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

Building a house has an undeniable allure. A new house can be designed exactly how you picture it, allowing you to take control of the building process. You can even save money by avoiding any unforeseen issues that can arise with older homes.

While the cost to build a home varies on location, materials, labor, and size, you can expect a range of $137,901 to $523,890, with an average cost of $150 per square foot. You’ll also need to consider land prep, major home systems, interior finishes, and building permits.

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% of the overall cost of the home build. Keep reading for a step-by-step guide on how to build your own house, including what to do before, during, and after construction.

Plan Your Home

Before you start any building, you’ll need a plan for your new home. This involves securing a plot of land, ensuring everything is zoned according to local laws, deciding on an architectural style, and creating a blueprint with the right number of rooms and additional spaces for your needs.

Throughout the building process, you’ll need help from numerous professionals—from architects and designers to plumbers, electricians, and builders. Plus, you’ll need to secure permits and have inspections. It’s best to hire a general contractor during the planning stages, who can help you secure the necessary paperwork and build your dream team.

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. You’ll need to level the land for construction—also known as grading 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.

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.

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.

• Sheathing and wrapping: The basic sheathing and wrapping of the wall and roof surfaces, plus exterior door and window installations, concludes this stage, rendering the inside of the home weathertight.
• 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.

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.

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.

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, mineral wool, or other insulation types.
• Ceiling insulation: Insulation batts or blown-in insulation is added to the ceiling.

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.

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.

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.
• 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.

Complete Cleaning, Inspections, and Walk-Throughs

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 specializing 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.

How to 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: