It has been 10 weeks since we broke ground on our new house, and I have so many updates to share with you guys! Things are moving right along with construction and we have really enjoyed this part of the process where we get to watch our dream home take shape right before our eyes.
In my last post, I walked you through some of our design selections for our new home, and now today I am going to dive more into the details and logistics related to building on your own lot with Drees Homes, as well as share a general timeline of what has happened so far since we broke ground.
When my husband and I came across a piece of land last fall, we immediately began discussions with Drees Homes. We were already familiar with their quality construction, spacious floor plans and customization options, but it was their expertise with land improvements that really sealed the deal for us.
Prior to making an offer on the land, the Market Manager and General Manager from Drees Homes met with us on site to provide an analysis of the improvements that would need to be made on the land, along with estimated costs associated with the improvements.
We learned that Drees Homes offers the option to purchase the land on your behalf, and then rolls all of the costs related to the land and land improvements into your total purchase price at closing. This definitely helped to simplify the process since building on your own lot with Drees Homes only requires one contract and no construction loan. We also appreciated the fact that Drees Homes structured the deal for our land purchase to be contingent on building permits being issued, which gave us peace of mind that we were protected if for some reason the land was deemed unbuildable.
During the planning phase, Drees Homes guided us through every aspect of getting the land ready to build, including engineering drawings, storm water mitigation, sanitary systems, utilities, tree clearing advice, house placement, building permits, and more. We would simply approve and sign-off on each item, while Drees Homes worked diligently behind the scenes with multiple vendors to ensure all of the plans came to together to get building permits approved.
After a few permitting delays (which is to be expected depending on your municipality), we finally broke ground in early March! Here’s a look at the timeline of what has happened with our home build so far.
Week 1 : Tree Clearing
The first step in our home build was clearing nearly 1.5 acres of dense brush and trees for our homesite. It was fascinating to see how quick the tree clearing company worked, and within a few days, the land was ready for the home build to begin.
Weeks 2-5 : Dig Day, Footers, Concrete Walls
Our actual dig day is when I think everything really started to feel more real! Even though it was just a giant hole in the ground, we could start to visualize what our home would be like on the property. After the foundation was placed and some plumbing and other mechanicals were added inside the giant hole, the exterior concrete walls were poured and gravel was backfilled around the base of the house.
Weeks 6-8 : Framing, Roof, Windows
Next came framing! This was hands down my favorite week of the entire home build so far. I’m convinced that our framing team used magic to build so quickly! It felt like one day we had a concrete hole, and the next day we had a house (well almost!) It took a little more than a week to complete the house framing, and everything else has been full steam ahead since then.
Last week, the roof went on and windows were installed. I nearly cried tears of joy the first time I walked through the house and could see all of the natural light pouring through the windows! It was also surreal to see the actual view from each window in the house, which helps to envision what it will be like living here in a few short months.
Week 9-12 : Mechanicals
We are currently in the mechanical phase of our home build where plumbing, HVAC and electric will all be installed over the next few weeks. My fingers are crossed that we will begin drywall by early June and then the fun will really begin with seeing the interior finishes start to come together!!
With each phase of building, I feel like I am learning a little more about the process. Truthfully, we did not know what to expect when deciding to take the plunge on building on our own lot, but we are grateful that we decided to go for it, and have been pleased with how Drees Homes has guided us through the process so far.
If you have any questions on building on your own lot with Drees Homes, feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email!
**This post was created in partnership with Drees Homes, however all opinions expressed are my own.
Amanda says
Thank you for sharing your building adventure! I’m in the beginning stages of building and your tips are very helpful! I can’t wait to see new posts of your exterior and interiors come together!