HiLine Homes Build Timeline
Start Your Home Journey with Confidence
Building a home starts with a dream. Yours may have been an idea sketched on the back of a napkin years ago or comes from a simple desire to build something that flexes with your future plans.
While building a home from the ground up is not easy, you will feel the satisfaction, value & appreciation of possible equity gained when you are complete. We often receive a common question: how long does it take to build a home? The length of time to build a home is important for financial & personal reasons. So while having an affordable home built is wonderful, knowing that HiLine Homes takes steps to build your home efficiently while maintaining high quality is absolutely a valuable factor. Although each family’s build timeline is unique to them because of their circumstances, home plan size, and property location & specifications. We hope this outline of the traditional building program will provide you with a nice scope of the journey. If you already have land, your Home Consultant can provide more specific answers to a timeline.
1. Ordering Your HiLine Home
Think about all the places you have lived and what you liked and wanted to change. Building your dream home means you have an opportunity to choose many of the details that will go into your forever home. You will want to set up an appointment with a HiLine Home Consultant to establish your budget, review total project costs, and pick a home plan that fits your needs and lifestyle.
If you need financing, your Home Consultant can connect you with one of our approved lenders to help you get prequalified to establish your budget. Once you have secured financing and land, you’ll order the home with your dedicated Home Consultant then move to the next phase of the journey: pre-construction.
2. Getting Started with Pre-Construction
The HiLine Homes Pre-construction team is a valuable resource that can help you feel confident during this phase. Saving money is always a win, and there are projects during the entire process that can help with the potential to build home equity that puts you in a smart financial position. After you order your home, our team will send you a Permit Assistance Package that provides you with the relevant information to apply for permits and what to expect for your home building project. Now you are on your way!
Before construction can begin, you will need to do the following:
Construction permits:
Every home needs a building permit to set the legal expectation between you and your building jurisdiction. We think it is pretty fabulous to have the options. You have the choice to go through this process and save some bucks or hire it out. We will provide you with much of the relevant information to start the process. You will need to contact your building jurisdiction and follow their specific process.
Wastewater disposal:
While not exciting, we are sure you’d agree a septic system or connecting to a sewer is crucial to a home. Typically, a rural site would require a septic system, resulting in the steps of a design and scheduling an install.
Well or Water Access:
Verifying your new home will have access to freshwater is vital to support your dream home and lifestyle. We will also need access to the system during the construction phase.
Excavation & Site Prep:
Preparing the site for construction includes: marking property lines and home site, site clearing, excavating for the foundation, grading, providing driveway access, setting up temporary power and water, and making sure you have all the right insurance.
3. Construction Begins!
The moment has come. Foundation Pour Day. It may not be an official holiday, but it sure can feel like one. You have checked off all the items on your Pre-Construction Checklist, and your Project Manager has finished the site inspection. Mark this significant milestone. There are still more decisions along the way and much work to be done, but we are well on our way to your dream home. The HiLine Homes team has worked with thousands of homeowners, just like you, and has a long history of satisfying the dream of homeownership.
4. Your Home Starts to Take Shape
As the foundation and framing take form, now is the time to enjoy everything about the process. Building a home takes patience, but utilizing your HiLine Homes Project Manager as your dedicated resource will reduce the project’s stress. They are your personal expert in the industry to answer your questions or connect you with who to call when you need to complete a task.
Foundation, Framing & Roof Install
This phase sets the structure for the rest of your home. After your foundation is poured and cured, your excavator will return to backfill. Meanwhile, you will surely be excited to see lumber delivered, and in no time, you will experience being able to walk through your home for the first time. Although it is true, there will be plenty of fresh air to take in the experience with you at this phase. Finally, this stage is complete with the trusses and roof installation, which is a wonderful feeling to know your home is now more protected from the weather.
5. The Exterior Comes Together
Now is when the structure starts to look like your dream home, well, at least on the exterior. Your Project Manager is working hard behind the scenes to make the schedule happen for several trades. With so many moving pieces, they are truly the hardworking backbone of every home-building project. You’ll see progress regularly. Be sure to check in often with your Project Manager and complete your homeowner responsibilities on time.
Siding, Windows, Exterior Doors & Painting
The exterior components of your home provide beautiful curb appeal and protect your large investment from the outside weather elements. Our team will manage and schedule the installation of the Siding, Windows & Exterior Doors. At the same time, it is a homeowner’s responsibility to paint the home. Depending on the size and number of stories, this could take several days.
6. Preparing for Interior Finishes
During this phase, moisture control is very important during the construction of your dream home. The PNW has an abundance of moisture which can be problematic for the wood. Your Project Manager will take moisture readings regularly to determine when the home is healthy enough to move to the next phase. As soon as you are able, you will need to take measures to dry the home out and maintain a low level of moisture. Typically, all that is necessary are high-velocity fans and possibly a dehumidifier which can easily be rented or purchased.
Rough-in Electric & Plumbing, the Heating Elements & Preparing for Final Utilities
Although rough-in electrical & plumbing and the heating elements may not be the prettiest, the stage will be set for all the beautiful finishing details. The location of sinks, tubs, showers, and outlets become evident by the strategically placed pipes and wires. Your project manager will communicate the time periods that the home site will need to be especially clean to move to the next phase. Remember the importance of a clean & safe project site. As the rough-in utility phase is wrapping up, you’ll schedule the permanent connections.
Pro-Tip: Start hunting for your preferred appliances early to find a great deal and make sure they are ready to be installed.
Shell & Super Shell Home
HiLine’s Shell program is for those who want to be more deeply involved in their project. Being a part of making everything come to life is part of the adventure of home building. There are two shell options to choose from:
- Shell – With the Shell Package, we’ll get you started with a foundation, framing, roofing, siding, windows, exterior doors and interior framing. After that you can finish your home the way you want.
- Super Shell – The Super Shell package includes everything in the Shell package as well as: rough plumbing, rough electrical, insulation, and sheetrock finished and textured.
7. Insulation & Drywall Are Up Next
Don’t forget to take a moment and reminisce about how far you have come in your home-building journey. Your property was recently an excavated site waiting for a dwelling, and now you’ll be able to visualize furniture placement and hosting your first family gathering easily. This phase is also filled with lots of drywall dust and some cleaning, but the project will soon be wrapping up, and the beautiful details that make your house a home are next.
Insulation, Drywall & Texture
Your home’s insulation will help keep you comfortable during weather fluctuations. Once the insulation is installed, seemingly overnight, your drywall is hung, taped, and then textured. Then you can personalize your home with your carefully selected paint colors.
8. The Final Details that Make Your Home Unique
Your home’s final touches are coming together, and the end of the journey is in sight. All your hard work and planning to build a house and investment that you can proudly call home is almost complete.
Flooring, Cabinets, Countertops, Interior Doors & Trim
Much earlier in your home building journey, you had many choices to make, now those selections are ready to be installed, and you can finally experience what you envisioned. It is a thrilling time. As each day passes, flooring, cabinets & doors, and trim installation will change the feeling and enhance your home’s ambiance.
Final Utility Fixtures
It is interesting to experience all the details to wrap up installing the electrical and plumbing. The mirrors, shower doors, and sinks, including the many outlets and switches, prepare for your move-in date.
9. Homeowner Walk Through & Prepare for Moving
While the final details are exciting, make sure you are ready for your occupancy permit. The building inspector will visit your site to make sure it is properly prepared for your family to move in. For example, a couple of common items to remember are any utility trenches will need to be covered, and the approach to your home will need to be according to their guidelines.
Final Walk-Through
This is an exciting time for everyone. Your home is substantially complete, and we want to make sure it meets our strict quality control standards. As you walk through the home with your Project Manager, we will note anything that needs to be corrected. Then the Project Manager will have the particular trade follow up on the correction promptly.
Pro-tip: Stay on top of your homeowner’s responsibilities to sync with HiLines Home’s final building inspection for a smooth completion.
10. Welcome Home!
We are proud of every HiLine Home and want to know that our homeowners are pleased with their purchase. If you find something after the walk-through that needs correction, please contact us directly as part of our limited warranty program. The satisfaction of building your dream home is an immense accomplishment, and it makes moving day only that much sweeter. To increase the enjoyment, many of our clients move in with sweat equity which puts you in a solid financial position.
The HiLine Homes Experience
For over 25 years, HiLine has been assisting families in attaining the dream of homeownership with the possibility of acquiring sweat equity. We have successfully used the “on your lot” building program to develop our construction process to streamline building your dream home. Whether you already own a piece of land or you’re currently searching for the perfect lot, HiLine Homes is on your side with experts to guide you every step of the way.
Connect with a Home Consultant in your Area to Start your Home Building Journey
For general questions or to contact us, please fill out this form. Thank you!
Contractor Licenses:
Washington - HILINH*769J3, HILINH*845D3, HILINHT841JA
Oregon - CCB# 250229, 181069, 181652, 210297
California - 1001720
Idaho - #RCE-50728
Elevations & Images shown may reflect artists interpretation and/or optional features and may not represent the finished product. Plan numbers indicate approximate square footage of living space. Builder reserves the right to change specifications and price without notice or obligation.