Are you wondering how long it takes to build your house from start to finish?
What exactly is in the process? In this video, we look at time frame, the
process to build a new house. That's starting right now.
Welcome to Homebuyer's School,
brought to you by Brookfield Residential.
Hi everyone, I'm Karl Yeh, welcome to another Homebuyer's School video,
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So today I'm doing my Kristy Siebert,
Area Manager with Brookfield Residential,
and the question we're gonna answer
today is: Can you - actually, how long
does it take to build a house from start to finish?
Great question Karl, so to start the
home building process, we would need to make sure you've selected your lot for
your home site, and which home you'll be building there. So something to consider
is that sometimes builders have applied for permits ahead of time, so they already
have their building permits ready to go and that would allow construction to
start right away on your home. If permits aren't in place yet, then
that's a process that can take anywhere from about a month to three months
to get the permits submitted to the city, receive them back, have the development
permit ready and the building permit. So that's something that can take a little
bit of time, so keep that in mind that even before your home starts
construction, there could be kind of a set time, yeah.
And is that - that's obviously something you'd ask your builder for?
Yes, yes they'll know whether there's
permits for that home or if it's something
that has to be done after - after the purchase.
So how come from the permit process - how come the Builder hasn't bought -
hasn't gotten all the permits yet when they're doing
construction how comes there are delays sometimes?
Right so sometimes a lot is
predetermined which home will be built there, so in that case the Builder can
apply for permits ahead of time, have them ready to go, but in other cases we
will let you choose exactly which home,
which layout to be built on that lot,
so in that case we wouldn't be able to
apply for building permits ahead of time
because we don't know what's going to be built there.
Got it, got it so let's say - okay, we got the permits, your house is being constructed,
so what's the next step?
Right, so your Builder will issue
like a start date for you so they'll let
you know when your home starts
construction and with that they'll start
to dig for the foundation pouring the
foundation and that usually takes a few
weeks just to make sure everything cures
properly, Next step would be framing,
so you'll see your home start from - you know - the ground up and then be fully
framed, add the windows in, and kind of seal your home.
During the framing and maybe laying the
foundation, are you able to visit your
home? Like, are you able to visit the site
just, you know have a look, see how it's going?
You can see it from the street but you're
not supposed to go on the property,
even if someone from the Builder is
present with you, it's - it's a construction
site so it's not really
safe to be visiting at that time. So you are actually provided a walkthrough
after the next step. So the next step would be finishing the interior
mechanicals, so your electrical, plumbing, all of that. And once that's all
complete, then you would be invited for a walkthrough with the Builder so that you
can see what goes on in behind your walls, before insulation and drywall are put up.
So you can - so you actually can see even before a house like - has all
the paint or whatever - you can see kind of like - you know the the base foundation of your
house - just - you can even walk through it?
Yes, yes, so it is an appointment
that's set up with the construction team, so again right - safety, safety has to
be our top priority so with that you have to wear the hardhat and closed toed
shoes, and kind of be prepared that you're going on a construction site so
only people on the purchase agreement
can attend that walkthrough for safety reasons
and no one under the age of 18 can be
there but it's a great opportunity to
see the progress of your home and see
what goes on behind your walls before the drywall is put up.
So let's say - okay,
so after that's done, you've done your walkthrough,
what's in the next step?
So after that walkthrough then it would come insulation, drywall, painting and
then all of your finishing so that usually starts with your cabinets then
your flooring, countertops from there. So just kind of the finishing touches on
your home and that part goes really quickly, so typically once you have the
mechanical walkthrough completed,
you will take possession about two to
three months after that.
So how long does it take from the moment you -
you know - I guess you've signed your agreement and when your house is
building to the - to the first walk through,
the walk through when you have the
mechanicals inside - Right.
How long is that usually? What's the timeframe for that?
So once construction starts, it's usually
about two to three months before
you get your first walkthrough, just
because those - those first steps are very
crucial and they take a little bit longer. And so after that first walkthrough you said
another two to three months to complete the next part, right?
So you're looking at probably around four to six months?
Yeah and every builder is going to be different so it's important to ask your
Builder how long they kind of estimate. Also something that should be written in
your purchase agreement is, you know, kind of a timeline for - for your home so we can't
give an exact possession date that far in advance, but you know we have to have
your home finished within a certain period of time.
does the - does the construct - the construction season or weather
impact the construction of your house
house or does it go year round ?
So we can build year round here but it can
affect the timeline. So sometimes homes built in the summer
can go up a little bit quicker than homes built in winter but there
shouldn't be a huge difference. Okay, and in terms of like from start to
finish, are there any like - most common
issues that maybe prevent your house
being built in in a timely manner?
So something that's important to
make sure of when you write your purchase agreement is to select all of
your interior finishes as quickly as you can.
So we have timelines for that, just to make sure that there's no delays waiting
for materials, so that when it comes time to install the flooring in your home,
it's - it's selected, it's ordered, it's ready to go so there's no delays based
on waiting for materials. And that's sort of still upon you and Builder when
you're - when that construction of your house happens - you're selecting all the
the interior finishes. If there's a delay there then there's obviously going to be
doing your construction right?
Is there like a time frame you have to pick it or
the builders are just gonna wait until you
actually made your decision?
There are certain timelines, so typically you'll have your interior selections chosen
within the first two weeks of construction starting.
So you can't just wait the first two months while you're - No. (laughing)
So you actually got to come in
and actually get - Yes and once those selections are made,
they cannot be changed. That was my actually the next question I
had is: What if you change your mind on
the like - say the flooring or -
you're kind of stuck with it - is there
opportunity to change it later after the
fact or that's it?
I mean what you do with your home afterwards is - is up to
you, but we have to keep timelines in mind so the Builder is always going
to make that a top priority and you know, making sure that you have those
selections made is very important because they will be ordered and ready
to go for your home.
So once, let's say - your house is finished, I think you go through your final
walkthrough - and we have a video on that as well.
Do you have - yeah you go through your
final walkthrough; what's the next -
the step after that? And so you just full
take possession and that's it?
Yeah, so you have your final walkthrough
typically about a week to two weeks
before your possession date,
anything that needs to be touched up
will be touched up by the time you take possession so then on your
possession day, you'll do another quick walk through, make sure that those items
have been taken care of and addressed and then after that you get to move in!
That's exciting. So let's - just to recap the steps.
So the first part is you sign your contract purchase, and then your
construction starts, then you have about a couple weeks to select your interior
finishes, right? And then between for the next two to four months the
foundation is being built, the framing is being built, mechanicals inside then you
go through a walkthrough. Yes.
And then after that walk through another two to
four months for everything else: the paint and appliances moved in and
everything like that. Then you do another walk through and in case you find any
kind of - I guess, issues, a little - Yeah, any deficiencies, yeah.
And the Builder goes up and fixes it and then one more walkthrough and then you take
possession? Is that kind of the entire process? Yes.
Awesome. Anything else to add in terms of start to finish of the home building process?
Um, feel free to drive by your home as often
as you want, take a look at the progress, something that your sales representative
might do is give you updates along the way so if that's something that you're
really looking for, make that clear to them and it's something that they will
absolutely accommodate, just to make sure that you have a great experience and you
always know what stage your home is at. And then after that, I mean it's good to
go to those walkthroughs. So the walkthrough at the mechanical stage is
optional but I think it's a fantastic opportunity to see what goes on behind
the walls of your home, see how it's built. Again, ask those
questions about how to operate your home, how to maintain it, and so a great
opportunity to meet your construction team as well. So those walkthroughs
are very important and i really suggest attending them.
Great, so question of the day here is:
How long did it take you to build your
home when you bought it?
Did you actually take part in all the walkthroughs?
Let us know in the comment section below.
Thank you very much for joining us and we'll catch you next time.
That's another edition of Homebuyer's School.
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