Timeline for Building a New Home

Congratulations! You finally took the plunge to buy a new construction home. After selecting your builder and location, you met with the design team and together planned your perfect house. The choices are set, and now you’re waiting, waiting, waiting. New construction homes typically take between six months and one year to complete. So just what is going on during that time?

The first couple of months
As you make your weekly drive past your new construction site, it may seem that nothing is going on at first. Where are the bulldozers and backhoes? Often, construction cannot begin until the proper permits have been obtained. Once the builder obtains these and gets an available construction crew, you’ll see a flurry of activity. Excavation begins, and the construction crew pours the foundation, frames the floors, installs the roughed-in plumbing and electrical under the floors, and, if you are lucky, installs the first floor subfloor.

Months 2 and 3
You’ll see lots of changes during your weekly drive-bys now. The new construction site starts to resemble a house. The frames for the walls, roof, and ceilings go up. You’ll even be able to see the outline of your windows and doors. The construction crews add the exterior walls and roof sheathing, too. The crew finishes the subfloors, as well as the rest of the roughed-in electrical and plumbing.

Months 3 and 4
Are those actual windows and doors you see on your new construction home? If your timeline has not been delayed by weather or other problems, then your windows and doors just may be in. You may also see shingles on your roof and the exterior trim added. This is also the time for inspections for the mechanical rough-in and exposed structural work.

Months 5 and 6
If you are able to walk-through your new construction home each week as you check progress, you’ll see lots of exciting changes during this period of time. The crews have finished the plumbing and electrical work. Okay, maybe that’s not so exciting, but what about your kitchen cabinets that have just been installed? You’ll often see the cabinets and countertops installed at this stage as well. The ceramic tile that goes in the bathrooms may have appeared. And, the paint and wallpaper go up in this stage. If you’re lucky, you’ll see your flooring installed, too.

The final couple of months
The final few months are a really exciting time for your new construction project. The builder puts the final touches on your new home. In go the hardware and appliances you selected. The builders plant grass and landscaping and then frantically water it daily to insure their growth. The city inspects the work and you get a final walk-through to inspect the work, too. Then, that’s it! After closing, you can move into your new construction home.

Of course, this new construction timeline follows a best-case scenario and is a rough estimation. There can be all sorts of delays – the weather, supplies shortages, labor issues. But, regardless of how long your new construction project takes, the sequence detailed above should be relatively similar.