The Home-Building Process: A Beginner's Guide To Building A House

Taking an empty lot and building a house on it is a complex process. It involves numerous steps, all of which have to be executed properly in order to make a success of the project.

Understanding these steps and getting to know how a home is built is essential if you want to build a home for yourself. Learning about the process helps you understand what you’re getting into and what to expect. It can even improve your decision-making along the way.

This guide covers all the steps to building a house, starting with the bare lot and ending with a completed home. Keep reading to follow the journey.

This is for informational purposes - always check with your permitted authority or regulatory body first.

A solid home starts with a good site and foundation. These things lie at the very base of the home. So they impact everything that comes after.

Most of the time, building a home doesn't start with the sound of hammers swinging and the sight of shovels breaking dirt. The process starts long before then, when home builders dive into the legalities of building a house.

One important element of this involves dealing with permits. A builder needs to apply for permits when doing almost any kind of work on a property. This is done to ensure that any construction work adheres to legal standards. 

Once everything is good to go on the legal end of things, the property itself can be prepared. Usually, builders start by leveling the site. This typically includes removing anything in the way of the building. It may also include digging into the ground to make room for the foundation and the septic system. 

A building's foundation starts as a series of wood frames. Then, builders install footings using a sturdy construction of concrete and rebar. All of this is laid, poured, built, and then left to cure for a period of time.

During this step in the process, a few other issues are taken care of. If the home has a basement, its walls will be constructed. Plus, the waterproofing and plumbing are integrated into the building. 

After everything else in this step is done, the first inspection can take place. During this inspection, a government worker visits the property and examines the foundation. They ensure that everything has been done properly and that you can move onto the next step in the house-building process. 

When building your own home, the first step is typically one of the longest. That’s because it takes a lot of time to dig foundations. Then, it takes even more time for the foundation to set. This, along with all of the other necessary work, means this step can last well over a month. Timings may vary based on the builder’s capabilities and the type of foundation you choose. 

If you've ever passed by a building that looks more like a series of pillars and slats than an actual building, you've seen a house in the framing phase. At this point, builders create the building's core, upon which most other features will rely. 

The framing process starts by creating the system for the floor, the walls, and the roof. In most cases, this involves setting up a series of boards that sit where the floor, walls, and roof will eventually go. 

The frame is then covered (in some areas) with sheathing. The sheathing is designed to protect the frame from outside elements, like rain. However, it’s also designed to allow water that has made its way inside to escape.

This sheathing goes on the outward-facing pieces of the frame. So, in most cases, it covers the exterior walls and the home's roof.

At this point, builders will also put in the windows and exterior doors. 

This is another lengthy step. It involves a lot of physical labor that, often, can’t be done all at once. This is especially true in multi-story homes, where work on the second floor can only start once the first floor is complete.

Because of this, it can take a month or two to finish this step. The biggest influencing factor is the size and complexity of the house. Smaller, less-complex homes will take less time to build than their larger and more complex counterparts. 

A home isn't just a series of boards and construction materials. It also needs power, water, and other comforts in order to be practical. And that’s what your contractors will tackle during this next home-building step. 

Most homes have a multitude of systems. On any build, home systems like pipes, water lines, sewer lines, electrical wiring, ductwork, vents, and more, have to be installed. These systems have features, like electrical outlets and showers, that need installing, too. 

At this point in the process, there’s a lot going on with the house. So, more inspections need to take place. Specifically, inspectors will want to look at the framing, the plumbing, and the electrical system. This will happen in a similar way to the first inspection. 

Installing all of the home's systems can take just a few weeks. However, you need to factor in extra time for inspections. To avoid delays to the build, these inspections should be scheduled in advance. 

To prevent residents getting too hot in summer and too cold in winter, the next step in building a house is insulation. Effective insulation makes a house much more comfortable. And it can be the difference between a low and a sky-high energy bill.

How you go about insulation will depend on the home, the builder, and even the climate and location of the house. There are a wide variety of insulation types out there and different types are used in different jobs. But the most common types of insulation include fiberglass, cellulose, and foam.

No matter which insulation you choose, builders will install it into the home's exterior walls and attic. They will also insulate the walls, floors, or ceilings that separate an insulated area of the home from an uninsulated area of the home. This can happen, for example, if an uninsulated crawl space shares a wall with one of the rooms in your house. 

This is one of the shorter steps in the process. It can be finished in as little as a week. However, you may like to budget for two. Again, this is heavily dependent on the size of the home and the complexity of the build. It also depends on the type of insulation you want to use. 

At this point in the process, the house is starting to look less like a construction project and more like a home. 

Once the drywall is hung, you’ll really start to feel like your home is coming together. Drywall covers up the boards and turns them into regular walls. After drywall is hung, your contractors will give it a primer paint coat. 

Builders apply external finishes at this point, too. They use things like siding, brick, or stone to complete the outside of your home. These materials play a big part in the overall feel of a house. A brick house has a very different look when compared to a house with siding. Understanding your options and knowing what you want is a critical step when you build your own home. l feel of the house's exterior. A brick house has a very different appeal from a house with siding. Understanding this and knowing what you want is critical in this step in the process.

In a small home, this step might only take a few days. However, it can take up to two weeks in larger homes. 

Now that the home is coming together, big projects will continue. But it’s also time for some smaller details. 

Many interior elements, both decorative and functional, are installed at this point. This includes things like interior doors, door casings, moldings, baseboards, and balusters. Walls are painted or wallpapered for a final time. And any other decorative elements are also painted at this point. 

Outside, you can expect to see some new features, too. The most obvious of these is the driveway, typically an asphalt driveway.

This driveway may have been poured earlier in the process. However, many builders choose to wait until this point so that the driveway isn't damaged by heavy pieces of machinery entering and exiting the property. Contractors will install patios, walkways, and any other hardscaping at this point, too. 

When you build a home, fitting interior trim and exterior fixtures is one of the longer steps in the process. This is because many of the tasks in this step involve some waiting around.

For example, when painting a home, you need to wait for the paint to finish drying. And while laying a driveway, you have to wait for the asphalt to set. So this step takes, on average, between one to two months. 

During this stage in the process, some of the more delicate house details are installed. Meanwhile, the outside is treated to some finishing touches. 

Flooring and countertops can be delicate. Because of this, they’re usually saved until this late point in the process, when heavy equipment and fixtures are no longer being dragged through the house. This prevents the flooring from being scratched and the countertops from being chipped or shattered. 

With the driveway and other major hardscape features done, there’s not much left to do outside. So at this point, contractors can do the exterior grading. This grading finalizes what the land around the house will be like and it’s important for both practical and aesthetic purposes.

From a practical standpoint, the exterior grading helps make the area functional. The grading is a critical part of yard drainage. Contractors will create slopes that allow water to run where it needs to go. When planned properly, this prevents water from pooling in areas it shouldn’t.

From an aesthetic standpoint, the exterior grading is the foundation for future landscaping. It helps make flower beds or other areas of vegetation possible. Because of this, it’s helpful to have an idea of what you want the landscaping to look like before getting started with this step. 

If properly executed, this step shouldn't take too long, a few days at most. Flooring and grading can both be finished in less than a week. And installing countertops doesn't take long at all. 

This step includes more of those exciting finishing touches. Contractors will install mechanical trim and bathroom fixtures. 

At this point in the home-building process, the home’s electrical system isn’t complete. So contractors will install light fixtures. They’ll also install and connect switches, put in outlets, and finish off the electrical panel.

Meanwhile, HVAC elements and equipment are also put in place. This includes things like the thermostat and registers. 

While larger bathroom fixtures were put in earlier in the process, smaller ones are put in at this point. This includes things like sinks, faucets, toilets, and bidets. These are directly hooked into the water and sewer systems. 

While this step includes fairly quick and easy jobs, these tasks start to add up. So it may take a few weeks to complete this step. 

This is one of the final phases of the building process. It mostly involves putting the finishing touches on things that were started earlier in the project. However, it also can include a few bigger projects. 

At this point, the bathrooms in the home are nearly complete. So now’s the time to add details like mirrors and shower doors. 

Non-carpet flooring has already been installed. But you need to save carpeting until this point, to prevent any dirt or debris from being tracked through the house and onto your new flooring. Once this is done, the flooring is finalized and all of it is cleaned. 

Outside of the house, landscaping starts. Depending on the house, this could be a relatively easy part of the process or the start of a whole new project.

In either case, there are always a few things that always get done. You or your landscaper will plant large plants like trees and shrubs. You’ll also seed the yard with grass. Even if you do nothing else, these things will provide the basis for a landscape and make the house look more inviting.

From there, landscaping can get as involved as you want it to. You can construct and fill flower beds and place other decorative features. For larger or more elaborate designs, a site plan can be of great use. 

Putting in bathroom features and carpeting should only take a week. Neither of these is a complex or lengthy process.

Landscaping can take a week or more. However, this will obviously vary dramatically depending on the complexity of the landscape. A complex landscape can take much longer, to the point where it will actually continue after the rest of the home's construction is finished. 

Now that everything is complete, all that’s left to do is take a final walkthrough. This involves walking the homeowner through the house to introduce owners to the property and give them a chance to spot any issues. 

Owners need to be introduced to the home because there may be things about it that they didn't understand at first. The builder will explain what is inside and outside the home and how everything works. They’ll also explain things the owner should do to keep the house running smoothly.

While being introduced to a home, paying attention and being involved is important. Ask questions if you don't understand something and feel free to ask the builder to clarify something to make sure you do understand it. Take notes if possible. Doing so will allow you to access specific information later and remind yourself about what was discussed.

On this walkthrough, the owner should also be on the lookout for any issues. It’s possible that something went wrong with the building process. Perhaps something was damaged or there’s a feature that the owner simply doesn't like. This is the time to point out and talk about these issues with the builder.

In some cases, they’ll be able to fix the issue easily. They may not have realized that something was out of place or they may have misunderstood the owner's instructions. If this is the case, they’ll often go out of their way to fix the issue as quickly as possible.

This entire step in the process is important because it is necessary to catch any issues before move-in. This allows the owner to prove that the problem was caused by the builder and not by them.

For example, imagine a situation where one of the hardwood floors has a large scratch on it. If the owner brings it up during the walkthrough, the builder immediately realizes it was their fault and, therefore, that they should fix it. However, if owners wait to bring the issue up at some point after they move in, the builder has no proof that the owner didn't cause the problem and so is less likely to fix it for them. 

The final walkthrough and troubleshooting shouldn't take too long. In general, it can take around a week.

However, this depends on how much work still needs to be done. If many things need to be addressed, the process will take longer. 

As you can see, there are lots of steps to building a house. But hopefully, after reading this guide you have a better idea of how to build a house and what’s involved in a house-building project. Armed with this knowledge, we hope you feel ready to start work on your own home.