Construction Process of a House

Plan

Obtain a land survey of the lot on which you plan to build your home. Ask your local zoning and building department about the setback requirements for the front yard, back yard and side yards. This will allow you to plan your home's footprint to meet local zoning. Learn the local height restrictions so that your home meets code for its highest point, which is the roof peak or ridge. Also get information about curb cuts, driveways, fences, landscape codes, etc. These details must be determined prior to drawing your plan.

Design and Approval

Engage a licensed architect to draw the plans for your home. The architect should meet your design criteria while adhering to local building codes.
You can also select a house plan directly from a builder. The plan still must be submitted to the building department after being stamped by an architect unless you are selecting a model in a subdivision. In this case, you technically would not be building your own home.
You can also buy house plans online, which are copyrighted and will need to be modified to meet local building codes and stamped by an architect. No unstamped plans can be submitted for building permits.
Regardless of the method used to procure a plan, an architect's seal will be required to obtain building permits. The plans must be submitted for city, municipality or other local government approval. If you hire a general contractor, he will handle all permit applications and inspections. If you are acting as your own general contractor, you will need to handle all applications and inspection requests. Architects do not submit plans for applications, although some will provide construction supervision services for an additional fee, generally 4% to 6% of the total construction cost for this service.

Bids and Finances

You can act as your own contractor and procure bids from subcontractors, or hire a general contractor to do this for you. A general contractor is the person or firm that oversees all aspects of a construction project and in some cases can perform some specialty tasks, such as carpentry or concrete. A subcontractor is specialized in one field of construction; for example, a drywall subcontractor. The subcontractors work for the general contractor.
Your bank financing must be in place so that your contractual agreements with subcontractors match the bank's construction loan procedures for subcontractor payouts. Applications for and details of construction loans are handled by the banking institution's construction loan officer. Every bank has slightly different protocols and policies. An owner will meet with the bank officer to outline application procedures and all followup.

Construction

The subcontractors required for building a home include an excavator, underground plumbing and sewer professional, underground electric pro, concrete and foundation pro, frame carpenter, brick mason, electrician, plumber, heating and air conditioning pro, insulator, drywaller, interior trim carpenter, painter/decorator, roofer, landscaper, asphalt and paving pro, swimming pool and spa pro (if applicable), waterproofer, appliance installer, window treatment installer and finish floor installer. Utility connections, safety issues and other concerns are handled by the appropriate subcontractors, in the logical sequence. The homeowner must select all materials and finishes.

If you are acting as your own general contractor, you must obtain building permits. You must also schedule all the subcontractors above in the correct order so you don't create delays while constructing the home. Poor scheduling will cost time and money. You must also schedule building and code inspections as needed, and arrange for bank payouts.

A general contractor adds approximately 20% to the overall cost of building a home. This covers supervision and responsibility to complete all the work. Only someone with intimate knowledge of home construction and schedule sequencing, and who has time to dedicate to the project, should act as a general contractor. The savings are minimal compared to the extra costs in delays and subcontractor issues created by a faulty schedule and reworking of completed tasks.

When construction of the home is completed, the owner and the general contractor or the owner and all subcontractors perform a walk-through of the home, and create a punchlist of deficient items. Deficient items are those that are not complete or to code; for example, a cracked door, paint drips, a dead tree or scratched drywall. Upon repair of all deficient items, final payment is made to the general contractor or to the subcontractors as applicable. The general contractor schedules a final inspection with the local building authority, a Certificate of Occupancy (C.O.) is generated and the house is ready to be inhabited.

References

• Building Solutions and Inspection Services
• SayBuild.com