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The Ugly Duckling Stages of Home Building

February 8, 2022

At Baessler Homes, you get to be part of the entire building process of your new home. For a lot of homebuyers, this experience can be overwhelming and at times it may seem like your home will never look like the photos. Trust us, we know new home construction is a messy business, but the final results will bring your dream into reality. Take a stroll through the "Ugly Duckling" stages of building a brand-new home with members of our construction team. Our Production Manager, Jay, explains it best, “These stages are like the Sausage Process, you don’t want to see the process happen, but you love the end result!”. Each stage has its moments of ugly before it's beautiful, gleaming, and ready for move-in. Jay reassures us that our trades clean up imminently after each stage is completed and they are on to the next phase.

Stage 1: Foundation & Excavation

The process starts with stakes in the ground to determine the four corners of the house and the lot itself. Construction Manager, Jason, explains during this time city water and sewer supplies will be getting installed which means a bunch of moving dirt and holes, holes, holes! Following this, the foam forms are installed once the underground plumbing is done, and they make sure to square up the entire form at this time. This process takes about a week to complete. 

Stage 2: Framing Stages

Here’s where things start going vertical! Construction Manager, Ken, tells us that this process can typically take three weeks to a month to complete. In this stage, you will start to see frame packs, trusses, and siding packs around the home. Soon there will be scrap lumber and siding across the job site as they do custom cuts and fits for the home. According to Jason, writing on the frames will designate doors, flooring, measurements, electrical and plumbing layouts, etc.  

Stage 3: Mechanical Stages

Senior Construction Manager, Mike, gives us a fair warning that when the mechanical trades are working, the job site will look like a bomb went off. Between HVAC and plumbing you may see wires, pipes, and other materials throughout the home. The garage will be filled with a lot of these materials during this month period.

Stage 4: Drywall & Insulation Stages

The construction team let us know that is process takes several days and is a very messy one! Between boxes of material, sheets of drywall, and drywall mud on the concrete, you’ll know the trades are working hard. However, Mike says the worst of it is when the drywallers are doing their final touch-ups. This consists of cocking in corners and making patches throughout the entire home in preparation for the painters. Touch-ups alone can take two or three days and tend to be where a lot of homebuyers get worried about the outcome of their new home. Don’t worry, this is all temporary and a necessary part of the process.

Stage 5: Interior Finishes

In this phase, there are a lot of active processes happening at once. All the hard surface flooring is installed, doors are hung, and the biggest mess is adding in the trim. Mike ensures us that the new flooring is covered when the trim phase begins. That’s great news because this phase has trim pieces strung across the floors in every room and the trimmer creates sawdust that can spread easily around the home. Ken states that it will still look a bit messy after the trim has been installed until all the plumbing is officially complete. Jay informs us that the electrician and plumber may be in the home at the same time. This can lead to a lot of tools and boxes hanging around. Jason reminds us that painting is a messy business as well! Everything will be covered and taped while the painters put on that fresh coat throughout the entire home. After all these steps are complete, the first official clean takes place. 

Stage 6: Landscaping

While the major parts of the home are now complete and getting ready for move-in, there is one last messy business Mike would like homebuyers to keep in mind. Landscaping! This phase can take a few days and is one of the most obvious messes to see on a drive-by of your new home. It is very common to see trenching and preparations for sod installation. Dirt and rocks find their way to the driveway but will be cleared once the job is done. Laying sod for the lawn is a quick process. However, once October hits sod can no longer be laid until the spring season. During this time straw blankets are laid to avoid mud running into the street. Once the spring season comes the sod will be laid one whole block at a time. 

We understand how stressful and scary building a new home can be. Take a deep breath though because Baessler Homes is here for you every step of the way! If you ever have questions about your home or the process itself, please reach out to us. We are here to help build the lifestyle of your dreams!