Fort Hood New Home Construction Stages

We get many requests every year from our visitors who want to know more about how to build a new home - what's involved, how long does it take, and how to recognize a great builder when you see one. 

To get a better perspective of all of the different stages involved in new home building, we've outlined the basic stages that all homes must go through in a photo diary below.  You'll often hear about the Five Stages of Construction or the 10 Stages of Construction.  We've used 10 Stages of Construction for this example, which outlines the building process a little more clearly.

Although this page is designed to help you understand the building process, it should not be confused with an actual construction schedule, so please check with your local municipality for all applicable laws, regulations, statutes, and codes pertaining to your area.

This is an overly-simplified view of the construction process and obviously many coordination steps and planning elements have been omitted.  If you have recommended changes, additions, or deletions you'd like to see included here, please email those to us at your convenience.

Phase I - The Foundation Stage

At this stage, you'll need to accomplish a construction site survey, applicable tree surveys, pad leveling, excavation, foundation marking and framing, installation of all underground utilities, municipal inspections, and pour the foundation.  It's very common to underestimate the size of your home at this stage because it lacks a second (elevation) and third (depth) dimension.  This sense of smallness isn't really overcome until well into the sheetrock stage.

Phase II - The Framing Stage

This is where the house begins to start looking like a house!  This stage includes framing all walls and trusses, installation of of roof sheathing, and also includes a municipal framing inspection.  Now that the basic shell components are installed, we'll move to the roofing stage to protect the interior from the weather.

Phase III - The Roofing Stage

Now that the house is framed, we'll want to enclose the interior by installing all exterior sheathing, shingles, roofing system, windows, and exterior doors -- to keep the weather out.  The faster this is done, the fewer weather-related construction delays you'll experience.  Now that the shell is complete, we'll move on to finishing out the interior to get ready for the sheetrock stage.

Phase IV - Pre-Sheetrock Stage

This stage is critical, as all mechanical components and wiring will be installed that will mean the difference between success and failure later on.  It's important that everything be correct upon completion of the pre-sheetrock stage because later, we'll begin covering all of the interior components with sheetrock -- making them much less accessible. 

During this stage, we'll install the exterior finish (masonry, wood, etc), install rough-in plumbing components, install the rough-in mechanical components, install venting and ductwork, rough-in electrical components, the water heater and HVAC system, then finalize with a municipal inspection of all mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and framing systems.  With that completed, let's move on to sheetrock!

Phase V - Sheetrock Stage

The sheetrock stage will enclose all interior wall systems.  Prior to installing sheetrock, all wall installation will be installed, then sheetrock, then tape and texture in order to prepare all wall systems for painting and finishing.  Many decisions will be made on sheetrock thickness, using nails or screws to fasten sheetrock to the existing studs and joists, and what type of texture and paint will be required in order to achieve the desired effect (or budget).

This stage is really when you start to get an idea of the size of each room.  Up until now, you've been able to see from room-to-room through the walls, giving you less of a spatial sense of how large the rooms will actually be.

Phase VI - Interior Trim Stage

Now that the major structural components of the home have been installed, it's time to move on to the detail work, which includes the installation of all interior doors, moldings, staircase balusters, railings, base and door trim.  The finer attributes of your home will now start to take shape.

Phase VII - Painting, Cabinets, & Countertops Stage

Now that the bulk of the interior trim has been installed, it's time to paint, and install cabinets and countertops.  All other major structural components are expected to be installed by this stage to prevent damage to paint, cabinetry, and countertops.  All mirrors and shower enclosures are also installed during this stage.  No scratches please!

Phase VIII - Flooring Stage

With everything else virtually completed, let's have some flooring!  Generally, all tile, wood, and vinyl components are installed during this stage, just prior to installing carpet.  Of course, this will depend on which type of flooring you choose.  You'll also begin to see your builder complete the install of finish-out electrical and plumbing components, finish-out mechanical components, HVAC systems (including testing), flat work (driveways, sidewalks, etc), and appliances.  This is followed by a final municipal inspection where a "Certificate of Occupancy" is issued once all inspections have been successfully passed.

The home is virtually finished.  It just needs to have some fine tuning accomplished and general cleaning.

Phase IX - Quality Assurance Stage

This stage is where the final Municipal Inspection occurs.  You'll also see the final ceiling insulation installed, exterior landscaping completed, final cleaning, and your final walk-through will occur when this stage is at or near completion.

We've found that it's optimal if you can walk through your home with the builder from 5-10 days prior to closing to address significant issues, then you'll know what to re-examine during your final walk-through on the day of closing.  If any significant issues arise, it's important that the builder be on site to address each one of those individually.  Don't leave your initial walk-through until the problem has been addressed with a solution, then inspect all solutions during the Buyer Acceptance Stage.

The Quality Assurance Stage is an excellent time to conduct your home inspection by a licensed inspector.  In fact, you can have a home inspector inspect each stage of your new home's construction if desired (highly recommended)  If you're not inspecting every stage, then have your initial inspection accomplished now.  It's very helpful if all utilities are operable at the time of inspection -- primarily electricity, water, and gas.  Now is also the time to begin coordinating utility transfer from the builder so that your utilities will be operable upon move-in.

Phase X - Buyer Acceptance Stage

This stage is where everything finally comes together.  All issues have been addressed, all solutions to those issues are in place and have been re-inspected, and your builder should conduct a New Home Orientation with you on site.  If you were not able to have the home inspected by a licensed home inspector during the Quality Assurance Stage, then you'll need to do so immediately.  If the homes already been inspected, this is the time to conduct a re-inspection of any items which were not previously satisfactory.  By the time you leave this orientation, you should be well aware of all aspects of your new home, including how to maintain it.  Once this phase is complete, you're ready for closing and move-in.