Owner's Guide to the Build Process

Before Anything Starts: Get Your Lot and Financing Lined Up

Everything else depends on two things being in place before design starts: the land you're building on, and the money to pay for it. You need a signed contract on your lot (or to already own it) and a construction loan approved before your architect can finalize drawings — because the drawings have to match the budget. Most people underestimate how long this step takes. Budget 4–8 weeks just for construction loan approval, even if your finances are strong.

Phase 1: Consultation (Weeks 1–3)

The first meeting is a site walk. Your general contractor comes to the lot, looks at the land, hears what you want to build, and asks a lot of questions. This is where you should expect honest numbers — not a bid designed to win the job. A legitimate GC will give you a realistic cost range and timeline based on your actual scope. If the first number sounds too good, it probably is.

What you'll need to bring to the consultation

• A clear description of what you want to build (beds, baths, total square footage, any specific rooms or features)
• Your budget — not a hope, a real number you can commit to
• Your timeline — when you need to be in the home, if there's a deadline
• Any drawings or inspiration images you already have
• The address and legal description of the lot

Phase 2: Design and Pre-Construction (Months 1–4)

This is where the project is actually built — on paper. An architect turns your vision into construction drawings. Your GC coordinates structural engineering, mechanical layouts (plumbing, electrical, HVAC), and all the finish selections. Countertops, flooring, fixtures, cabinetry, exterior materials — all of it gets decided here, before a permit is filed. This phase feels slow because nothing physical is happening, but it's the most important one. Every decision you push to 'figure out later' becomes a change order and a delay during construction.

Decisions you make during design

• Floor plan layout and room sizes
• Ceiling heights, window placement, and door locations
• Kitchen and bath layouts (cabinets, island size, shower vs. tub)
• Exterior style, roofline, and garage placement
• All finish selections: flooring, tile, countertops, fixtures, paint
• Appliance selections (required for MEP rough-in layout)
• Lighting plan and electrical outlet locations

Phase 3: Permitting (Months 2–6, runs parallel to late design)

Once drawings are complete, your GC submits the permit package to the county. In South Florida, that means Broward, Miami-Dade, or Palm Beach — each has its own building department, its own review timeline, and its own list of required documents. Standard plan review takes 8–12 weeks. During that time, the county's plan reviewers go through the drawings, and your GC responds to any comments or revision requests. You don't deal with the county directly — that's your contractor's job. Nothing breaks ground until the permit is approved and issued.

Phase 4: Construction (Months 4–18, depending on scope)

Once the permit is in hand, work starts. For a typical custom home, construction runs in sequence: site clearing and foundation, framing, rough-in trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC all go in before the walls close), insulation, drywall, finish carpentry and trim, cabinets, tile, flooring, painting, fixtures, and finally exterior work. Your GC runs all of the subcontractors — you don't coordinate between them. You should get a weekly written update on progress and have direct access to your GC for questions. You can visit the site whenever you want.

What you'll be asked to decide during construction

• Any changes to the original approved scope (these become change orders — in writing, with cost and timeline impact, before work starts)
• Material substitutions if something is discontinued or backordered
• Final confirmation of items like paint colors or fixture finishes as those trades approach
• Whether to approve or reject work at your site visits

Phase 5: Inspections (Ongoing Throughout Construction)

Required inspections happen at specific points during the build — foundation, framing, rough-in plumbing, rough-in electrical, rough-in HVAC, insulation, and final building. Each inspection has to pass before the next phase of construction can begin. Your GC schedules every inspection, is on-site for every inspection, and handles any corrections. You don't have to be present, but you can be. If something fails an inspection, it gets corrected and re-inspected. No phase gets skipped. The certificate of occupancy at the end is proof that every phase was inspected and passed.

Phase 6: Final Walkthrough and Delivery (1–2 Weeks)

Before you take the keys, you walk the entire property with your GC. Every room, every finish, every fixture. Anything that doesn't meet the standard gets documented on a punch list. Punch list items get completed before closing. You don't sign off until the list is done. After the punch list is complete and the final inspection is passed, the county issues a Certificate of Occupancy — the document that legally allows you to live in the home.

Things Your Contractor Should Handle So You Don't Have To

• All permit applications, revisions, and resubmittals
• Scheduling and attending all inspections
• Coordinating every subcontractor — you call one person, not eight
• Tracking the construction schedule and flagging delays before they compound
• Documenting and pricing all change orders before work begins
• Managing material deliveries and storage on-site
• Responding to correction notices from the building department

The One Thing Most Owners Get Wrong

Making decisions late. Every time you push a selection to 'later' — a tile, a fixture, a cabinet style — it creates a bottleneck during construction. Trades can't schedule their work until the materials are specified. Materials can't be ordered until they're selected. Delays compound. The most effective thing you can do as an owner is get all selections locked in during pre-construction, before the permit is filed.