Steps to Building a House
636.239.7831
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1. Staking the house and lot: A land surveyor can stake the corners and the lot lines of your land. Additionally you need to stake
the desired position of your home on the building site. This step is very important because you must ensure that the house meets all
setback and building restrictions according to the covenants on your property. (For example, “All houses must set back 100 feet from
the street”). If a surveyor marks the building site, then they most likely will be responsible for the expenses that may be incurred to
correct if mistakes are made. If the building site is already staked, it may be in your best interest to have the property re-staked since
you do not know if the stakes have previously been moved.
A few things you can consider when positioning your home:
• Interior light: A north-south facing home will be darker than an east-west facing house.
• Waterow:Doyouhaveaslopeonyourproperty?Howwillitaffectlandscapingandbasementdrainage?
• Setback requirements: Are determined by local zoning and deed restrictions. You should also take into consideration
setbacks of neighboring houses, even if not in the deed restriction for aesthetic purposes. Make sure you are within
the legal boundaries of your property!
• Thestreetitislocatedon:Isitcurved?Cornerlot?Shouldthehousebeparallelwiththestreet?
• Privacy on all sides of the house. Think about what your windows will overlook and what you neighbors will, or will
not, be able to see. You may want to change your window placement based on this step.
• Makesureyoucheckwithyourhomeowner’sassociation(ifapplicable)toensureyouaremeetingallrequirements
and setbacks.
2. Clearing and excavation: This step includes clearing trees, brush, rocks, roots, and debris from where your home will be located. Your
contractor will usually clear a 10 foot area around the foundation which will allow for equipment (fork lifts, tractors, etc.) to work at
the site. An excavation subcontractor prepares the land for a crawl space, or concrete slab, or a basement foundation. If you have
large trees to remove, this can become quite costly. You may want to look into a tree removal company as well as your excavator
contractor for a cost comparison.
3. Order utilities and temporary electric service: Before purchasing the lot, you should have investigated what utilities were available
and how much it would cost to bring utilities to your property.
• Electric: Now that you are starting the building process, you need to arrange for temporary electric service for your
subs. Your electrician is responsible for obtaining electrical permits and for installing the temporary electrical panel box
as well as having it inspected. You however, will have to apply for the service from the utility company.
• Wells andsepticsystem:Ifthisis partof yourbuilding plan,it can beinstallednow. County and/or city health
inspectors may be required by code to determine the location of your well and septic system. If there is an existing
sewer system, check the depth of the house in relation to the sewer system to ensure you will have proper drainage.
Make sure you communicate plans for driveways, gardens, trees you hope to save to help them in their decisions. If no
temporary source of water is available, your well will need to be dug and temporarily wired for your brick masons, or
they will have to truck in their own water.
4. Footings: The footing is the base of a structure. It can be poured into wooden forms or in trenches and is a mass of concrete
supporting the foundation of the house. It must be below the frost line, or it can heave when the ground thaws and freezes. Local
codes will clearly state the requirements for footings in your area. This is one of the most important steps in building your home. If
it settles at all your house will move. If the dimensions are not poured properly, you will have to alter the plans to accommodate the
newfootingdimensionsaretornoutandre-pourthefootings.Dependingoncoderequirements,youmayneedtoputinafooting
drain to get rid of the water by your home. Building inspectors usually check the locations of the footing before they are poured to
make certain they are deep enough and on undisturbed earth.
5. Foundation and soil treatment, then foundation survey: Your foundation wall needs to be high enough so that water will be diverted
awayfromthehousebythenalgradeofthesoilaroundthehouse.Itmustalsobehighenoughsothattheframingofthehouse
willbeatleast8inches(againcanvarybycodes)abovethenishgradeandprotectfromsoilmoisture.Experiencedcontractors
make sure the foundation is high enough at the highest point of the outline of the foundation wall, and will use that highest point as
thecontrolpoint.Yournishedfoundationshouldbewaterproofedfromthefootingtothenishgradeline.Potentially,depending
upon where you build, the soil may have to be treated for insects and pests especially termites. This is done after the foundation is in,
but before concrete is poured for either the basement or the garage. The foundation is formed with concrete, then holes are punched
in it for such things as the water supply and the sewage outlet, install a sleeve under the footing for sewage connection, the pipe is
placedthroughthehole,andspacebetweenthepipeandwallispatchedforatightwaterprooft.
Youhavefoundthatperfectpieceoflandtobuildyourdreamhome.Yourbudgetisprepared,yourhouseplansarenalized,you’ve
located your general contractor (or most of your subcontractors if you are the general) and have bids on what it will cost to build your
home.Thehome loanofcersatBankof Washingtonhavearrangedyourconstructionloanwhich willthen rolluntoaconventional
mortgage loan. Permits are obtained and now FINALLY you have reached the day you thought would never come. You are ready to
breakgroundandbeginconstructiononyourfamily’snewhome!Followingisanoutlineofatypicalsequenceofstepstobuildinganew
home. This can obviously vary depending upon your builder, house plans, building codes and restrictions . . . but you will get the overall
idea.Congratulations!
Steps to Building a House
636.239.7831
bankofwashington.com bankofwashington.com
6. Rough-ins for plumbing, if on a slab, and inspection: A plumber will install the sewer line and water pipes that will be under the
concrete if you have a basement or building a house on a concrete slab. Any wiring that will go under the concrete will be placed in
conduit and roughed-in; however, most wiring can be run through the stud wall and ceiling joists.
7. Slabs, basement, and garage:Nowthateverythinghasbeenpreparedabove,concreteatwork,alsocalledaconcreteslab,fora
basementand/orgarageoorcannowbeconstructed.
8. Framing:Otherthanahome’sfoundation,framingisanextremelyimportantstepintheconstructionprocess.Ifyournewhomeis
not framed per your home plans, nothing that follows will be correct.
9. Exterior siding, trim, veneers: This step of the construction process will continue while work progresses on the inside and should be
done before roof shingles are installed. Masonry chimneys are installed after siding or brick is completed. Veneers such as brick
shouldbeinstalledbeforenalexteriortrimisadded.Afterallofthisiscompleted,ifthereisexteriorpainting,itcanbedoneat
thistime.Additionallytheexteriorofallwindowsshouldbecaulkedatthistime.Itissuggestedthatyoudon’tleaveexteriortrim
unpainted or unstained for too long as it could warp or get moldy.
10. Chimney and roong:Yourchimneyshouldbebuiltbeforetheroofisshingled.Thiswillallowplacementofashingaroundthe
chimneyforwaterproong,andwillalsoavoidcausingdamagetotheshingles.Ifyouhaveaprefabreplaceandue,itwouldbe
installedatthistime.Roongwillthenfollowafteryourchimneysarecompleted.
11. Rough-ins:Allelectrical,plumbing,phone,heating/air-conditioning,cable/satelliteline,internet,burglaralarmsystems,etc.willbe
roughed-inanytimeaftertheframingiscomplete.Thisdoesn’tmeanthattheunitsareinstalled,butjustthewiringorplumbingfor
them.Inspectionswillprobablybeneededafterwiring/plumbing/hvaciscompleted.
12. Insulation: Some areas require an inspection of insulation by utility and building inspector when completed. This occurs before it is
covered by drywall.
13. Cleaning:Housewillneedtobecleaned,vacuumedandwetmoppedtogetridofdust.TemporaryorpermanentHVACneedstobe
functioning to control humidity in house in order to begin hardwood installation.
14. Hardwood ooring and underlayment: After drywall is installed you may begin the process to lay the hardwood. First you need to
checkthesuboortoensurehumidity/moisturelevelsarearound45%.Ifnot,ade-humidiermaybeneeded.Thenthehardwood
willbebroughtintothehomefor3-5daystoallowwoodtoacclimatetothehome’stemperature/humidity.Thiswillhelpprevent
shrinkingand/orwarpingofthehardwoodoors.
15. Drywall:Mostresidentialinteriorwallsarenishedwithwallboardcalleddrywall.Inbathrooms,orothermoistareas,waterproof
board is recommended. Some municipalities may require a drywall inspection.
16. Priming walls:Beforeinteriortrimisinstalled,wallsandceilingswillbeprimedusuallywithaspraygun.Primingreducesthenish
painting time which will save you money. Only windows will need to be covered.
17. Painting:Nowyouarereadyforyournalpainting.Pleasenote,itusuallyaddscostsifyouhavealotofpaintcolorchangesfrom
room to room. Wallpaper may also be hung at this time.
18. Interior trim and cabinets: Interior trim such as doors, moldings, cabinets, countertops, etc. are installed at this time. This includes
bath cabinets, kitchen cabinets, and any other built-ins such as bookcases.
19. Other trims such as counter tops, ceramic tile, ceramic ooring:Itisnowtimetoinstallceramicorvinylooring.
20. Finish plumbing, electrical and hook up utilities:Nowtheplumber andelectriciancannish theirwork. Some ofthe xturesa
plumberinstallsmustbewired,sotheplumberneedstonishbeforetheelectriciancannish.Additionally,yourheatingandair-
conditioningmustbecompletedbeforeyourelectriciannisheshiswork.Thenyourelectriciancaninstallswitches,receptacles,light
xtures,andelectricalappliances.Nowitistimetohookupyourutilities.
21. Clean-up: Gettingcloser!Cleaningcanbeginonboththeinsideandoutsideofyournewhome.Wavegood-byeasthetrashis
hauled away.
22. Carpet and/or hardwood oor nish:Atthistimehardwoodoorsshouldbenishedbeforeanycarpetisinstalled.Ifyoudon’tdo
this,sandingfromthehardwoodcangetintoyournewcarpet.Ifyouhavehardwoodtonish,thesandingwillbedonebeforethe
deep cleaning in completed.
23. Driveway: You should keep heavy trucks off newly laid concrete or asphalt driveways for a period of time. That being said, try to
have all heavy shipments such as drywall, etc. received before pouring. If you wait till the very end, then you might have a moving
vanonit,soconsiderallofthisinyourtimingifpossible.Concretecanhandleheaviertrucksusuallyaweekafterbeingpoured,
but asphalt cannot.
24. Landscaping: This step in the process can usually wait until after you move in; however, do discuss this with your lender. At this
time, the Bank of Washington does not require landscaping to be complete in order to close on your mortgage loan.
25. Final inspections, surveys, and mortgage loan renance or modication of the construction loan: After you complete the home
(exceptiondrivewayandlandscaping),allnalinspectionsfromthecountryorcityforbuilding,electrical,mechanical,and
plumbingshouldbemade.Yourconstructionlenderwillalsomakeanalinspection.
26. Enjoy your dream home!