Moving to the Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex? Get your answers and make your buying decisions easy by using our resource guide.
| Building Your Custom Home |
Putting Exterior Trim in Place
Now that we have the skeleton of the home in place, its time to give the home some skin! Exterior trim is the home’s skin. This step is often performed while the roofers are still carrying out their duties on the roof. The same sheathing material that is used on the roof is used to cover the bare exterior framing studs. At this time, a vapor barrier is stapled to the sheathing to help prevent moisture and air from seeping in and rotting the studs. This is also when the windows and doors are installed, as well as fascia boards and soffit boards.
Exterior cladding is the next step in the exterior trim process. This could be cedar siding, stucco, brick, stone, vinyl or cement fiber siding. Once the cladding is up, gutters can be installed. Keep in mind; it’s a good idea to wait until the roof is complete before you begin installing the gutters. You wouldn’t want a workers ladder to ruin your new gutter system.
Mechanical Systems
The mechanical systems include your heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. They are better known as your HVAC systems. This step is completed in two steps, the first being worse then the second. The first step requires the workers to install the internal components that will be hidden once your house is complete. These components include your house’s water pipes, ducts and wiring. The second step is when the subcontractors return at a later date and time to install the light and water fixtures and heat registers.
Insulating the Home
Insulation is a huge step in the building process, and it plays an important role in the comfort of your home, not to mention energy savings. This step requires the exterior wall cavities between the studs to be filled with whatever type of insulation you specify. Popular choices include fiberglass batts and blown cellulose, but a growing number of home builders are using foam insulation as well.
For those of you interested in “Green Building”, there are environmentally friendly insulation choices. A popular environmentally friendly insulation choice includes UltraTouch, a batt-type insulation made from reclaimed cotton. Other choices include insulation made from newspaper and low-density concrete.
Putting up Drywall
It is now time for the drywall. Drywall is hung or nailed to your interior walls and ceilings, providing more structure to your home. After the drywall is hung, you will notice the builders spreading a thin, fibrous tape over the seams between the sheets. Joint compound is then spread over the tape. Typically, about three coats of the compound is applied, allowed to dry and sanded smooth before the walls are ready for the final step.
It is now your turn to decide what kind of walls you want. For example, do you want to paint, wallpaper or apply a textured effect to your walls? If you aren’t going to paint or wallpaper, then now is the time where you can have a texture applied to your walls as a nice finishing touch.
Putting Interior Trim in Place
Interior trim begins with your doors. Lengths of trim wood are applied to the outside edges of the door openings and base molding pieces are applied to the walls where they meet the floor. Crown moldings cover the walls where they meet the ceiling. Once the doors trims are finished, other trim needs such as stair rails and fireplace mantels are installed.
Painting and Staining
We are now approaching the final steps to the completion of your new home. It is now time for the painting and staining processes. Any trim pieces that were installed unfinished can be painted or stained and any untextured walls can be painted or wallpapered. Be sure to prepare all of the areas that you plan to paint or stain. Sometimes the drywallers leave compound joint on the walls and it should be filed down before you paint or stain.
Finish Work
The end is almost in sight! It is now time to bring in your beautiful kitchen and bath cabinets and maybe that granite countertop you’ve always wanted. The tiles, the carpet, the blinds and curtains, the appliances, the furniture and all the other aesthetic touches are now finding a place within your new walls. This is also the time when the subcontractors come back to install the heat registers, light fixtures and water fixtures.
Cleanup and Landscape
The final steps include your driveway and/or sidewalk being installed, the landscape being created and the process of clean-up beginning. Try saving a few bucks and tackling the clean-up on your own. This process can be made easy if you call your garbage company and have them drop off one of those oversized trash receptacles to throw away any remaining debris that you find.
Green Building Tips
People everywhere are beginning to understand the importance of recycling. Some are consistent about separating brown and green glassware, saving the cans, bagging the newspapers and rinsing out empty milk cartons before carelessly disposing of their collection. Many even choose appliances and products for their homes that are environmentally friendly.
However, most people don't realize that the opportunity to live in an earth-friendly home begins before the day the builder even breaks ground. It’s becoming increasingly popular for builders to minimize and recycle job-site waste during the building process. Furthermore, builders are trying to use building products made partially or completely from recycled materials. Whether you call it environmentally friendly, green or ecological, the interest to build new homes with Mother Earth in mind is growing. Choosing the right building materials can make your home more environmentally friendly and economical to maintain.
Now that we have the skeleton of the home in place, its time to give the home some skin! Exterior trim is the home’s skin. This step is often performed while the roofers are still carrying out their duties on the roof. The same sheathing material that is used on the roof is used to cover the bare exterior framing studs. At this time, a vapor barrier is stapled to the sheathing to help prevent moisture and air from seeping in and rotting the studs. This is also when the windows and doors are installed, as well as fascia boards and soffit boards.
Exterior cladding is the next step in the exterior trim process. This could be cedar siding, stucco, brick, stone, vinyl or cement fiber siding. Once the cladding is up, gutters can be installed. Keep in mind; it’s a good idea to wait until the roof is complete before you begin installing the gutters. You wouldn’t want a workers ladder to ruin your new gutter system.
Mechanical Systems
The mechanical systems include your heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. They are better known as your HVAC systems. This step is completed in two steps, the first being worse then the second. The first step requires the workers to install the internal components that will be hidden once your house is complete. These components include your house’s water pipes, ducts and wiring. The second step is when the subcontractors return at a later date and time to install the light and water fixtures and heat registers.
Insulating the Home
Insulation is a huge step in the building process, and it plays an important role in the comfort of your home, not to mention energy savings. This step requires the exterior wall cavities between the studs to be filled with whatever type of insulation you specify. Popular choices include fiberglass batts and blown cellulose, but a growing number of home builders are using foam insulation as well.
For those of you interested in “Green Building”, there are environmentally friendly insulation choices. A popular environmentally friendly insulation choice includes UltraTouch, a batt-type insulation made from reclaimed cotton. Other choices include insulation made from newspaper and low-density concrete.
Putting up Drywall
It is now time for the drywall. Drywall is hung or nailed to your interior walls and ceilings, providing more structure to your home. After the drywall is hung, you will notice the builders spreading a thin, fibrous tape over the seams between the sheets. Joint compound is then spread over the tape. Typically, about three coats of the compound is applied, allowed to dry and sanded smooth before the walls are ready for the final step.
It is now your turn to decide what kind of walls you want. For example, do you want to paint, wallpaper or apply a textured effect to your walls? If you aren’t going to paint or wallpaper, then now is the time where you can have a texture applied to your walls as a nice finishing touch.
Putting Interior Trim in Place
Interior trim begins with your doors. Lengths of trim wood are applied to the outside edges of the door openings and base molding pieces are applied to the walls where they meet the floor. Crown moldings cover the walls where they meet the ceiling. Once the doors trims are finished, other trim needs such as stair rails and fireplace mantels are installed.
Painting and Staining
We are now approaching the final steps to the completion of your new home. It is now time for the painting and staining processes. Any trim pieces that were installed unfinished can be painted or stained and any untextured walls can be painted or wallpapered. Be sure to prepare all of the areas that you plan to paint or stain. Sometimes the drywallers leave compound joint on the walls and it should be filed down before you paint or stain.
Finish Work
The end is almost in sight! It is now time to bring in your beautiful kitchen and bath cabinets and maybe that granite countertop you’ve always wanted. The tiles, the carpet, the blinds and curtains, the appliances, the furniture and all the other aesthetic touches are now finding a place within your new walls. This is also the time when the subcontractors come back to install the heat registers, light fixtures and water fixtures.
Cleanup and Landscape
The final steps include your driveway and/or sidewalk being installed, the landscape being created and the process of clean-up beginning. Try saving a few bucks and tackling the clean-up on your own. This process can be made easy if you call your garbage company and have them drop off one of those oversized trash receptacles to throw away any remaining debris that you find.
Green Building Tips
People everywhere are beginning to understand the importance of recycling. Some are consistent about separating brown and green glassware, saving the cans, bagging the newspapers and rinsing out empty milk cartons before carelessly disposing of their collection. Many even choose appliances and products for their homes that are environmentally friendly.
However, most people don't realize that the opportunity to live in an earth-friendly home begins before the day the builder even breaks ground. It’s becoming increasingly popular for builders to minimize and recycle job-site waste during the building process. Furthermore, builders are trying to use building products made partially or completely from recycled materials. Whether you call it environmentally friendly, green or ecological, the interest to build new homes with Mother Earth in mind is growing. Choosing the right building materials can make your home more environmentally friendly and economical to maintain.
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