At this point in the process, you are well on your way to building a new custom home. Even though you haven’t broken ground yet, important steps have been checked off the list. You still have a few more to get through before you see activity on the site, but every task that is completed brings you closer to move-in day. 

After you have completed the contract for your new house with Harris Home Builders, the next couple of months will involve a lot of planning. Before construction can begin, the drawings must be completed, the PreConstruction meeting must happen, and permits must be submitted. In addition, a visit to the local jurisdiction is key to your Preconstruction success. While you are probably eager to see work start happening on your site, these are important steps towards building your house that help ensure construction goes as smoothly as possible.

Reserve Your Date Meeting

After the contract is ratified your first step is to schedule a Reserve Date Meeting with your Project Manager and Designer. The Reserve Date Meeting is the initial kick-off meeting for pre-construction planning and is when we’ll determine the date we will be working towards for pouring the foundation. Your Designer is there to guide you through the rest of the planning and permitting process and to answer questions you will have about the steps before construction can start.

Drafting Drawings

The Harris Home Building process allows you to customize any floor plan to suit your lifestyle and needs. After you have made all of the decisions about which features to include and finalized the layout, our drafting team prepares the construction drawings. These drawings are necessary for securing permits, and our site development partners will also need some of the information they contain.

There isn’t much work for you to do during this period, but you can continue working with your lender to secure funding. Getting your completed construction drawings is exciting! Even though you won’t necessarily know what all of the details mean, the construction crew will use all of this valuable information to create the dream home you have envisioned.

Preconstruction Meeting

After the construction drawings are complete, it’s time to meet the team that will be building your home. The PreConstruction meeting is an opportunity for all of the key people to get on the same page about the rest of the process. The Project Manager will lead the meeting and ensure that everybody understands their responsibilities in the homebuilding process.

The PreConstruction meeting is a chance to ask any lingering questions about the building process. The more you understand about what steps you need to take and when they need to be completed, the smoother the project will go. The Project Manager will be your main point of contact for construction-related questions, so get to know them during this meeting and build the foundation of a strong relationship.

Permit Submission

The Interior Designer and Project Manager will prepare a permit package for the approvals that are needed to secure the building permit. As part of our Joint Homebuilding Agreement, they are responsible for submitting this package, and all other permit applications, to the city and local regulators for site development. If applicable, it will be your responsibility to submit these documents your homeowners’ association. .

One Step Closer to Completion

These important steps in the homebuilding process are not the most glamorous, but they are necessary to keep the project moving forward. After you have secured permits, we can begin site preparation, which sets the stage for construction. Have patience while drawings and permits are being prepared and approved. You are, indeed, getting closer to your new custom home.