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Edited by Galina Velgach
Written by Jon Stubbs
Edited by Galina Velgach
Average time by property type | How long each step takes | Staying on track | Frequently asked questions
From digging the first shovelful of dirt to getting the keys in your hand, building a home from the ground up takes an average of 6.8 months.
But the overall timeline can vary significantly based on a number of factors, including:
- Type of build. Fully custom homes take longer than pre-specced or modular designs
- Location. Climate- and weather-related delays, soil type, and local regulations have a large influence on the timeline
- Resource availability. High demand coupled with shortages of workers or materials can delay projects and increase costs.
Here, we break down how long it takes to construct a house on-site (sometimes called a stick-built home). We’ll also offer some tips to keep your build on track (and on budget).
🏗 Building a new home during COVID-19
The pandemic has led to an increased demand for new homes, but labor and material shortages have also caused delays. For example, about 15% of builders say they can’t complete the first step of a build because of lumber shortages. Fortunately, there are ways to manage your timeline when building a home, even during COVID.
How long it takes to build different types of homes
Custom homes: 11.8 months | Tract homes: 5.9 months | Spec homes: 8.8 months | Prefabricated homes: 6+ months
Custom homes
A completely custom home takes nearly a year — 11.8 months — to build.
With a custom home, YOU oversee the entire building process: choose the land, hire an architect, and contract a builder to turn your dream home into a reality. And while a good contract with a builder should include completion date targets for key checkpoints in the building process, the schedule is ultimately your responsibility.
The key to keeping a custom home build on track is to make decisions early and stick with them throughout the process. Altering the floor plan or materials late in the game can add weeks or months to the entire project.
Tract homes
A tract home is a house you would find in a typical planned subdivision. They take an average of 5.9 months to build.
Sometimes called a “built for sale” home, a tract home is named after the large tracts of land major home builder companies buy to develop into neighborhoods that include dozens or hundreds of homes. Tract homes could be single-family homes, duplexes, or townhouses. Home buyers can often tour a model home to get an idea of what the completed house will look like.
Tract homes are built relatively quickly, but they offer few customization options. This lack of choice usually translates into an accelerated timeline and lower cost, which makes tract homes great for first-time buyers.
Tract home builders usually offer about three different floor plans to choose from. Once buyers choose a layout, they may have options for details such as interior paint color, cabinets, countertops, and landscaping — though possible restrictions and HOA covenants may limit remodeling projects.
Spec homes
“Speculative” homes are built by developers who are betting that a buyer will see their dream home in the finished product. Spec homes take 8.8 months to build, on average.
Building a spec home is a smaller operation than tract home developments. Typically, a local developer will purchase a parcel of land and build one or two homes on it. The developer will make design choices using their knowledge of current trends, hoping to appeal to home buyers.
A spec home may be listed for sale before the developer is finished building it. If you buy a home before it’s completed, you may be able to choose the finishing touches on the home, such as flooring, cabinetry, and plumbing fixtures.
Spec homes offer contractors more design flexibility than tract homes, but they take longer to build and cost more because of higher-quality materials and attention to detail from the contractor. You don’t have the same level of control as you would with a totally custom home, but it won’t be an assembly-line approach as with most tract homes.
Prefabricated and modular homes
About 90% of prefab homes take about 1–2 months to build — but that’s before they are delivered to the lot. Because they’re constructed off-site, they follow a different timeline. From the ground up, it can take upward of six months.
3D-printed homes are also entering the market as a faster, cheaper alternative to traditional homes — with the added selling point of avoiding labor and material shortages.
Prefab homes are becoming more popular because they are:
- Built 30–60% faster
- 10–20% less expensive to build, incur lower monthly expenses, and appreciate in value
- More energy efficient and feature better construction quality
How long does each home building step take?
Plans and permitting | Site work and masonry | Framing | Plumbing and electrical | Insulation and drywall | Flooring and fixtures | Driveways and walkways | Appliances | Landscaping
Plans and permitting
For tract and spec homes, the builders take care of all planning and permitting for you. But if you’re building a custom home, this will be the first step you take.
🗓 Timeline: 2–4 months (not included in average building times)
⛔ Possible delays:
- Taking too long to interview, hire, begin work with a designer and builder
- Extended wait times for permits in your local area
- Neighbor resistance, liens, or easements
- Contested zoning laws
Buying a lot (1–4 weeks)
If you’re paying cash for land, it could take a few days; financing might take up to a month or more. Before you purchase a lot, consult with an architect or land surveyor. It’s also important to understand all of the possible restrictions, such as ordinances or setbacks that will limit your building options.
Choose a design professional (1–2 weeks)
Once you have your lot, the first step is to hire an architect, interior designer, or both. Be sure to have your budget set before scheduling interviews.
Start on your design (1–2 weeks)
The designer will begin drawing up schematic designs, which are rough layouts of the floor plans. Any changes can add more time.
Choose a contractor (4–6 weeks)
Once you have a design plan, a contractor can give you a rough estimate of cost. Allow a couple of weeks to interview different contractors, another 2–3 weeks to get the estimates, and another few weeks to check references or visit job sites of the contractors’ current projects.
Get building permits (1–2 weeks)
Permits are necessary for many elements of the build, including zoning, septic, and electrical work. After you have the proper permits, the building plans must be approved and sealed by an engineer.
A design firm can get the permits for you, or you can get them yourself. Applying for and receiving permits could take days or weeks (or even longer, depending upon where you live).
Once you sign the contract with your builder, construction can begin!
Site work and masonry
🗓 Timeline: 2–4 weeks
⛔ Possible delays:
- Rain or extreme temperatures
- Complications with excavation, such as large boulders or rocky or clay-rich soil
- Lots with large elevation changes
- Lots with poor drainage
All new home building projects start by digging into the ground. Excavation crews level the land, contour it to the shape of the house — making sure water drains away — and haul away rocks, trees, and any other debris.
Excavation is one of the most variable parts of the building process, in terms of both time and cost. You’ll need sunny, dry weather for pouring and drying concrete, which is why inclement weather is one of the biggest threats to delaying your schedule at this point.
Once the ground is excavated, workers pour the concrete footings and foundation walls.
Concrete takes about four weeks days to cure fully, but the next step (framing) can begin after it’s about 50% cured. So you can count on an additional two weeks after the foundation is poured before proceeding.
Crews also drill and dig for wells or septic tanks at this point.
⚡Masonry inspection
A municipal inspector will visit the site three separate times to make sure that all of the masonry components — footing, foundation, under-slab — are up to code and properly installed.
After the inspector approves each of these components, the builder can move onto framing.
Framing
🗓 Timeline: 1–2 months
⛔ Possible delays:
- Weather
- Backordered materials, including lumber
- Shortage of workers
Framing is building the skeleton or shell of the structure. After carpenters install walls, windows, and exterior doors, they put up house wrap to weatherproof the home to prevent mold and wood rot.
Then, the carpenters put up siding and finish building the roof. When complete, the home is considered “dried in”: protected from moisture ready for the next step.
Plumbing and electrical
🗓 Timeline: 2–4 weeks
⛔ Possible delays:
- Backordered materials
- Worker scheduling
- Clients changing their minds about placement of lighting or plumbing fixtures
Once the house is dried in, plumbing and electrical can be installed. Plumbers install supply lines, drain lines, as well as showers and bathtubs. HVAC ductwork — and sometimes the air conditioning and furnace — is installed at this stage.
Electricians usually do their work last because it’s easier to run wires around ductwork and pipes than the other way around.
⚡Plumbing, electrical, HVAC inspection
Municipal code inspectors need to sign off on the framing, plumbing, and electrical work before everything is covered up with drywall in the next step.
Insulation and drywall
🗓 Timeline: 1–2 months
⛔ Possible delays:
- Backordered materials
- Worker scheduling
- Code violations that need to be fixed from plumbing and electrical inspections
Crews first insulate the exterior walls, the attic, and the floors above unfinished basements or crawl spaces. Then drywall can be hung and taped.
Exterior finishes such as brick, stucco, or stone façades can now be installed. If there’s a buyer at this point, they may be able to choose some of these finishes. Buyers can also safely move in after this stage.
Flooring and fixtures
🗓 Timeline: 1–2 months
⛔ Possible delays:
- Backordered flooring, fixtures, or other materials
- Clients changing their minds about specific items
At this stage, some of the finer details are installed and a final coat of paint is applied. Fixtures can include interior doors, baseboards and trim, windowsills, and moulding. Built-ins can include kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, and fireplace mantels.
It’s important that you order the fixtures and furniture you want in advance to avoid delays. If, for example, you change your mind about the sink basins and have to wait for a new delivery, you’ll end up with crews ready to work but with nothing to install.
Driveways and walkways
🗓 Timeline: 1 week
⛔ Possible delays:
- Weather
- Customer indecision about driveway and walkway placement or materials
Many builders wait to install driveways until construction is nearly completed to avoid damage from delivery trucks and heavy equipment.
Excavators will finalize leveling the lot to make sure all water is still properly draining away from the home. Paving stones or concrete walkways are put in.
Appliances and remaining fixtures and flooring
🗓 Timeline: 1–2 weeks
⛔ Possible delays:
- Backordered materials or appliances
- Waiting too long to order appliances
Now that the interior work is nearly complete, it’s safe to lay hard-surface flooring without worrying about scuffs or scratches. Any remaining plumbing and lighting fixtures will be installed, too.
You’ll see your kitchen finally come to life during this step, as countertops and appliances are put into place. To avoid delays at this point, customers should make sure their choices for all of these items are locked in months in advance.
Landscaping
🗓 Timeline: 1 week
⛔ Possible delays:
- Weather
- Changing your mind about selection or placement of plants
Landscapers plant trees, shrubs, and grass to give the new homeowners the curb appeal they’ve been dreaming of all along.
Final inspection
🗓 Timeline: 1 week
For the final inspection, a municipal building code official visits the home and looks at everything that needs to be up to code. If any problems are found, workers will need to come back to fix the issues, and then the inspector will follow up to confirm all issues have been addressed.
Once the inspector is done, they’ll forward their report to the city. In many areas, a building code official will issue a certificate of occupancy within 5–10 days.
⚡Final inspection
Checks the following building elements are up to code:
- General building
- Interior and exterior finishes
- Entrances and exits
- Land contouring and drainage
- Compliance with original building plans
- Roof
- Emergency lighting system
- Electrical work
- Plumbing work
- Accessibility (if applicable)
- Fire protection systems, such as sprinkler systems
- Mechanical work
- Energy conservation (view state IECC requirements and climate zones)
Final walkthrough
Often called a pre-settlement walkthrough, this is the final step before you get keys in hand as the homeowner. The contractor will take you on a tour of your new home, explaining how to use appliances, HVAC systems, and other features.
Before closing, new homeowners should alert the contractor to any cracks or scuffs to floor surfaces, countertops, or plumbing fixtures. It can be tough to convince them after closing that a chip in a kitchen counter happened during installation and not while moving in.
How to keep your home build on track
Indecision is your biggest enemy when building a custom home. If you take too long to decide on a floor plan or plumbing fixtures, it effectively halts the building process. Likewise, changing your mind about different aspects of the home will lead to delays.
To avoid indecision, give yourself plenty of time to choose on a layout and choose things like flooring, appliances, and HVAC units early on — and stick to your choices. Pick out backup options in case some materials are discontinued or on backorder.
Delays like bad weather, backordered materials, or worker shortages are beyond anyone’s control. This is why it is so important to have as many details as possible worked out in advance, so crews will have materials ready and waiting for them to install.
An inexperienced or disorganized contractor can lead to all kinds of problems, too. When choosing a contractor, make sure you conduct thorough interviews, check references, and visit active job sites to ensure you have the right person for the job.
Tips for efficiently managing time during a home build:
- Confirm that the contract has an expected project duration in writing.
- Finalize all design decisions early on in the project.
- Schedule weekly walkthroughs to keep tabs on progress.
- Work with your contractor to efficiently coordinate work crews and deliveries to minimize downtime.
Building a house during COVID-19
COVID has led to a boom in home building while also ushering in a unique set of challenges. You may need to plan differently than you would’ve a few years ago, but if you know what to expect, the pandemic won’t put your dream home out of reach.
Here are a few things to keep in mind while planning a build during the pandemic:
- Order materials early. Supply-chain issues for everything from lumber to appliances have caused delays. Avoid slowdowns by not changing your mind later.
- Have a backup plan. You might find that some materials are on backorder, so prioritize a short list of must-haves and be prepared to look for alternatives for others.
- Be patient with crews. Contractors also need to contend with a labor shortage, so jobs that might have taken a week could now take up to a month.
- Budget for higher prices. Costs for lumber, copper pipe, gypsum drywall, and other materials were up by over 12% in 2021.
FAQs about how long it takes to build a home
How long does it take to build a house?
It can take about 6–12 months to build a new house, depending on property type and who's overseeing the construction. A custom home can take up to a year to build. The availability of workers and materials can affect your timeline, as can weather.
What is the first step to building a custom home?
After you have your lot, the first thing you should do when planning a custom home is to interview architects and designers to choose a designer who understands your vision.
What inspections are involved in building a home?
Municipal code inspectors will need to sign off on progress at several points during the build: framing, foundation, plumbing, and electrical work. A final inspection happens just before closing.
What permits do I need for a new home?
Permits are required for zoning, excavation, septic and sewer, electrical work, plumbing, and the overall home construction itself. You can apply for building permits by visiting your city planner's office.
Related reading
The Scoop on Easements: What Home Buyers and Sellers Need to Know: Learn more about how existing easements might affect land purchase decisions for your custom home.
Property Title Searches: Everything You Should Know: Make sure that you know everything you need to about the title history of the property you want to buy for your new home.
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