Professionals You Need to Know

When it comes to having a home built, you are going to be working with a wide range of different industry professionals. Even if you’re lucky enough to find builders or general contractors that can offer all of the services you need (and all of the professionals necessary to perform those services), it’s still important for you to have a decent idea of who does what in the home-building industry, so you’ll know who to turn to with which questions and who to thank for a job well done.

Developers

Developers are the people you’ll go to when it comes time to pick out a piece of land for your home. These professionals can find a piece of land specifically for you, according to the specifications and wishes you make clear from the beginning. Or, as is more often the case, they can help you to find a good spot of land from the many pieces of land they have already acquired. These tracks of land are often inside of a PUD (PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT) or subdivision with one or more unfinished homes or empty parcels of land. In any case, a realtor and your developer will work with you to help you secure your land get it ready for the building process to commence.

Architects

While developers are all about the land, the architects you’ll work with are all about the home itself. The architect is the one you’ll work with to share your dreams of what you want your home to look like once it’s complete, and he or she is also who will draw up plans for the home. You can go to your architect with a complete design in mind, or you can look through the architect’s sample floor plans and choose one as is or customize it to match your vision. The easiest way to accomplish this task is to use a design build firm. When a general contractor is also helping you design the house of your dreams, the building budget is always incorporated into the finishes and design. 

Builders

After your architect has designed your home, it’s time for the builders to take those paper plans and

turn them into a real, live house- your house! These professionals will help to set a construction plan in place, letting you know ahead of time which parts of your home will be finished when. After you’ve agreed to the building plan, budget and schedule, they’ll get started, and you’ll be that much closer to living in your dream home! Your builders will connect you with different design professionals, each with their own specialties, along the way to make sure each piece of your home comes together exactly as you’ve envisioned it.

Inspection Officials

The building codes, which may vary and are specific to the geographical location and project, require that your new home undergo and pass inspections and ensure its safety and in-habitability. While the inspections process can be frustrating, it’s important to remember that it’s done for your own good, health, and safety. Typically, your home will need to be inspected after the drywall is erected and then again once the home is complete. As long as all goes well with the inspections and everything has been built/installed correctly, you’ll be ready to move in.

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