Home Improvement Exterior Remodel

Building Your Own House: A Step-by-Step Guide

Building a house has an undeniable allure. A new house can be designed exactly to your specifications, so it's no surprise that most people would choose to build their own house if all other factors were the same.

Build your own home with the help of a licensed general contractor. Few non-professionals are qualified to act as their own general contractor (GC). General contractors charge between 10- to 20-percent of the overall cost of the home build.

Building Contractors
CC-Licensed; Flickr user U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Prepare the Work Site

Preparing the house site is a collection of activities that must be done before the foundation can be laid.

  • Clearing: Clear the building site of brush and other debris, down to ground level and at least 25 feet around the planned house perimeter.
  • Surveying: Stake out and survey the lot, based on original drawings that indicate the property boundaries. Grade the site's topography to alter the water flow across the site.
  • Utilities: Temporary utilities are ordered from the power company and an electrician hooks up the utilities to a temporary electrical panel.
  • Waste: Order a dumpster to handle refuse during the building project.
Land Surveyor 492641503

Vladmir Godnik / Getty Images

Lay the Foundation

The building site takes shape with excavation and the installation of the foundation.

  • Excavation: The work site is excavated and graded.
  • Trenches: Trenches are dug for the foundation footings.
  • Footings: Concrete is poured for footings. Footing drains are constructed.
  • Foundation walls: Foundation walls are built on the footings, using poured concrete or concrete blocks.

Tip

Payments to the general contractor happen according to a draw schedule. Payments often correspond with major steps such as building the foundation or framing the home.

Machines pouring concrete slab
westend61/Getty Images

Frame the House

The framing carpenters put up the lumber framework for the floors, walls, and ceilings. Framing creates the basic shell of the house. The rough openings for windows, doors, and skylights are framed, too.

The basic sheathing of the wall and roof surfaces concludes this stage, rendering the inside of the home weathertight.

construction workers lifting up wooden frame of house

Zigy Kaluzny/Getty Images

Install the HVAC

HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) is installed in the house while the walls and ceilings are open and accessible.

  • Ducting: Depending on the type of HVAC system you install, ducting will be installed in the ceilings, walls, and floors. Some HVAC systems are ductless.
  • Heating: Depending on the climate, a furnace may need to be installed to heat the entire house. Locational heating options include baseboard heaters, wall heaters, radiators, and underfloor radiant heating.
  • Air conditioning: Central air conditioning is best for whole-house cooling. Other air conditioner options include split (ductless) systems, portable air conditioners, or window-unit A/Cs.
HVAC Technician
HVAC technician work on equipment in a high ceiling. Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Install Plumbing and Electrical

Electricians and plumbers rough-in the electrical circuits and plumbing pipes. Electrical and plumbing work starts before the wall, flooring, and ceiling surfaces are installed.

The electricians and plumbers will return after the walls and ceilings are in place, to complete the final connections of various fixtures.

Plumber insulating a copper water pipe
nsj-images / Getty Images

Add the Insulation

Insulation is added to all exterior walls and ceilings to maintain an energy-tight home.

  • Wall insulation: Install insulation in the walls, using fiberglass or mineral wool insulation.
  • Ceiling insulation: Insulation batts or blown-in insulation is added to the ceiling.
Spraying foam insulation into the wall
Banks photos/Getty Images

Install Drywall and Paint Surfaces

Drywall is hung throughout the house. Later, all walls and ceilings are painted.

  • Drywall: Drywall is hung on wall and ceiling surfaces. The drywall seams are taped, mudded with joint compound, and sanded to a finish.
  • Painting: Walls are painted and ceilings are painted or finished with texture. Satin or eggshell gloss tends to be preferred for walls.
Drywall installers securing drywall
GeorgePeters/Getty Images

Finish the Interior

Complete the rest of the house interior, including cabinets, flooring, and trim.

  • Cabinets: Subcontractors install the kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
  • Countertops: The kitchen and bathroom countertops are installed. This job is done by countertop specialists who fabricate and install the countertops.
  • Flooring: Flooring is installed throughout the house. Floor covering options include carpeting, hardwood, laminate flooring, ceramic tile, luxury vinyl plank, and engineered wood flooring.
  • Molding: All trim moldings are installed, including baseboards, door and window casings, and crown moldings.
Paint spraying the crown mMolding
BanksPhotos/Getty Images

Complete the House Exterior

House exterior elements such as siding, roofing, windows, and landscaping are finished.

  • Roofing: Roofers add a long-lasting type of roofing material like composite shingles, torch-down asphalt, or standing seam metal, along with related roof flashings.
  • Windows: Depending on the house specs, the house may have one type of window or a combination, including double-hung, single-hung, slider, or fixed.
  • Chimney: Masons build the chimney if your home is designed to have one.
  • Siding: The house is sided with durable siding like fiber-cement siding, vinyl siding, metal siding, or manufactured veneer stone.
Roofers shingling a house
Bart Coenders/Getty Images

Complete Building the House

In the last stage of building a house, all work is wrapped up, inspections are made, and the keys are turned over to the homeowner.

  • Inspections: The contractor will arrange for final inspections by the permitting agencies.
  • Hook-ups: Installation and hook-up of finished electrical and plumbing fixtures are done.
  • Cleaning: Clean up the worksite by putting all acceptable debris into the dumpster. The contractor will hire a company that specializes in cleaning up after construction work. Call the disposal company to pick up the dumpster and specify that you do not need a replacement.
  • Walk-through: Schedule a final walk-through if you are using a general contractor. Arrange a final inspection by your lender, if you financed the building of your house with a construction loan.
Home inspector explaining damage and repairs to homeowner
Getty Images/Steve Debenport

Save Money Building a House

There are several ways to save money when building a house, including getting several estimates, using a stock design, and avoiding costly customizations. Another way is to do some of the work yourself after the builder has left or during lulls in the process:

FAQ
  • What are the advantages of building a new house?

    The main advantage of building a house is that you can design the house to your specifications, including layout, colors, materials, and more.

  • What are the disadvantages of building a new house?

    The main disadvantage of building a new house is its high cost. Expect to spend from $121,000 to over $500,000, on average, to build a new house.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. How Much Does It Cost to Build a House? HomeAdvisor.