The phases of building a new home, and what moves the schedule

01 · When it applies

Phases, owners and true dependencies

A new home moves through predesign, site investigations, consultant work, design development, application acceptance, correction rounds, permit issuance, procurement, mobilization, construction, inspections, utility readiness and closeout. Each has a different owner: you, the design team, an agency, a utility or the builder.

Some phases can overlap — selections and utility applications can proceed while corrections are answered. Others are real dependencies: construction documents wait on site data, and work on the permitted scope waits on issuance. Planning well means knowing which is which, not compressing every phase.

02 · The decision

Site information before design commits

Survey, soils and utility availability decide what can be designed. When a report arrives after the layout is fixed, engineering and drawings can be redone. Ordering site investigations first rarely feels like progress, but it protects the design phase from rework.

Ask the design lead which consultant inputs each drawing set depends on, and who commissions each report.

03 · Comparing the options

Owner decision deadlines

Owner decisions have deadlines set by what depends on them, not by the calendar. A late layout change reopens consultant work; a late window choice can push procurement past the start of framing.

Keep a list of decisions with the phase each one gates, and record changes in writing once drawings are submitted.

Massing and layout

Decided before construction documents; later changes reach structure, energy and site plans.

Window and door package

Decided during design development; affects energy compliance and is often a long-lead order.

Finish selections

Can be carried as allowances, but should be final before procurement to avoid waiting on deliveries.

04 · The decision

Acceptance, corrections and issuance

Where planning review applies, it usually comes before building plan check. An agency first confirms the application is complete enough to review; acceptance is not approval. Reviewers then issue comments, and the number of correction rounds is not known in advance.

If an agency publishes processing statistics, read the period and the application class they describe. They summarize past applications and are not a guarantee for one parcel. Permit issuance follows approved plans, paid fees and any clearances from other departments.

05 · The decision

Procurement and utility readiness

Long-lead items — windows, structural steel, electrical gear, mechanical equipment — can be ordered once design is fixed, often while corrections are still being answered. Utility providers review service requests on their own process, separate from the building authority.

Temporary power and water are utility requests too, and final sign-off can wait on a service connection even after construction looks finished.

06 · Next step

Construction, inspections and closeout

Construction moves through grading, foundation, framing, envelope, systems and finishes, paced by staged inspections and deliveries. A failed inspection is corrected and reinspected before work is covered.

Closeout includes final inspection, energized service, a punch list and documents. Plan a move-in after these steps rather than at the end of construction activity.