Home Building - Construction
No turning back now. Time to get dirty.
The Loud And Dusty
The construction phase is the big one. Everything has been leading up to this and chances are you are good and ready to break ground by the time we get here. But trust us, you are happy you spent all that time up front. Making changes after construction has begun is expensive and time consuming. And don't worry, you will still have plenty of decisions to make. The fun is just getting started.
Construction is made up of many phases. Some overlap, but many have to happen in a very specific sequence. Some go fast, some seem to take forever. Some are quiet and clean, but most are loud, dirty, and sometimes a little scary. Read through this list to get a little better understanding of the weeks (or months) ahead.
Pre-Construction
I know, you've been planning and designing and permitting and what-on-earth else can there be to do before we start making some noise? Well, mostly it's about getting you informed of all that is about to happen. During this phase we are going to meet with you to talk about the schedule, the budget, the people who will be wandering through your house, and all the decisions you have to finalize about plumbing fixtures, paint colors, cabinets, doors, windows, etc. Many of these decisions have been made, but before we start opening your house or digging holes, we want to be sure we've covered everything.
Up to this point you've been talking mostly with architects and other design people. Now it's time to talk with builders. These guys think a little differently. They look at the drawings your architect has provided and they want to be sure they see the same thing you see. If you really want that sunken fountain in the living room, we'll give it to you, but it doesn't hurt to check one more time.
We also have to order a bunch of stuff that takes a long time to arrive. Windows, doors, cabinets, and other such items can have lead times measured in weeks. Getting all that stuff in motion now is essential if we don't want to be held up later.
We also need to finalize our resource list. We want to be sure all the people we need to do the job are going to be available when we need them.
Demolition
If we are building you a new house where there wasn't one before, we'll probably be skipping this step. But if this is a renovation or we have to get something out of the way before we can build your new home, this is the time to do it.
Demolition is seriously messy. If we are just altering a part of your house and you are trying to live in the rest of the house, get ready. This is going to drive you nuts. There is nothing quiet about demolition.
In most cases, if we are removing all or part of an existing structure, we are going to try to do it surgically. The days of bulldozers and wrecking balls are gone. Today we are going to salvage everything we can. Windows, doors, cabinets, fixtures, flooring, even lumber are all things we can recycle or reuse. Think deconstruction, not demolition. We're still going to be throwing some stuff away, but not nearly as much as you might think.
Rough Construction
We look at most construction projects as two phases -- rough and finish. First up is rough. It includes all the dirty stuff like excavation, concrete, framing, and roofing. It also covers all your mechanical work. Basically we are talking about the stuff that happens before we close up the walls. Here's a short list to show you the sequence.
- Excavation - If we are doing foundation work of any kind, we need to move some dirt first.
- Concrete (rough) - This includes footers, foundation walls, and sometimes exterior flatwork such as driveways, sidewalks, and patios. It is more typical for us to come back and do the flatwork near the end of the project so it is not damaged during the other rough phases.
- Framing - This is the bones of your house. Whether it be SIPs (structural insulated panels) or conventional framing, this phase designs the structure of your home. If we are just adding a small addition or a pop-top, this process has to integrate cleanly with the rest of your home.
- Roofing - We want to keep the water out as quickly as possible so getting a finished roof on quickly is important. We can't really get it all done until the plumbers, heating guys, and electricians and made any necessary penetrations they are planning, but we do want to "dry in" the roof as quickly as possible. Drying in simply means we get a water resistant barrier down quickly. This is typically roofing felt or ice and water shield. These surfaces will be covered with the finished roofing later.
- Windows & doors - The last step in closing up the house, windows and doors go in next. We typically will hold off on a final door at the entry or in other places where construction traffic is going to move, but the windows all get set and any doors we won't be using during construction are set in place as well. For those opening where workers will be traveling, we typically install temporary doors so we can secure the site.
- Rough Mechanical - We start with HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). These guys need to put a bunch of stuff in the walls (or floors) so we let them go first. Then the plumbers come in and run their drain and supply lines. And, finally, we give the house to the electricians.
- Inspections - Before we close up the walls, the city or county will be out to check all of our work. They make sure our framing is sound, our foundations are strong, and that all the mechanical work is safe and done to code.