From the design stage to the final walkthrough, building your own home is a timeless accomplishment. But what does the process of building a home from scratch look like? From clearing land with industrial brush cutters to hiring professional electricians who lay wiring to the final walkthrough, this step-by-step guide to building your own home lays the foundation for you.

Step One: Design Your Home

The first step to building your own home is, of course, to draft an architectural plan. An architect will work with you to create the home you have always dreamed of, from the major must-haves to the nitty-gritty details.

Step Two: Buy Land

After you’ve designed your home, your next step is to purchase the perfect plot of land. Location is a critical consideration.

Step Three: Clear the Land

With your architectural plan and land secured, the next phase is land clearing. Crews may use heavy equipment such as bulldozers, skid steers, grapples, and stump cutters. During this phase, you or the construction company you hire will apply for and acquire all the necessary permits.

Step Four: Start Construction

After permits are in place, the construction crew starts the building process. If a septic system will be used, it needs installation first. Then, the crew will lay out wooden forms that serve as a template for the home’s foundation. Depending on what your home will have, the crew will dig a well, a basement, and/or any appropriate holes and trenches. They will also dig, form, and pour footings. Finally, they pour the basement walls or slab.

Next, they apply a waterproofing membrane to the walls of the foundation. Then, plumbing work begins. This includes the installation of drains, sewer systems, and water taps.

Step Five: Inspection

At this point, an inspector will visit your home and ensure that all components thus far are up to code and properly installed.

Step Six: Framing

Here, the construction crew will build out your home’s flooring, walls, and roof. Workers install plywood or sheathing on exterior walls, followed by the roof, windows, and exterior doors. Then, they install a house wrap to protect the vulnerable structure from mold, water damage, and wood rot.

Step Seven: Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC

Your house is really looking like a home by this step! Crews work quickly to lay pipes and wiring, sewer lines, vents, shower supply lines, bathroom appliances, electrical components, and HVAC systems. Siding and the rest of the home’s roofing are installed at this point, too.

Step Eight: More Inspections

You will encounter more visits from different inspectors at this stage. Again, inspectors will ensure all work is up to code and properly installed.

Step Nine: Insulation

Crews install insulation in exterior walls, the attic, crawl spaces, cathedral ceilings, basements, and flooring above unfinished basements or crawl spaces.

Step Ten: Finishing Touches

Crews are busy installing drywall, light fixtures, trim, and interior doors. They paint walls, lay flooring, install cabinets, and pour driveways. The house of your dreams is now the home of your reality!