Day 60 of New Home Construction – Framing Almost Complete

At our pre-construction meeting we were given a Homeowner’s Handbook and Construction Guide from Adair Homes. This has been a great resource for us to reference as we have questions during the construction process. Of course, our site superintendent has been really awesome to work with, and if we ever have questions he has been very helpful as well. However, the handbook gives us a reference and is a helpful reminder of things we’ve discussed.

Inside the guide there is an outline for the major events during construction and it is split into Phase I and Phase II. Phase I starts with the lot ready meeting and ends with the pre-drywall meeting.

One way that Adair Homes keeps the prices low is that there are things that are the responsibility of the homeowner; such as clean up of the site during construction. The first clean up is after the rough electrical which was estimated at 6-8 weeks after the foundation was started.

According to the handbook Phase I of construction includes:
1. Lot Ready Meeting
2. Foundation Pour
3. Under-Floor Framing and Joist Installation, Under-Floor Plumbing and Inspection by Local Jurisdiction
4. Framing
5. Top-Out or Rough In Plumbing
6. Roofing Installed
7. HVAC System – Gas Lines – Ducting Installed
8. Exterior Sealing – Caulking – Painting
9. Rough Electrical
10. Dry-Out Process
11. Inspection
12. Utility Connections
13. Pre-Drywall Orientation Meeting

We’ve had some delays and it seems like things are taking longer than expected; but I’d rather have a quality build than a quick build and the framers seem to be doing a great job so far, even if it is taking a little longer. My biggest concern with the delays is that when we first set our lot ready date we were told that we would be starting construction in July. With that in mind we would have had most of July and all of August to get the framing completed, which would have been plenty of time to get things done before the rainy season.

Next week the forecast looks clear and there is still some framing, window installation, and siding installation to be done before the roofing can be installed. The main reason I’d like a roof on is so we can avoid doing much of a dry-out process, which will help things move along a little quicker.

It’s been fun for us to see the house being built; and with the walls up it has been easier to visualize what the finish product is going to look like. Let’s all hope the good weather continues as we start into fall!