Building a house involves many more decisions that you might imagine. The same is true for smaller remodeling projects and even redecorating a room, i.e. who thinks picking just the right paint color is easy?
When you buy a car, there might be 20 options to pick from and that can get confusing. When building a house, the decisions seem endless although your builder won't discuss them all at once. It's fun remembering when we built our house in New York, and every morning at 7am, we'd get a call from our builder. This approach worked well, as we too got to ask questions and get advice on decisions we did have to make.
Building a House: Who Picks the Materials?
The housing industry is the development, construction and sale of homes, and it's terribly complex. Manufacturers acquire raw materials and create building products and materials. These products are distributed through a network of building supply companies and while …
You might focus on building a house, your house. Builders are building many houses, and they develop a list of preferred resources (brands and suppliers) they trust.
Building a House is a Partnership!
Imagine if this table was 5 to 10 times as long, as that is more realistic when building a house. Most homeowners know builders use many contractors throughout construction. Rarely do you realize the juggling act of scheduling contractors and materials to arrive at the same time. For example, the roofers might bring the underlayment and drip edge (learn about flashing) but they'll rely on the builder to have a homeowner's choice of roofing shingles on site when they arrive.
Many products used in building a house are for structural integrity or energy efficiency but you don't see them once the house is done. Homeowners should communicate your strategy on items like low maintenance, quality materials that last longer and energy efficiency. Your builder will discuss options and some you'll have to research but mostly, the decisions homeowners make relate to what are known as “finishes” or what's visible outside the walls.
Want to learn more about controlling the costs associated with building a house? Read our 3 part series by Jackie Braitman, Controlling Remodeling Costs (which are similar to building a house).
| Decisions To Be Made When Building a House | |||
| Building Materials | Design | Building | Decorating |
| Wallboard | X | ||
| Home Builders | X | X | |
| Flooring | Install | Select | |
| Kitchen & Bath | X | Install | Select Fixtures |
| Decks | Build | Size & Materials | |
| Windows & Doors | Size & Placement | Install | Style & Finish |
| Miscellaneous Building Products | X | ||
| Cabinets | Install | Style & Material | |
| Equipment Rentals | X | ||
| Concrete & Aggregates | X | ||
| Appliances | Select | ||
| Paint | Install | Colors | |
| Land | Development | … or Select | |
| Architecture & Planning | Ideally, design build teams include all stakeholders | ||
| Lumber | X | ||
| Roofing | Brand & Install | Color | |
| Insulation | X | ||
| Furniture | Select | ||
| Carpet | Select | ||
| HVAC & Plumbing | Install | Select Fixtures | |
| Heavy Equipment | X | ||
| Tools & Supplies | X | ||
| Landscaping | X | X | |
| Garage Doors | Brand & Install | Style & Material | |
Homeowners & Building a House
The housing industry slices through several industries — real estate, construction and the financial industry. Homeowners get an incredible course on home construction when building a home.
All homeowners can (should) learn more about maintaining their homes to protect their largest investment and the best way to do this is by finding and learning from home professionals who are immersed in the industry – builders and contractors, building supply companies and through trusted websites like ours, where we focus on helping homeowners get answers to their home related questions.
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