Phases of New Construction

Phases of New Construction

Congratulations! We are so excited to work with you during the build of your new

home. We wanted to put together this quick guide so that you would know what to

expect during the build process and the different phases that occur once you sign the

purchase agreement with the builder.

1. Permits and site prep: If you are doing a build from scratch where you picked

the lot, floorplan, finishes, etc., as soon as documents are signed and processed,

the builder team will get busy on getting permits and the site prepared for the

build - this includes, clearing the lot, any leveling that needs to occur and if on a

slab, prepping the slab and the under plumbing.

2. Foundation: Your foundation will either be a monolithic slab, raised

slab/stem-wall or on a crawl space. In some cases, you will have a walk-in crawl

space, or a basement foundation.

    a. Monolithic slab - a one step, one pour process. It is typically significantly

    thinner than a crawl foundation

    b. Raised Slab/Stem Wall - Stem walls are used to connect the foundation of

    a building to its walls. They rise above the ground level to provide a raised

    platform for placing the building slab. They fill in the area with structural

    sand and compact it. Then they pour the foundation over it. This makes

    the home sit higher than what a monolithic slab would provide as well as

    helps prevent water intrusion and is considered to be more aesthetically

    pleasing.

    c. Crawl Space - these consist of exterior concrete walls that elevate the

    bottom of the house 18 inches or higher above grade (ground level), which

    will provide an accessible area to reach plumbing and wiring should it

    need future maintenance. Crawl space foundations usually require

    additional support walls beneath the interior of the house as well. Crawl

    spaces work better on sloped lots than slabs.

    d. Basement Foundations - there are three different types. What is the most

    common in the Triangle area is the walkout/daylight basement.

    i. Full Basement - covers the entire perimeter of the home and the

    entire basement floor is submerged on a level plane. They can be

    finished or unfinished and will only have small windows (if any) that

    would be at ground level.

    ii. Walkout/Daylight Basement - These occur when the building rests

    on a slope. One side of the basement will be fully submerged, while

    the other side will sit above grade. This allows for windows and

    light, as well as accessibility to the outdoors from the basement.

    iii. Crawl Space - This is also called a “tall crawl” and is a walk in crawl

    space. This is a less expensive alternative to adding a basement if

    the lot is sloped.

3. Framing: You will hear a lot of project managers and builders say that your house

is going “vertical.” This means that they have started framing. This is an exciting

part of the build process because you can now start to see how your home is

going to look. During this process, the subfloor, walls and roof structure are all

built, and the roof is shingled. You will also see the openings for windows and

doors. These will be closed in before you go into drywall.

4. Rough-Ins Now that you have a roof and walls up, it is time for all the

mechanicals to go in. This will include electrical wiring, HVAC and ductwork,

plumbing and any other wiring (like low-voltage) are completed. Once these are

done and signed off on, you will most likely be called in to do what is called a

Pre-Drywall Walk.

5. Pre-Drywall Walk: This is a great time for you to walk the property with the

Project Manager/Builder and your agent to make sure outlets are where they are

supposed to be, any additional wiring (like extra outlets, internet connections,

etc) are in the correct spots. It is a lot easier to fix that now before the walls are

up, then after. You should also take pictures of the walls so that you can see

where plumbing and electrical is going so that when you move in and hang items

on the walls, you don’t accidentally puncture a pipe, or hit a wire. This walk is also

where you will be told your closing date.

6. Drywall: This is kind of the halfway point of your home build. After the

walkthrough, insulation will go up on the walls and they will start to hang the

drywall. This is also an exciting time b/c you will really start being able to see the

home coming together.

7. Exterior Finishes: This also happens around the same time as Drywall -

sometimes before (depending on when trades are available). You will start to see

exterior siding, trim and stone/brick work occur. Things are really starting to

come together!

8. Interior Finishes: Cabinets, flooring, lighting, countertops, plumbing fixtures are

all starting to be installed. Interior paint and trim is being completed. Once

everything is in, the Project Manager/Builder is going to invite you to a

Pre-Closing Walk. This is a meeting you will not want to miss, and you want to be

sure your agent is included in the invite.

9. Pre-Closing Walk: This will occur about 1-2 weeks before closing. The

PM/Builder will walk you through the house, introduce you to all the systems and

overview of all the items/warranties in your home. There is a lot of information to

go over in these meetings, so be sure to take notes and have your agent with you.

At the end of the walk, the builder will give you and your agent to walk the home

and “blue tape” things that need to be addressed/fixed prior to closing. TAKE

YOUR TIME and do not rush this walkthrough. This is your opportunity to get

everything you see in the house that needs to be addressed and taken care of.

The PM/Builder will create a list of the items taped and you will sign off on it.

10.Final Walk/Closing: You made it!!! The Certificate of Occupancy has been signed

off by the county and your new home is now complete! It has been a long journey

and you have one more walkthrough before you go to the closing table. The

purpose of this walkthrough is to make sure the items that you had on the list

have been completed and that the home is cleaned and move-in ready. There are

a couple of things to keep in mind during this walkthrough:

    a. If you see new items that need to be addressed, they will most likely

    become warranty tickets for after closing - unless it is something

    egregious that would prevent you from being able to occupy the house.

    b. There may be times that the builder has to wait on a trade and an item on

    the list has not yet been completed. Usually these are smaller items that

    do not impact being able to occupy the house and the builder will still

    expect you to close on the home. Refer to your purchase agreement on

    how the builder handles this.

We are here to walk with you through each step of the process; reach out at WelcometoCarolina.com