loan.
Between searching, interviewing, and deciding on a contractor, this can take 3 to 9 months before you hire one. This is an important decision, and you want to put some time into making it.
Once you have chosen a contractor, the two of you can start to draw up house plans, create an estimate, and make a timeline for construction.
The process of getting a loan, getting the necessary permits, and completing all of the associated paperwork can take 1 to 3 months. This is the timeline that will happen as long as nothing serious comes up that gives you trouble.
Land Prep and Foundation Work
Once you have done all of the initial planning with your contractor and finished the paperwork, the actual work begins. This starts by preparing the land and starting to lay down the foundation.
This can take anywhere from 1 to 3 months, depending on the lot that you bought and the size of your home. How the landscape is will have a huge impact on this timeline as it will need to be completely flat to work on.
If your land has a lot of foliage on it or is rocky and uneven, you can expect this process to take a while. The flatter it already is, the shorter this process will be.
Building The Shell
Building the house’s shell can take 1 to 4 months, depending on the size of the home, how many workers there are, and how the weather is behaving. This is why it is recommended to begin building during spring and summer.
The shell of the home will include all of the structural elements, the roof, windows, and doors. Once the shell goes up, you will really begin to see the home coming together and taking shape.
Finishing Touches
The finishing touches will include adding the drywall, electrical wiring plumbing, heating, and cooling, as well as interior finish. This process can take anywhere from 2 to 9 months, depending on how extensive it is.
Dry-walling can take as little as a few weeks, while the plumbing and electrical wiring will take around a month-long. Installing heating and cooling can also take a few weeks to a month to complete.
How long the interior finishes take will depend on whether or not you hire people and how extensive it is. Painting is pretty fast, but installing wallpaper can take a few weeks.
Having cabinets and appliances made and installed can also take around a month or two to complete enough to move in. it really just depends on what kind of interior finishes you end up adding to your home.
What is The Timeline of Building a House?
The general timeline of building a home is 6 months to 2 years, depending on the kind of home being built. It can take 1 to 5 years of planning and saving before you ever begin the process of hiring a contractor or getting a loan.
How long this entire process is really just depends on you and what your goals are. As well as some external factors such as legal issues and the weather.
A basic house could be constructed in 6 to 7 months if you forgo the bells and whistles. While a more customized home could take a year to a year and a half to fully finish enough to move in.
Your contractor should be able to create a detailed timeline to give you a good idea of how long this process will take. It may not be entirely accurate, but it should be close enough to prepare you for how long you will be waiting.
Just be aware that things may come up to slightly delay progress and mess with your planned timeline for construction.
