When building a new house or renovating, creating a timeline will allow you to keep your project on schedule. There are often many different mistakes that are made with the process due to lack of experience. If you want to create an accurate design and construction timeline to make for a successful process, there are a few important steps to take.
Conduct Research
Many people forget to include the research that they’ll be doing in their timeline, which can affect when the project is complete. Browsing magazines and gathering ideas can be time-consuming when deciding style and materials. An inspiration board puts all your ideas in one place and may be passed to your designer. You’ll need an average of one month to collect different photos. This will allow yourself to change your mind before settling on a specific style or look for each room.
Get Building Permits
Building permits can take a significant amount of time to obtain. Permits are required when you’re starting construction on the property. Larger projects like adding a new room or converting the attic into a room will require permits.
Building the Timeline
An important part of building a timeline is obtaining certain materials and products that may not be immediately available. It can often take several months until certain contractors are available and have time in their schedule to begin the work. There may also be wait times for materials to arrive at your front door.
The Design Process
Designing the home needs two to six months to be completed with two months required for each room that you’re working on throughout the process. It will take one week to one month to call different city departments and consult on-site with various experts. An additional one to three months is needed to communicate with your designer and review all of the images together to ensure that the professional understands your vision. Add an extra two weeks to three months to the timeline to shop for everything that you’ll need, which will include all of the finishes, furniture, and materials.
The Construction Timeline
Expect to wait four to six weeks for all of your materials to arrive after you put the order in. Materials from overseas may take 12 to 16 weeks. Don’t assume that you’ll complete everything in one month while waiting for the products to arrive. This will lead to disappointment when you realize that there will be delays. One to six months is needed to deliver the products and one to six months should also be included in the timeline to begin working on the home when breaking down walls or adding new plumbing fixtures.
Add a Buffer Timeline
Add at least two months of a buffer to your timeline for delays and emergencies that can occur during the process. The extra buffer will prevent you from rushing the process or encountering complications if you expect to move in at a sooner date.