Field notes / Homeowner guide
Planning a custom home for 2027: decisions to make before design, pricing and permits
Written in October 2026 for owners who hope to design or build in 2027. Instead of promising dates, it starts from where you are today — land not yet bought, land owned with no design, schematic design, in plan review, or permitted and pricing — and shows the next decisions, the records still missing and the work that can run in parallel.
Written · KB Remodeling
Public resource by KB Remodeling · The link and this general checklist contain none of your private answers or notes.
Method and how to cite
Method: original KB Remodeling synthesis of the official sources listed, checked on the dates shown in the guide. It describes questions and records to gather; it is not legal, engineering or permit advice and does not decide any project.
KB Remodeling. Planning a custom home for 2027: decisions to make before design, pricing and permits. https://kb-remodeling.com/resources/custom-home-readiness-before-design-pricing-and-permits (written 2026-10-13)
Written:
The short answer
Start from your current stage. Before buying land, confirm what the site and records allow. With land and no design, write a brief and budget range basis and commission site documents. In schematic design, test the design against budget and authority rules. In plan review, track corrections and pricing assumptions. Once permitted, compare proposals on the same scope. No step here comes with a guaranteed duration.
Who this applies to
Owners planning a new or replacement single-family home in California with a 2027 horizon. It owns readiness and sequencing; costs, land evaluation, architect selection and construction phases each have their own guide.
01 · When it applies
What is known now, what is announced and what is unknown
Observed as of October 13, 2026: the 2025 California Energy Code took effect January 1, 2026, and, from the same date, energy-code field verification moved to the Energy Code Compliance (ECC) Program, according to the California Energy Commission. California building codes are adopted in cycles by the Building Standards Commission.
Unknown: which later code edition, local amendment or fee schedule will apply on the date your application is filed. This guide does not predict them. Ask your designer which edition applies at submission and recheck before filing.
Ask yourself
- Which code edition will apply on our likely submission date, and how will we confirm it?
02 · The decision
Readiness by stage
Find the row that matches you today. Each row lists what to decide next, which records are usually missing and what can happen at the same time. Moving to the next row before closing its records tends to create redesign or repricing later.
| Your stage | Next decisions | Records often missing | Parallel tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land not purchased | Must-haves for a site; budget basis; walk-away conditions | Zoning and authority information, survey, title, utility availability | Draft the brief; line up professionals for due diligence |
| Land owned, no design | Brief, priorities and budget range basis; design team | Survey, title report, soils report if needed, utility information | Interview architects; collect existing records |
| Schematic design | Fit of design to budget and authority rules; key systems | Zoning review, consultant input, preliminary pricing basis | Early contractor input; utility applications where relevant |
| Plan review | Responses to corrections; pricing assumptions; selections affecting drawings | Correction responses, consultant revisions, updated pricing basis | Prepare bid documents; finalize selections that change drawings |
| Permitted, pricing | Contractor, contract terms, contingency, payment and draw structure | Comparable proposals on one scope, lender documents if financing | Schedule pre-construction; confirm insurance and utility readiness |
03 · What to ask for
Dependency roadmap you can print
This roadmap lists what each step needs and produces. It deliberately has no durations: authority review, consultant availability and owner decisions vary by project and cannot be honestly estimated in a general guide.
| Step | Depends on | Produces | Who leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brief and priorities | Household goals | Written brief | Owner |
| Budget basis | Brief; site facts | Range basis with contingency | Owner with advisors |
| Site documents | Land under control | Survey, title, soils as needed | Surveyor, title, geotechnical engineer |
| Schematic design | Brief, budget basis, site documents | Design concept | Architect |
| Design development and pricing check | Schematic design | Developed drawings, updated pricing | Architect, contractor input |
| Permit submission and corrections | Construction documents | Approved plans | Architect with authority |
| Contractor selection and contract | Approved or near-final plans | Signed contract | Owner |
| Construction | Permit, contract, financing | Built home with records | Contractor |
04 · An example
Fictitious scenario: aiming at 2027 from a vacant lot
A generalized, fictitious owner bought a lot in 2026 and hopes to start construction in 2027. The readiness table shows the survey and soils report are still missing, so the owner commissions them while interviewing architects, rather than starting design without them. The owner writes no start date into the brief; the target is revisited after schematic design and again after plan review.
Ask yourself
- Which record, if it surprised you, would change the design the most?
Where each topic lives
| Topic | Guide |
|---|---|
| Costs and contingency | Custom-home budget guide |
| Land evaluation | Lot guide |
| Design team | Architect guide |
| Phases and construction | Build timeline guide |
| Energy code | Energy guide |
A scenario to consider
Fictitious scenario: an owner in plan review wants to change a window wall. Because it changes drawings, it is decided before resubmission rather than during construction.
Planning scenario
Bring this to your conversation
- Identify your current stage
- List the records missing for that stage
- Start parallel tasks that don't depend on those records
- Confirm which code edition applies at submission
- Revisit targets after each milestone, not before
- Keep durations out of commitments until they are evidenced
One more question
Can I be sure to start building in 2027?
No guide can promise that. Start dates depend on records, design, review, pricing and financing. The roadmap helps you remove avoidable delays, not guarantee a date.
Official references
Prepare plans and ADUs · Web resource · English source
California Energy Commission — 2025 Building Energy Efficiency StandardsUse this for: Find the 2025 energy standards and discuss the applicable compliance path with the design team.
Prepare plans and ADUs · Web resource · English source
California Energy Commission — Energy Code Compliance ProgramUse this for: Check how energy-code field verification works under the ECC Program effective 2026.
Prepare plans and ADUs · PDF · English source
California Building Standards Commission — Information Bulletin 25-01 (July 1, 2025)Use this for: Discuss the code-cycle bulletin and application timing with the reviewing office.
For requirements specific to your property, consult the local reviewing authority.
About this guide
Published by KB Remodeling from the official sources cited. It is not attributed to an individual author and does not claim review by an architect, engineer or attorney. We receive remodel, ADU, new-home and rebuild inquiries; scope, licensing and location are reviewed before any next step.