Building a house? Here is where your time is spent

Wondering how long will it take to build a custom home in the Bay Area? You may not realize how much time goes into every step. Planning ahead and working with the right partners will make things happen faster. And the saying “time is money” is particularly true when it comes to building a home. We’ll break it down for you.

Step one to building a home in the Bay Area is acquiring your property. You’ll need to spend time thinking about whether you buy an empty lot, a home that you want to build onto, or a complete teardown. Depending on which neighborhood you’re looking at, your price range, and what your must-haves are — this can take anywhere from a few weeks to a year.

Step two in the home building process is design preparation that starts with research. Your builder’s team will find out all the necessary reports to complete the construction drawings by working with the planning and building department. These could include property surveys, geotechnical reports, arborist reports, pest and roof inspections (If remodeling) structural engineer’s consult, and more. You may be surprised to know that some of these reports can take many months to complete.

Step three in building a custom home is a phased process of designing and drawing the construction documents while working with the local planning department. This is a layered process of schematic design, design development, and construction drawings. Depending on the extent of your project this step could take one to two years while navigating the slow operations typical of local planning departments.

Step four in the home building process is to complete the set of construction drawings and obtain building permits. While much of the design process happens during schematic design and design development, once the zoning permits are approved it is time to finish drawing all the details. Construction drawings are not completed until zoning approval since the initial design may significantly change. Construction drawings include all the details and specifications the contractor needs to order materials and build your home. For example, while in step three you might pick out the color palette and finishes for your kitchen, during step four your design team will show exactly which brand of finishes, where to buy them, and how they are to be constructed and applied. Finally, after some back and forth with your local building department, the construction drawings will be approved with permits to build.

Step five to build a custom home is the actual construction phase. This starts with material orders and rough construction. During rough construction, the contractor will follow all tree protection and erosion control measures, excavate land for the foundation and pour the foundation itself. After the foundation is poured, all the framing is erected followed by plumbing and electrical lines. This is considered rough construction and requires a series of inspections from the local building inspector in order to move forward. Once rough inspection passes, the contractor will complete insulation, sheetrock, tiling, flooring, and any/all other surfaces. The final step in finish construction is all in the details! All the kitchen and bathroom elements will be installed, plumbing fixtures, chandeliers, door handles, and more throughout your new home. Congrats! You have completed your custom home build.