Introduction

Building a new home is an exciting journey, but it can also be overwhelming if you don't understand the process. To help you navigate this journey, we’ve created a detailed outline of the residential house building process. This guide focuses on the typical construction elements and the sequence of activities you can expect.

The Building Process

You may not have seen the entire residential house process mapped out before, so we aimed for simplicity while covering the key elements of a typical new home construction. Our process map highlights the typical construction elements, their timing, and how they relate to each other, grouped by contract stage claims.

Contract Stage Claims

Here's a breakdown of the typical stages in a residential building contract:

  1. Deposit Stage: This includes the Preliminary Services Agreement (PSA) and the balance of the deposit to form the total deposit sum.
  2. Base Stage: Begins once the slab is poured.
  3. Frame Stage: Construction of the structural frame.
  4. Enclosed Stage: Installation of external doors, windows, and roof covering.
  5. Fixing Stage: Installation of internal fixtures and fittings.
  6. Practical Completion Stage: Final touches before completion.
  7. Handover Stage: The finished home is handed over to you.

Why Detail the Process?

The purpose of this guide is to provide a clear progression of activities from start to finish, giving you a comprehensive understanding of the overall workflow. If you’ve previously spoken with builders or have some construction experience, you may have received only general information. This often leads to numerous questions to fill in the gaps.

Builders sometimes avoid thoroughly explaining the process, thinking it protects them or helps control the workflow. By providing information gradually, they make you dependent on them and their willingness to share details 😄 (because builders are known for being so gracious).

Detailed View

For a more detailed view of this process, we will soon release a complete work breakdown structure, including task dependencies and time frames. This will provide more detail on all the preliminary stage tasks that need to be done before you sign your contract and before construction begins onsite.

The preliminary stage is the most task-intensive for a home-owner because you need to make all your material and colour selections. This information must be included in the building contract and then passed on to subcontractors and suppliers to ensure they install what you have chosen.

The Legend

To help you navigate our process map, we’ve included a legend in the top right corner:

  • Green Highlights: Checklists
  • Pink: Payment Points
  • Light Blue: Contract Progress Stage Claims
  • Orange: Independent Inspections (the best time to bring in external parties)
  • White: Tasks/Items within a Progress Stage Claim
  • Magenta Arrows: Critical inspection points, which are the most important points in the building process requiring thorough quality management before proceeding.

Explore More

We invite you to explore our detailed process map on Miro. Stay tuned for our upcoming detailed work breakdown structure, which will further simplify your home-building journey.

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