How Long Does It Take to Build a Home

Are you looking to build a new home but are worried about how long it will take? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Building a new home is quite the process, one that can be fun and exciting if you know what to expect. 

From designing your perfect floor plan to picking the kitchen hardware and flooring, the best part about building a home is making it your own. And you can’t beat the experience of watching your home get built from the ground up!

At Next Level Homes, we make sure you’re a part of the entire home-building process. And we’re here to help you understand the ins and outs of building your own house. Keep reading to get your questions answered and learn all about building your dream home.

Are You Thinking of Building a New Home?

Depending on what you’re looking for in a home, it may actually be a great idea to build a new home instead of buying an existing home. Building a new home allows you to be more in control of what the finished product looks like, even with large home builders. Most large home builders will let you pick your floor plan, as well as other options such as flooring, countertops, appliances, and more.

In many cases, building also prevents the hassle of dealing with competing offers for a home you like. You may get placed on a waitlist for a little while, but once the builder is available to help, you can start the process of picking the floor plan that’s right for you and moving on from there.

If you’re looking to get into a home fast, then building might not be the best option for you. But if you can wait to get into your dream home, building can be a fun and worthwhile experience.

Average Time It Takes to Build a House

So how long does it take to build a house? The short answer is, it depends. There are several factors that go into how much time it will take for a home to get completed. Although, the average time frame is between seven months and two years. 

Here are a few timing factors you should know about when building a home:

Location

Believe it or not, but location can be a major factor that determines how long it takes for your home to be completed. A lot of it depends on how quickly building supplies and labor can get to that specific location. If you’re building in a remote location, like out in the country or up in the mountains, it could take longer for your home to be completed.

On the other hand, if you’re building in a well-established community close to building resources, your home could be finished more quickly. 

Environmental conditions

This factor can be a little beyond your control, but it’s important to consider while building. If you choose to start building your home in the middle of winter, it could take longer to dig the foundation due to the frozen ground.

If you have an unexpected season of rain, this could prevent framing from getting completed for fear that the wood will warp. 

Soil quality can also affect the timeline. If there is a lot of sand in your area, you may have to take more time to reinforce your foundation before finishing the build. Or if you’re building on a side of a mountain, you’ll also have to take more time to build reinforcements into the home.

Permits

In order for a home to be completed properly, you or your builder will need to have the proper building permits for your state and/or city. Most of the time, a builder will already have the necessary permits. If you’re building the home yourself, you will need to apply for the required permits, and then wait until they are approved before you can do any work. 

If you plan on building yourself, make sure you get your permits ahead of time.

Labor

A house can only be completed if you have the necessary people to help build it. If there are not enough people required to build your home, it will get delayed. You or your builder will either have to work with who is available or wait to hire more people.

Scale

The size and detail of your home will also play a factor in how quickly it will get built. The bigger and more detailed the home, the more time it will take. Large home builders can generally get homes finished quickly, while custom home builders may take a little longer as they work on all the customization you want in your home.

What are other factors that determine how long it takes to build a home? Before you build, consider who is building it. Will you be building the home yourself by hiring out your own teams and doing your own work? Will you have a contractor build the home for you? Or will you buy a home from a well-established builder?

The answer to any one of those questions will determine how long it takes.

Owner

If you, the owner, are building the home yourself, you may need to plan for the home to take more time to be completed. This is because you will be doing a lot of the work yourself, including buying the material needed for the home. 

In many cases, home-building materials are provided to major builders first. So if there are any shortages, you may be waiting a while, or you may have to pay more to get the needed materials on schedule. 

Contractor

Somewhat similar to an owner building their own home, hiring a contractor may experience delays. Contractors do typically have more connections to workers and materials, but it’s important to remember that large builders are usually prioritized when it comes to home-building essentials.

Even still, a contractor can help take a lot of the burden away from building a home and even give you a more realistic timeline.

Built for Sale

Homes that are built for sale usually take less time to build, because the home builder has many processes, workers, and materials in place to get them done quickly. With a few different floor plans to choose from, you are able to either get a plan they’ve built many times before or another plan where the home has already been started. 

All that’s left is for you to choose an upgrade or two or just purchase the home.

Steps Involved in the Building Process

As you’ve easily discovered by now, homes don’t go up overnight. There are several steps involved in order to go from design to completed home. Here are a few steps that go into building a home:

• Drafting a design for a home
• Purchasing a plot of land to build on
• Digging and pouring the foundation
• Framing
• Electrical and plumbing
• Sheetrock, muddling, and taping
• Painting
• Flooring
• Installing cabinets, light fixtures, and faucets
• Installing outdoor facade

Keep in mind, this list doesn’t include everything, but it can give you a good idea of what goes into building a house, including the materials and labor needed to get it done properly. All these steps mean the potential for the timeline to get pushed back, especially if the completion of one step is dependent on the next one getting started.

How to Shorten the Process

We’ve already talked about how long it takes to build a home, but is there any way to shorten the process? With all the factors and steps that go into building, it really just depends on the specific home.

We can comfortably say you can’t necessarily shorten the process, but you can do certain things to make sure the process stays on track.

Stay on Schedule

The number one thing you can do to make sure your home is done in a timely manner is to keep things moving on schedule. Having a schedule from the beginning will help greatly and can save you headaches from having to try and schedule work to get done after the fact. 

By knowing your home-building schedule, you’ll know when your house will get completed.

Communication

Communication is key in every single step of the home-building process, from the very beginning to the absolute end. The more you can communicate with your workers, contractor, suppliers, and everyone else involved, the more you’ll know realistically when your home will get finished.

Communicate deadlines and setbacks. Communicate delays and when certain steps get completed early. As you constantly talk with those people building your home, you’ll find the process will run better.

Set Realistic Dates

It’s important to set realistic dates when building your home. Consider how many workers you have, what supplies you’re waiting for to get delivered, and whether certain milestone dates need to get pushed back or moved forward. 

By setting realistic dates, you’ll save yourself from headaches and disappointment. Try even adding a few buffer days into certain steps, just in case someone can’t show up on the scheduled day, or unseen weather causes a delay.

Start Building Your New Home Today

Building your dream home is an exciting and worthwhile experience. And when you work with an established company like us here at Next Level Homes, you won’t have to worry about the stress of building, we take care of it all for you! 

We have all the connections to make sure you get the home you want during the timeline you’re given. Let us help you get started on finding the right design for you! Click below to talk to one of our team members today!

[SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT]