I can count on home buyers asking a handful of common questions when we first meet. Everyone needs to know how long their house will take to complete so they can plan their lives around this important event.
My short answer is 4 to 5 months. The longer answer depends on some key variables:
- The weather and seasonal conditions
- Availability of labor
- Changes during construction
I’m defining the “building time” as starting from the day the building permit is issued until the day the certificate of occupancy is issued.
Too cold to work, not too cold to hunt.
It will be obvious to most people that a house started on May 1st is likely to be completed in fewer days than a house started on November 1st. Wet and cold weather will cause delays as you build into January and February, and if you can’t get foundation in the ground by the first of the year, you can be delayed weeks to a month.
Seasonally, Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday period always slow construction, not to mention the start of hunting season which is more effective than a “Stop Work Order” from the building inspector for shutting down a jobsite in this area. Other than the weather and the holidays, there are simply less hours of daylight through the winter months.
It’s 10:00am, where are your framers?
Nationally, the main cause of longer build times is a tight labor market. This is not so much the case locally where a ton of home builders are available, but there are times when the trades get busy and delays occur. I depend on a core group of trade partners that I have worked with for years, sometimes I have to wait for them to get to my job no matter how much pre-planning I do. It’s always worth the time to wait for the crew you want rather than settle for the crew you can get.
Shortages in the labor market occur in cycles and I can see the market tightening up as (or when) home building picks up in 2015. Good crews will be stretched thin as demand increases. It’s interesting that the largest recent construction labor shortage happened in the aftermath of the 2008 mortgage crisis. In 2009 build times were at a 40 year high due to tight labor. Many tradesmen left the construction industry after the 2008 Great Recession and never came back. See the chart below from a recent Wall Street Journal article.
Oh, I’d like to add a closet here.
Let me say up front that I really enjoy meeting with clients during the construction of their home to exchange ideas for improving the design of, and add features to their home. Sometimes these change orders cause delays. This is not a bad thing.
It’s always best to nail down all the details before construction begins, but sometimes we see things that could be improved once we start. We can’t always tell from the blueprints that a closet needs to be bigger or that this window would look better over here. Sometimes it just makes sense to go back and make changes.
In some cases, I may want to get one thing done before having the clients pick a color/style for something else. For example, it may help the buyers to see the roof shingles finished before picking the siding color, or it might be easier to narrow down the tile floor choices after the countertops are installed.
Short delays caused by upgrading features and selections are rarely regretted. You’ll be enjoying your expanded closet in the master long after you’ve forgotten you weren’t able to moved in till after Easter.
More questions about home building? Get in touch today.
Talk to you soon,
Steve
