Understanding the process of building a house step by step will help you keep track of the schedule as your project progresses. Here we explain what to expect at each stage of the build
Homebuilding & Renovating's step-by-step guide to building a house will take you through the entire process of building your dream home(Image credit: David Snell)
Knowing the process of building a house step by step is important when taking on a self build, whether you are project managing or passing over the baton to someone else on the team.
Understanding what to expect at each stage of the build will give you the confidence to engage with trades at certain points along the way and generally feel comfortable with the build process.
This is especially crucial when acting as your own project manager or undertaking any of the work yourself, so that you can make sure that the materials arrive and the trades are contracted at the right time for a smooth build.
The construction process of building a house is broken down into two distinct elements — pre and post weathertight stage (this is also called ‘getting a house to shell’).
A house is deemed to be ‘weathertight’ (sometimes also called ‘watertight’) when the walls are up, the roof is on, the windows and doors are in and it’s all fully lockable — and, from the outside, resembles a finished house.
Getting a house weathertight is easily the most exhilarating part of the process for beginners — it’s when all the heavy work is done, and real progress can be seen almost every day. Depending on its size and complexity, most builders would expect to get a house weathertight in three to six months.
Once a house is weathertight, work can commence inside. Owing to the complexities of houses, there is a convoluted schedule that needs to be followed – the plasterers can’t work at the same time as the initial electrics are being done, for instance – which tends to mean that it’s this element of the process that can drag on a bit.
So, in total, expect a house to go from ‘breaking ground’ (the traditional start of a project where the trenches are dug for the foundations) to moving in over a period of six and 12 months. At extreme ends, some timber frame package companies claim to be able to get a house ready and liveable within six months. Many DIY self-builders take upwards of three years.
The schedule varies hugely depending on how the project is approached but below is an overarching step-by-step guide that will give you a real understanding of the stages from breaking ground to final sign-off.
1. Site Preparation for Building a House
Assuming you have bought your plot and all of your planning and preparatory work is in place, the first step when building a house is to prepare the site. This not only includes clearing the site of debris and vegetation, but also ensuring your have the necessary facilities and services set up for your tradespeople.
Here's an idea of the tasks at this pre-build stage:
Groundworkers create site access
Clear site and strip vegetable soil; stacking material to be retained out of the way
Set up site hut and equip with drawings and safety equipment
Set up toilet
Secure lock-up/lorry container (hired in or purchased) to be positioned
Water board to bring supply to stopcock on boundary
Plumber to connect water standpipe
Surveyor marks out building on cleared site and transfers the lines to profiles well clear of any construction work
Bring in bricks and blocks and stack clear of future construction
Set up mixer station close to cement store and sand heap
(Image credit: David Snell)
2. Laying the Foundations for Building a House
Next up, you need to start on your foundations. The cost of constructing foundations is one of the biggest variables in a self-build project, so anyone who wants to keep control of their budget and schedule needs to work out the most appropriate foundation system to use as early as possible.
Once the most cost-effective solution has been identified - usually via a geotechnical study, which involves digging or boring trial holes around the site of a proposed new building - and your site is ready your foundations can be laid.
Position any reinforcement bars, mesh or cages in the trenches
Position any compressible material or slip membranes required within the trenches
Lay ducts for services to enter through the foundations
Arrange foot scaffold if necessary and shutter for any steps in the foundations
Pour concrete footings and tamp to level
Obtain approval from building/warranty inspectors to proceed
Bricklayers build up foundation blockwork to damp-proof course
Install cranked air vents
Install drainage exit lintels
Fill cavities with lean-mix concrete to level with external ground level
Bed and lay damp-proof courses, linking these with any radon membranes or barriers
(Image credit: David Snell)
3. Building a House's Superstructure
Getting underway with the superstructure is an exciting part of building a house. Make sure you are aware of the stages when you will need sign off from a building inspector.
Groundworkers to dig service trenches and lay pipes and ducts to proposed stopcock/meter positions
Load out concrete floor beams to each bay and position
Install drainage and vent pipes proud of the oversite
Infill floor beams with blocks
Lay coursing blocks and position ventilator grilles
Brush grout
Arrange for building control/warranty inspection
Commence building superstructure
Install templates for future windows and doors, etc.
Valley tiles to be laid, or fibreglass or lead valleys to be laid
Plumber to dress down flashings and skirtings
Decorators to paint/stain fascias, soffits and barges
5. Exterior and Interior Fittings Tasks When Building a House
Once the superstructure has been built the next step involves certain internal and external tasks, such as window joinery and any stud wall partitions.
Plumbers to fix guttering
Window suppliers to fit external joinery
Plasterers to carry out any external rendering
Scaffolding to come down
Plumbers to fit downpipes and connect to drainage
upstands/gullies
External decoration
Carpenters to commence first fix by fitting door linings, building any studwork partitioning and fixing window boards
Carpenters to fix plasterboard noggins and box in vent pipes
Plumber and carpenter to liaise with building of any necessary stands in roof
Carpenter to fix loft trap
6. First Fix Stage of Building a House
This step sees the electrical and plumbing runs put in place.
Plumbers to lay flooring membrane and insulation, taping all joints and sealing up to the damp-proof course
Second fix stage sees everything wired up and connected.
All wiring connected to consumer unit
Boiler to be positioned, plumbed and then wired in
Sink units to be plumbed in, earthed and cross bonded
All sanitaryware to be fitted and plumbed in
Radiators and towel rails to be fitted and plumbed in
Underfloor heating loops to be connected to manifolds
Electrician to check cross bonding and earthing to all sanitaryware, sinks, radiators, etc
Boiler to be wired in; control systems and room thermostats to be wired in
Plumber and electrician to attend firing up and commissioning of boiler
All pipework and connections to be flushed through and pressure tested
Central heating to be left on ‘test’
11. Decorating
Those using a package company or main contractor to build their house may choose to pick up the reins at this point and undertake the decorating tasks themselves.
Taking on these smaller tasks at the end of a building project is a good idea if you have gone over budget. (But as always, do only take on jobs that are within your capabilities. Otherwise you could have to pay a premium to get a professional to fix your mistake).
Worktops, made from the previously taken templates, to be fitted
House to be thoroughly cleaned with all debris and dust removed to outside
Decorators to snag any holes, blemishes or rough patches on walls, making good
Internal timber to be sanded smooth or rubbed down with wire wool
Decorators to paint all walls and ceilings, mist plus two coats of emulsion
Internal timber to be knotted, painted, primed, undercoated and top coat glazed, or internal timber to be two-coat stained
Specialist tilers to fix ceramic wall tiles to kitchen and utility
Baths to be filled, in order to settle, before tilers fix any wall/splashback tiles
Water meter to be installed
12. Landscaping
(Image credit: getty images)
If the budget is tight, some self builders choose to have a bit of a break between completing the house and turning their attention to the landscaping.
But there may be some benefits to landscaping at the same time as building a house so careful consideration about what you want and who will do the work is key.
Groundworkers or landscape gardeners to level the ground and prepare
Topsoil from storage to be placed where required, with extra shipped if necessary
Site hut to be removed or re-sited if intended for use as a garden shed
Secure site storage to be sold off or returned to hirers
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David is one of the UK's leading self build and plotfinding experts, and a serial self builder who has been building homes for 50 years. The author of Building Your Own Home, David spent decades as a speaker and expert at self build exhibitions such as the Homebuilding & Renovating Show. He has recently finished his fourteenth self build project.
