Home Building Phases for Building Your New Home in San Marcos, New Braunfels, Wimberley, & Canyon Lake

To gain a better idea of just how a new home is built, it's often helpful to know the many different stages through which a new home must pass. You'll often hear about the "5 Stages of Construction" or the "10 Stages of Construction." In fact, there could be a thousand stages of construction, depending on the level of detail someone is using to describe the stages. There are really 5 basic stages of construction, but for our purposes here, we're going to describe 10 so that you'll have a better understanding of what happens in each phase. Please keep in mind that many of these stages will run concurrently, meaning that they'll be happening at the same time. This brief outline is not to be confused with an actual Construction Schedule. This page is designed to help you learn more about the phases involved in building a new home, so please check with your builder, municipal governing authorities, and all applicable laws, regulations, statutes, and codes pertaining to your area.

Phase I - Foundation Stage

Site Survey - Excavation & pad leveling - Foundation pinned, and framed - Underground utilities installed

Sewer or septic lines installed - Vapor barrier installed - Municipal Inspection - Foundation Poured

Phase II - Framing Stage

Frame all walls and trusses - Install roof sheathing - Municipal framing inspection

Phase III - Roofing Stage

Install exterior sheathing - Install shingles / roofing system - Install all windows - Install exterior doors

Phase IV - Pre-Sheetrock Stage

Begin installation of exterior finish (masonry, wood, etc) - Rough-in plumbing; water & waste vent piping

Rough-in mechanical systems; venting and furnace installation - Rough-in wiring & electrical

Install HVAC & plumbing system - Install water heater - Municipal inspections for mechanical, plumbing, electrical, & frame

Phase V - Sheetrock Stage

Install wall insulation - Install sheetrock - Install tape & texture; apply wall & ceiling textures

Sheetrock nail/screw inspection (if applicable)

Phase VI - Interior Trim Stage

Install all interior doors and moldings - Install staircase balusters & railings (if applicable)

Phase VII - Painting, Cabinets, & Countertops Stage

Paint installation (interior) - All cabinetry installed - All countertops installed - All wall tile installed

Install all mirrors and shower enclosures

Phase VIII - Flooring Stage

Install finish electrical - Install finish plumbing - Install finish mechanical - HVAC installed and tested

Install all flooring - Appliances installed - Install Flat Work - driveways, sidewalks

Final mechanical, plumbing, electrical municipal inspections - Municipal "Certificate of Occupancy" issued

Phase IX - Quality Assurance Stage

Final Municipal inspection - Ceiling insulation installed - Builder's Quality Assurance Inspection

Punch List Development - Exterior landscaping completed - Final Cleaning - Final Buyer's Walk-Through

Phase X - Buyer Acceptance Stage

Home Buyers Inspection - Completion of Punch List items - Final Buyer's Walk-Through

Contract items installation review - New Home Orientation

What's next? Closing, Funding, & Move-In