OUR STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS BELOW WILL EXPLAIN THE BUILDING OF YOUR HOME, AND WHAT EXACTLY THE BUILDER WILL BE DOING AT EACH STAGE OF THE PLAN.
Steps to building a house ...
1: CHOOSING A PLAN
It always a good idea to plan. Planning right from the start of the home building process will put you in a good position for everything to run as smoothly as possible. The key thing is choosing the right plan for you and your home. Do lots of research and browse around for ideas. This way you can prioritise your needs and wants, and give yourself a good head start. Think about what features fit your budget, as well as your lifestyle and personality.
After all, you want your home to be reflective of you! The most lived-in rooms in most houses tend to be the kitchen, master suite and great room. Check these rooms carefully. Look for the design and size in particular. You’ll want these rooms to be of functional design and good size. The current trend is a more casual open plan living design, as it is easy to put your stamp on!
2: FOUNDATION
The foundation is exactly as it says, its the foundation. The basis and concrete of your build. It is a crucial and critical element of any build and it must be done with great quality and correctly, to ensure there are no issues further along the process. You need to be sure your build area is correctly cleared and levelled before moving on to any other stage of the build. After the land is level and appropriately cleared, you will be left with a blank canvas to create the rest of the foundation. Form boards will be erected to act as a foundation mould. After that comes plumbing, once all lines have been laid and are in the correct place, the foundation will be poured, and boom there you have the foundation of your home. This will be the footprint of your house!
3: FRAMING
After you have the foundation done, the next is the skeleton of your house - the framing. Form boards will be removed and the framing of your house begins. This is where you will truly start to see the layout of the house start to form. The framing is the structure of your home!
4: INSPECTIONS
Exactly as it says - your home will be inspected throughout this process to ensure every part is done properly and to plan. After the foundation is poured and the framing is completed, an inspector will be sent out to view the progress. They will be checking the safety of the home, this means checking the framing, and mechanical components. They are merely making sure the property is keeping in line with rules and regulations.
5: FRAMEWORK
Once the inspections have been completed, you can walk through the layout of your home. This is the moment you will get to truly visualise what your home will look like at the end of this process. At this point, all walls and trusses will be framed, and the roof sheathing will be installed. Another framing inspection will also take place.
6: ENCLOSING YOUR HOME
Once all of the necessary inspections have been done, your home will begin to be enclosed. Windows and doors are part of this process and are some of the most important features of your home. Be sure to choose wisely. Check the efficiency of the windows you have chosen, this will keep bills down. You also want to look at durability - long last windows are best. They're not something you’re going to want to replace in a hurry!
7: HOUSE WRAP
A protective barrier is applied to your home to protect it from the elements. Some climates cause more damage to homes, things to be aware of are moisture, mould and wood rot. The house wrap will keep all moisture out of your home, and protect the structure! However, it's important to be aware of the area you are in, and how much risk there is of excess moisture in your home.
8: MECHANICAL INSTALLATION
All mechanical components and wiring are installed at this point. It is crucial that this step is completed with great precision and everything is installed correctly. If it is done incorrectly at this stage, it will only cause issues further along the line. This is the point where you may want to consider having a home fire sprinkler system or home entertainment system installed. During this stage, plumbing and mechanical components will be roughed in. Venting, a water heater, and the HVAC system will be installed. Any exterior finishes, such as masonry and wood, will also be addressed at this stage.
Pre-wiring for the future is so critical and cheap to do day one – you can fit off hardware later when the money is available. Pre-wire for additional services like TV points, GPO’s, data points and USB points – all these are now part of our day to day life. Security wiring to many points – consider all wireless option along with new tech home automations.
Be sure your builder's electrician is 100% understanding of this technology. Many are not and will be poor in their installation. Add additional circuits to the mains power board and allow for circuit breakers and extra load points like laundries and kitchens. Prewire kitchens for pop up countertop GPO’s and USB points.
9: INSULATION
This is a vital factor in determining how efficient your home is. Having adequate insulation can dramatically reduce the cost of your home. Insulation does what it says on the tin. It insulates your home. When installed correctly, this genius material will keep as much heat as possible inside your home.
10: SHEETROCK/ Gyprock
This is essentially the walls of your home. Once all the other stages of the home building process are complete and have been deemed safe and correct the walls will be formed. There are things to consider here - like the thickness of the Gyprock and whether you want to use screws or nails to fasten it into place. Your builder should assist you here. Be sure they glue and screw this material. Double-check all cabling is clear of these fixings as they can penetrate a cable easy when they are not visible.
11: INTERIOR WORK
This is where it gets more exciting. Now that the prior stages are complete, you can start to think about the decorative details of your home. Fireplaces, worktops, cabinets, interior doors etc. This is where your home will go from an empty shell to a home!
12: FINISHING STAGES
So you’re approaching the finishing stages of the home building process. How exciting! You will now be able to see the full effect where all the hard work has gone. Your dream home has become a reality, and you have an actual home taking form in front of you. In the final stages, you can really put your stamp on your new house, and give it a sprinkle of your personality. You will be choosing light fixtures, bathroom accessories etc.
From this stage, it will only be a short amount of time before you are settled into your new home! Then it's time to add a deck. Find out how much value a deck can add to your home?
