How Long Does It Take to Build a House? (Detailed House Building Timeline 2024)

Tiny houses are increasing in popularity. According to a recent survey by HomeAdvisor, over 86% of Americans say they would live in a tiny home. These houses are only about 100 to 400 square feet in size and usually take 3–4 months to build. But professionals (like the ones on the show Tiny House Nation) can reduce this timeline to around two months.

Town homes are terraced buildings(so you have direct next-door neighbours you can reach by banging on the way—not that we condone this mode of communication).

These structures are built in a row and span a few or even several homes. Town homes can be built as one unit. But they’re commonly built-in groups, with the most common group size being four. And since they share walls with next-door buildings, they can take lesser time to build than traditional homes. The approximate building timeline would be 6–10 months.

Cob homes are unique structures made from straw, clay, and soil (picture a building straight out of “The Hobbit’s” Bag End). These environment and pocket-friendly homes are labor-intensive. They usually take upwards of 15 months to build.

Traditional homes are built on-site. Prefab or modular houses are built from components constructed in a factory and transported to the site. So it’s basically like building a house with giant Lego blocks.

So, how long does it take to build a modular house? Most prefab homes can be built in 4–6 months from start to finish, much faster than traditional homes.

The 2022 Manufactured Housing Survey pointed out that the demand for manufactured homes increased when home buyers had lesser access to mortgage loans. This is because prefab homes are cheaper to build.

We mentioned earlier that the US Census data suggests that over 1,564 million building permits were issued in just September 2022.

So, what are these building permits, and how can they lead to delays? A building permit is a legal authorization, granted by the government or regulatory bodies, to construct a building. A permit helps prevent future demolitions, or shutdowns, in case your house doesn’t meet the regulatory standards.

But obtaining these permits can be very time-consuming. This can be because of an overworked inspector, excessive paperwork, or certain restrictions caused by local regulations. It’s vital to expect potential delays in this area and plan accordingly.

Your engagement with local authorities doesn’t end after you get a building permit. Inspectors will review your home once it’s built.

Often, they find issues that may need you to rework some bits of your home. Apart from an apparent delay, this gives rise to another hurdle. You’ll have to reschedule the crew working on those particular parts of your home.

This could be the framing contractor, roofing company, electrical company, and more. There’s a chance that your construction team has moved on to another project by the time the inspector finds the irregularities. This can set you back significantly on your building timeline.

Where you decide to build your dream house can greatly impact its building timeline. For instance, building in northern regions of the US can take more time than in southern areas because of the weather.

Freezing weather can cause delays in building steps such as curing the foundation, roofing, painting, installing sewer lines, and more. There are also certain environmental concerns you must take into account. A prime example of this is natural disasters and how they impact your building process.

Let’s say you’re planning on constructing your home in Louisiana. One cannot help but think about the devastating effects of Hurricane Ida in 2021.CoreLogic reports that the category four hurricane caused a $75 billion loss in property damage.

Newly built homes in this region must be hurricane-proof. And this process can involve multiple precautions, including installing impact-resistant doors, laminated windows, storm-resistant windows, hurricane shutters, and more. All of this will inevitably delay your building timeline.

Most steps involved in home construction require licensed and experienced workers. You may face scenarios where these workers are unavailable to work on your project.

This issue can happen during busy building times of the year, temporarily delaying your timeline to build a house.

This one may seem obvious, but it’s one of the most common reasons for construction delays. Indecisive owners tend to make things difficult for themselves by:

• Changing construction plans halfway through a build.

• Altering building material choices.

• Postponing key design decisions until the last minute, and more.

All components involved in the construction of a house are interrelated. This is why it’s key to have a realistic plan of action.

But how do you go about it? Jon Sanborn, San Diego Realtor and co-owner of SD House Guys , says,

Start by creating a detailed project schedule. This schedule should include milestones for each phase of the project, as well as deadlines for major tasks. Make sure that you have a clear understanding of the construction process. This will help you identify potential problem areas and plan accordingly.

Jon Sanborn San Diego Realtor and co-owner of SD House Guys

Knowing what you’re working with financially is wise before you start building your house. A mortgage pre-approval is a great way to establish your budget, so you know what you can afford.

This way, you won’t be swayed by tempting new home features and upgrades. Of course, you won’t be able to lock in your interest rate until the building is complete, since that’s when the loan will go through. But you can still be assured that you’ll be covered when the time comes.

Another key tip to avoid construction delays is to work with a reputable contractor. A reputed contractor will have tons of experience completing projects on time and within budget. They’ll also provide you with a realistic timeline for building a house, so you can plan accordingly.

Rebuilding a house can be a great option for someone looking to beautify their space or make it more functional.

According to Statista, remodelling expenditure in the United States amounted to $353 billion in the first quarter of 2021. Here’s a quick look at how long it takes to rebuild or renovate a house.

Source: Legal Eagle Contractors

Your credit score records how you’ve handled debt in the past. This is why it is important when buying or building a house. The higher your credit score, the lower the mortgage interest rate you’ll qualify for.

This makes your home-building process more affordable. Here’s how much credit score you’ll need to qualify for different loans.

If you have a blank credit history (or a credit score of 0), it could take you as little as a few months. As long as you keep making on-time payments, you should be able to build your credit score quickly.

Note that credit utilization rate and what you’re paying will play a role here.

But what if you have bad credit? If you have bad credit due to non-payment or debt in collections, it may take you much longer to build your credit score. This is because collections, late payments, and bankruptcy, can all last on your credit report for 7–10 years.

Related: How Long Does It Take To Get A 700 Credit Score From 0?

A 2020 housing economics study by the NAHB showed that the average new home uses 24 subcontractors from start to finish. 69% of builders use between 11 and 30 subcontractors to build the average single-family home.

There are pros and cons to building a new house. Some of the advantages are as follows:

• Building a house from the ground up can be a more valuable real estate investment, as it lets you implement stylistic choices currently popular in the market.

• You can choose to build in safer locations.

• Building gives you more power to customize the house to fit your needs.

However, building from scratch also has a few limitations.

• The construction process comes with unforeseen expenses.

• Depending on the delays you encounter, you may be building for a long time.

• Getting the right building permits can be frustrating and time-consuming.

Whether building a home is worth the wait depends on your situation and priorities. We recommend you build a house if your top priorities are customization and avoiding costly repairs.