How long will it take to build your new house?
When planning a new building project, it's important to understand that the build timeline can vary greatly depending on several factors. In this blog post, we'll explore some of the key factors that can impact the build timeline and what you can do to help ensure that your project stays on track.
Size and Complexity of the Project: The larger and more complex the project, the more time it will take to complete. This includes factors such as the total finished square feet of your home, the type of materials used, and the amount of custom work and finishes involved. To help ensure that your project stays on track with your expectations, it's important to have a clear understanding of the scope of the work and to be realistic about the amount of time it will take to complete before you start the build. For example, a fully custom home will likely take at least 12 months to 2 years depending on how much input you are providing and when you make decisions about finishes and materials...and a semi-custom home where the builder allows you to pick paint, flooring, and a few of the finish selections will likely take 8-10 months...and a true track home where you are only allowed to pick a few items like paint and carpet colors may only take 6-7 months to complete. The more the builder is going to rely on you for input the slower the build will go.
Weather Conditions: Weather conditions can greatly impact the build timeline, particularly in areas with extreme weather conditions such as heavy rain, snow, or high winds. This can delay the start or progress of the work, and also increase cost if the weather causes damage during the build. To help minimize the impact of weather conditions, it's important to have a contingency plan in place and to be flexible with the build timeline if necessary. It's important to remember that your contractor cannot predict the weather so holding them responsible for delays due to weather is not really fair to them.
Availability of Materials and Suppliers: The availability of materials and supplies needed for the project can also impact the build timeline. If certain materials are on backorder or unavailable, it can slow down the progress of the work. To help ensure that materials and supplies are available when needed, it's important to plan ahead, make decisions as early as possible so material orders can be placed asap, and to have a reliable network of suppliers. If you wait to decide on your trim style when it's time to install it you need to expect the job to be delayed, and this is not the builders fault if they have been asking you for this decision.
Obtain the necessary Permits: Obtaining the necessary permits can take time, and this time may or may not be included in you build contract with your contractor. Be sure to ask your builder how this time i included in the timeline the builder gives you. If your builder gives you a timeline, for example "it will take 9 months", it is highly likely they are not including anything but the actual build time in that estimate. It can easily take as many as 2-3 or more months to work through this phase depending on how many permits you need and how difficult your town, city or county is to work with.
Passing inspections: This can also take time and delay the start or continuation of the work. To help minimize the impact of permits and inspections, it's important to plan ahead and to work closely with your local building department. Just in case, you should also be ready to find out your project has been assigned that one inspetor that has their own "code book" and asks your builder to do things that are not traditional in order to pass inspections. This will add unexpected time to the project, and that is not your builders fault.
Labor Availability: The availability of skilled labor and tradespeople can also impact the build timeline. If there is a shortage of workers, it can slow down the progress of the work. To help ensure that labor is available when needed, it's important to plan ahead and to have a reliable network of contractors and tradespeople. Even when you and your contractor to everything right, It is also important to be aware that a situation like the example below could happen and you need to work with your builder as a partner rather than be upset with them:
You are about to start your build and the local concrete supplier for your
region breaks down. The concrete contractor hired to pour your
foundation now starts to get behind and cant start your project, and then
lets your builder know they need to back out from doing the job to try and
get back on track. Your builder now needs to hire a new concrete
contractor which takes 2 months, and because the concrete is hard to get
the cost has gone up.
Remember, your builder wants your project complete just like you do. Treat
them like a partner rather than your enemy every time a problem
arises and you will find they are really trying to get you in your home ASAP.
7. Budget and Financing: The budget and financing arrangements for the project can also impact the build timeline. If there are delays in securing financing or obtaining approvals, it can slow down the progress of the work.
In conclusion, the timeline of a new building project can vary greatly depending on several factors, including the size and complexity of the project, weather conditions, availability of materials and suppliers, permits and inspections, labor availability, and budget and financing arrangements.
To help ensure that your project stays on track, it's important to plan ahead, be realistic about the amount of time it will take to complete by acquiring an accurate timeline from your builder, and have contingency plans in place if necessary.