According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 1,639,000 building permits were approved for residential construction in November 2020. The construction of 1,547,000 homes also began in the same month.
This number of building permits showed an 8.5% increase from the previous year. The construction of new homes also increased in the last year by about 12.8%. Housing completions dropped, however, by about 4.8%.
Building a home is a big financial commitment and takes a long time. Keep reading if you want to know more about the process and time it takes to build a home.
Average Time Based on House Type
On average it takes about a year for a home to be built from start to finish. This includes how long the design takes, how long it takes to authorize permits, and the physical construction of the home.
Building your own home can take up to a year. Homes built exclusively by contractors will be ready in about nine months. Built for sale homes take the least amount of time, they’re typically ready in six months.
Custom homes are always bigger projects and these homes can take anywhere from ten months to two years to complete.
What Can Impact the Construction Time?
Regardless of which type of home you choose, building a home is a lengthy process. Many factors can affect the construction process, delaying it or speeding things ahead.
The foundation of a home is crucial and soil type can complicate the process. Building a home in hilly terrain or a mudslide zone might take longer.
Every contractor has a different process, and depending on who you work with, the process might move along quickly or take a bit longer than expected.
Explaining Why Custom Builds Take Longer
Custom built homes are when the owner of the land is in charge of the whole process. The reason why these homes might take longer to build is because of the lack of experience.
Since you might want features in your new home that aren’t as common, the building and purchasing of everything will take some extra time. Your customizations might require additional permits, and all of these will prolong the process.
Why Can the Estimated Construction Time Increase?
Home building can be delayed for an endless amount of reasons. Each build is completely different from the next so it’s important to prepare for everything. You can have a great start but the construction time might increase due to weather changes.
The fluctuating housing market can also cause delays in the construction of your new home. When demand increases there might be shortages of construction workers.
Explaining Why Built for Sale Homes Require Less Time
Built for sale homes are constructed in record time. These homes are built with a plan to sell them but without a particular buyer attached to them.
Built for sale homes are also built from designs that people have used time and time again. Without input from a homeowner and any complicated designs, the builds of these homes will go over smoothly.
Tips for Shortening Build Time
Learning some home building tips is crucial to getting through the very complex but rewarding process of creating your home from scratch.
One thing to keep in mind is that you should make as many decisions as you can ahead of time. If everything from the color and style of the tile and door frames is chosen and purchased with time, you can get your house built ahead of schedule.
Making sure all of the different workers, including the electricians and the plumbers, meet their deadlines is another important tip to follow. You can learn a lot by joining a contractors association or attending their events. Learn more at https://www.bcaswi.org/.
Build Times Can Vary by Location
The amount of time it takes to build a house will also vary based on your region. Homes in the south take the least amount of time and can be built in six months.
The west and midwest can produce finished homes in about eight months. The northeast takes the longest amount of time, with eleven months from start to finish. Snow will delay the building process, hence the longer build times in the north.
Important Steps to Know About Building a Home
The home building process is complex, but it doesn’t have to get complicated if you know what you need to do. Once the designs of your home are finalized, your contractor will begin with inspections for water and sewers.
The next step is to proceed with the foundation by excavating and adding the concrete. The builders will then move on to framing and the exterior finishes, this includes doorways and windows.
The crew for plumbing, electricity, and air conditioning will come in next. Finally, the interior of the home is finished by adding cabinets and counter tops.
Stay on Budget to Keep Things Moving
Making a plan is a crucial part of the home building process because this will keep everything on schedule and prevent delays. Everyone on the team must keep up their end of the bargain to complete construction on time.
Try to stick to the plan you’ve laid out without making too many changes. This should also include sticking to the budget you established in the pre-construction planning.
What You Need to Know to Build a Home
It takes a long time to build a home, but with the information provided in this guide, you can start the process prepared. Knowing what to expect can make the process easier, and might even reduce construction time.
Did you find this article useful? Make sure you check out some of our other home improvement posts to learn more
