Once you’ve gone through the architectural design process for your custom dream home, you will be moving into the exciting pre-construction process with your builder.
With an experienced custom builder hired, the pre-construction phase is a busy one with progress made everyday. It’s up to homeowners how much they will be involved in during this phase. Many homeowners take a keen eye over every facet of pre-construction; whereas others are very hands off and trust the builder. It’s up to you!
Whichever route you take, it’s paramount to know what SHOULD be happening before construction begins.
There’s a long list of tasks your builder needs to cover. There are HOA approvals and permits to obtain, utility orders to make, construction issues to resolve, options and guidance to outline to the owners, insurance quotes to take, a project schedule to shape, a budget to stick to and subcontractor contracts to finalize. And many more!
But here’s three crucial matters your custom builder should be doing during this phase.
Provide you with a pre-construction timeline.
A builder will provide you with a timeline prior to beginning construction. Your custom builder will too. It’s important to know that a timeline is not set in stone and a number of factors can derail an intended completion date. Weather, budget and the size of the home being built are all potential factors that derail timelines. But, more accomplished and experienced builders will provide you with a more accurate timeline and have strategies in place to stick more closely to completion dates.
Have selections in place.
Before breaking ground a custom builder should already have a comprehensive list of selections that a homeowner wants. When this is outlined early on, not only will the construction go smoother, but also your interior designer will face a much less daunting task later. All this leads to quicker completion!
It also cuts down on the ‘back ‘n’ forth’ between you and the builder during the construction. If a homeowner is unclear in what they want during pre-construction, then the builder will need to constantly communicate with them and seek clarification. The builder wants to be diligent and the best are perfectionists themselves, so be prepared to deal with lots of communication if your selections are minimal or unclear. Some common selections homeowners should consider outlining during pre-construction include:
- Windows and exterior doors
- Exterior materials/colors/details
- Roofing
- Exterior power plug locations
- Plumbing fixtures
- Interior beams
- Fireplaces
- Interior and exterior flooring types
- Interior power plug locations
- Mechanised outdoor shade locations
These can all impact the foundations, plumbing and electrical layout of a home, so having them in place before construction is vital.
Set construction phase dates and a final completion date.
Finally, the homeowner and builder then need to agree on a customized construction schedule before breaking ground. It provides both the construction team and their subcontractors a map to follow. Ideally it will also hold everyone accountable too.
With a defined schedule for all construction phases, material orders will happen ahead of time. Materials not being delivered on time are a notorious culprit for home construction delays.
So there you have it! Your custom builder, during the pre-construction phase, should:
- Provide you with a pre-construction timeline,
- Homeowners should have their selections in place and,
- Final dates are mutually agreed upon.