1. New Home Construction
So you've worked diligently with a talented local architect, produced your dream custom home design and discussed your home building plan. Now you simply have to find a home building expert (a competent general contractor or new home builder) to build your new home.

You can consider 2 new home construction routes:

• The new home builder finances and manages the new home construction project.
• You finance the new home construction project, and employ a home building expert as a construction manager.

Success in your new home construction project will require a team effort by your selected home building expert, subcontractors, suppliers, local building inspectors, the lenders and you. For this reason you must carefully select an experienced new home builder with a proven ability to manage every stage of the process. Find an experienced home building expert that you like personally, and with whom you can form a strong relationship. Then you can complete the many different stages of new home construction with confidence and peace of mind.

2. Expert Home Building And DIY
Some new home buyers feel that they have the DIY capability to save money in new home building by performing certain aspects of the new home construction work themselves. Insulation, painting, finish, trim, and final clean up are frequently considered potential areas for savings. However, few general contractors permit such involvement, citing the following reasons:

1. Home Building Expertise - Apparently simple home building tasks can become much more difficult than they first appear, and each job performed in building a home affects the quality of the final product. 
2. Adverse Weather - can bring amateur DIY work to a halt, interfering with your general contractors home building plans, and thereby delaying the process of developing your custom home design into a new home.
3. Warranties - Building a home requires the mutual cooperation of several subcontractors, and your home building expert must have a fair understanding of which subcontractor is responsible for any defect. A new home buyers DIY projects could make resolution of any job site conflicts more difficult.
4. Insurance - Most new home construction insurance will not cover amateur home building projects, and extra home building insurance for amateur DIY activities is very expensive. Typical insurance policies protect the structure, the builder and the subcontractors. Discuss insurance policies that must be carried, with your home building expert, before your new home construction starts. Your contract with the general contractor should state whether they or the new home buyer must obtain, pay for and be protected by each type of insurance policy. Ask your home building expert if the following policies are in place:
   • 'Builder's risk' - Typically insures your new home against wind, fire , vandalism and theft ,during the home building process.
   • 'Worker's compensation' - Covers on the job injuries and lost work time during home building. State requirements vary, but generally 'worker's comp.' is carried by the new home builder, and perhaps by subcontractors and suppliers. New home buyers may also obtain worker's comp. for new home construction.
   • 'Liability' - The home building expert, subcontractors and suppliers should all have auto and general liability coverage for participation in new home construction. The new home buyer may also need a costly liability policy.

3. Home Building - New Home Construction Practices
Practices and materials used to build a home may vary by general contractor / new home builder, but must also vary geographically due to climatic and geological factors. Basements are popular in some parts of the country, yet rare elsewhere. In some regions home building code requires that new homes be built to withstand hurricanes, earthquakes or other potential natural disasters. A local home building expert can educate you about new home construction requirements and practices in your region. Typical new home construction requires:

1. Site development - clearing vegetation, preparing a driveway bed, staking out the new home position, hooking up temporary electricity service.
   
2. Excavation and foundation work - digging a foundation hole, pouring concrete foundation, installing pipework, pouring concrete floors, digging utility line trenches, waterproofing basement walls, rough grading.
3. Framing - steel beams, wood frame, windows, exterior doors.
4. Roofing / exterior work - roofing materials, siding, outdoor decking, drainage gutters, garage door.
5. Mechanicals - plumbing, electrical, heating/cooling, security system and intercom pre-wiring, telephone and cable TV wiring, central vacuum pipes.
6. Interior finish work - insulation, drywall, painting / staining, cabinetry, countertops, hard floor coverings, baseboards and built-in appliances.
7. Trim - interior doors, window trims, fireplaces / mantles, plumbing fixtures, light switches / electrical outlets and fixtures, heating/cooling units, heating registers, thermostats, central vacuum faceplates, intercom, telephone / cable TV outlets.
8. Completion - carpeting, cleaning (exterior and interior), driveway, landscaping, miscellaneous repairs.

4. Selecting A New Home Builder
The construction stage of home building requires complex management and scheduling capability. Problems and misunderstanding can be minimized by good communication between the new home buyer and the new home builder. Typically the general contractor performs the following tasks:

1. Coordinating subcontractors and suppliers - most new home builders rely primarily on the expertise of independent subcontractors who specialize in specific components of home building (e.g. electrical, plumbing, etc.). These subcontractors work for multiple new home builders so that scheduling can be complex. A competent general contractor schedules each subcontractor into a planned timetable for efficient home building activity. New home construction usually proceeds most efficiently when subcontractors and suppliers overlap one another in performing their varied tasks. A competent new home builder ensures maximum cooperation among the subcontractors and suppliers at all stages of new home construction.
2. Job site supervision - The general contractor must supervise the subcontractors and suppliers to make sure their work is completed correctly and on time. A competent general contractor mediates any disputes and resolves inevitable problems and conflicts amongst the subcontractors and suppliers during each stage of new home construction.
3. Administration - each home building activity generates considerable paperwork. The general contractors administrative responsibilities include maintaining files, tracking costs, preparing bank draw slips, assembling warranty records, and arranging for home building inspections.
4. Meetings with the new home buyer - The general contractor keeps the new home buyer informed about progress on the new home construction project. The general contractor also guides the new home buyer on the timeline for selection of any allowance items (e.g. lighting fixtures, faucets, and appliances) to prevent any delay in the home building process.

5. New Home Building Inspections And Approvals
Many different approvals must be obtained before the new home construction can proceed through all of its stages. The general contractor should obtain the necessary approvals, but it's important for the new home buyer to understand what's involved, especially if their chosen home building expert is working under a construction management agreement. Some of the required approvals are:

1. Zoning - often already established for vacant land, but many home building inspectors require a final check to make sure the proposed new home construction will comply with all current zoning regulations.
2. Water and septic permits - When home building in an area without public water or sewer services, a potable well will need to be drilled and a septic sewage system will need to be installed. Permits for the residential well and septic system must be obtained from the state / county home building authorities. Otherwise, applications for hookups to public water and sewer systems will be required.
3. Building permits - A county / municipality will typically issue home building permits and inspect your new home construction site to ensure compliance with local home building codes. In addition to a general home building permit, permits may be required for utilities (e.g. electricity, natural gas) and other services (e.g. telephone, cable TV).
4. Covenants - recorded when a subdivision is approved for home building development may govern what can and what cannot be built on the lots. These must be considered, and any necessary approvals must be obtained from the appropriate governing authorities before new home building can begin. The required steps include:
   • Application - which may involve a fee.
   • Plan review - possibly by a committee of existing homeowners within the development, to ensure that the proposedcustom home design complies with any established covenants and architectural guidelines.

Your bank or other finance source will probably also insist upon inspecting the new home. When everything is completed successfully you get to move into your new custom dream home. Selection of the right new home builder for your project is a critical choice so do your research and choose a proven home building expert carefully.

*Paul Lunick is President of Highview Homes. A high quality cost-effective custom home and townhouse builder serving the Buffalo - Niagara Falls Region of Western New York.