Stages of New Home Construction: Pre-Construction

Construction can be a very overwhelming process physically, mentally, financially and socially. This is why large scale projects are divided into phases of construction to make sure that every part of your new home construction project is accounted for and sufficiently managed. These phases include: the pre-construction phase, the construction phase and the post construction phase. Here, we’re going to focus on the pre-construction phase and all that it encompasses.

1. Design and Planning

   This is where all the ideas come to life. This step usually involves putting your dream house on paper and starting the building planning. This may involve a professional architect or a licensed, experienced contractor who will create the planning drawings. In this step, some of the more aesthetic features can be discussed so that planning for the creation of more original pieces can begin.

2. Team Building

   Take the time to build your home project team. This will include choosing and appointing your project manager, main contractor and some subcontractors. This team may also include engineers, quality surveyors, legal staff or other specialists for more specialized tasks later on various stages of construction.

3. Statutory Consents and Obligations

   This step includes submitting the plan drawings and design elements for the appropriate consents and to ensure that you are in compliance with statutory building regulations. This is also the step in which application for construction on a site is filed. This can be a long and sometimes complicated process. It is helpful to have someone in your design team who is experienced or even a specialist consultant to aid in a success approval.

4. Working Budget

   This is an extensive process that requires attention to detail so that you are sure of all relevant costs of the construction. Design contracts, choice of contractors and engineers, building material choices, landscaping, preliminary interior design requirements, insurance – these are just some of the things you will need to consider, evaluate and budget for. Potential cash flows should also be estimated for the duration of the project to ensure adequate funding throughout your new home construction.

5. Value Engineering

   This refers to the perpetual process of examining planning and construction to ensure that what is set out is the most cost effective plan. This will include surveying of the design proposals at every stage of construction scoping for over-design, over-simplification or cut-corners to find and propose the best possible design and plan at the minimum cost reasonable possible. In smaller home construction, this can usually be handled by the project manager.

6. Scheduling and Timelines

   Having a plan and timeline for likely completion of tasks not only gives you an estimation for employment, for budgeting cash flow and for furniture construction, it gives you a concrete marker for progress and goals for your project team. In this step a Project Executive Plan may be drafted to clearly set out the construction phase so as to match it up with cash flow estimates.

By the end of the pre-construction phase, you will have an approved design, time frame and construction plan in the form of a project executive plan. All statutory obligations will have been approved and you will be ready to move onto the next stage: the construction phase. You would have made a significant time and financial commitment to your home construction project already, but with your project executive plan, mapped cash flow and cost effective engineering will be on track for a success new home build.

If you are ready to engage your dream and start your journey on the road to your dream home, contact us at Miller Construction and Design today.