So You Wanna Build Your Own House: A Step-by-Step Overview

You can picture yourself standing in your dream home, preparing meals on your spacious island and drifting to sleep in your luxurious primary bedroom.

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The only thing standing between you and that vision? What feels like a million steps in the process of building your own house. Knowing how to get started when building a house can help you get things moving.

What Are the First Steps You Need to Take If You Want to Build Your Own Home?

How you handle the preparation phase of building a house can set the tone for the entire process. Handling those tasks quickly can get the house construction underway faster. It can also help you avoid mistakes during the house-building process. Here are the first steps to take when building your own house.

1. Create a Budget

When you're building your dream home, you don't want to compromise. But it might be necessary to keep the home affordable. Establish a firm budget before you start the process based on what you can afford. This helps you narrow down your lot selection and home details to help you stay within the budget.

2. Secure Your Financing

You know how much you can afford, but now, you need a lender who's willing to give you the money to match. You won't apply for a mortgage when building a house. Instead, you need a construction loan, which is a short-term loan. When the construction is done, you can convert that loan into a mortgage.

3. Prioritize What You Want

Knowing what you want before you start to build a house can save you time and money. Decide on your preferred location, home style, home size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and other crucial features. You can get the home design and building process moving faster, and you won't cause delays or extra expenses by changing your mind.

4. Find Key Professionals

You might be building your own house, but you'll need some professional help with various parts of the home construction process. Start choosing these roles.

• Real estate agent: You'll want an agent to help you with the land purchase.
• Architect: When you're building from scratch, you need an architect to design the plans.
• Home builder: Many home builders have specific home plans you can choose from if you don't want a complete custom build. They handle the entire building process.
• General contractor: You can also hire a general contractor or serve as your own general contractor instead of using a home builder.
• Designer: The designer helps you choose the finishes inside your new home to get the look you want.
• Contractors: Your home builder may have contractors for electrical, HVAC, plumbing and finish work. However, you can choose your own, especially if you're serving as the general contractor.

5. Buy the Land

You'll need land before you can get the construction process going. Working with your builder or architect, find a plot in the area you want that will also work well for the plans you're making. Your real estate agent should be able to show you available options and help you evaluate each one to find your ideal spot.

6. Decide on the Plans

With all the pieces in place, you can finalize your home plans. This is where your preferences and priorities come to life in a design that's functional for your family.

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What Are the Stages of a House Build?

Once the preparation phase is done, you're ready to build a house. These are the typical stages of building a home:

1. Ground Preparation

Once your builder pulls all the necessary permits, they can clear and level the land in preparation for the build.

2. Foundation Pouring

The forms go up, and the crew pours the foundation.

3. Framing

This includes the floors, walls and roof, along with house wrap to close in the home.

4. Plumbing, Electric and HVAC

Contractors for plumbing, electric and HVAC do their work while the walls are still studs.

5. Insulation and Drywall

Insulation goes in, followed by drywall to close in the walls.

6. Interior and Exterior Finishes

The builder installs all the interior and exterior finishes, including flooring, cabinets, countertops, fixtures, windows and siding.

7. Final Inspections

You'll likely have several inspections throughout the process, but you'll have to pass one final inspection before you can move in.

How Long Does It Take to Build a House?

Lots of factors go into how long it takes to build a house, but the average length in 2022 was 8.3 months. Owner-built homes typically take the longest, with an average of 12.1 months. You can speed up the process by handling the early home construction steps quickly. This allows you to go into building a house prepared and can cut back on delays.