Considering Building Your Home? Here Are All The Stages You’ll Go Through

I think I started when I was about eight or nine when I painted my bedroom wall gold. A gold metallic paint. Which, by the way, in the fifties was not easy to find. It was not easy to find gold metallic paint. And also, I could not go to Amazon. I could not go on the internet and find it. I had to really search and get somebody to take me to a hardware store. And everyone thought I was very strange.

I was actually probably eleven or twelve. I did it when she didn’t know. I had the paint and everything, and I painted a little bit at a time. She came in my room, and I would distract her. Let me tell you something: it is not easy to cover gold metallic paint. When somebody moves in and you sell, it is not easy. I will tell you that.

I always had that, and I still do. When I go into somebody’s home, I sit there and I think of ways to change it. If I go into a hotel room, I like to change it. It is something in my mind that I cannot stop.

That is why the finish stage of building a home is exciting to me. But the pretty decisions come after plans, permits, site work, a foundation, framing, and all the systems nobody photographs. Here is the order, along with the decisions I would slow down for.

Stage 1: Land, plans, permits, and the way you want to live

Before construction begins, the lot, floor plan, engineering, specifications, and permits have to be settled. This is the least dramatic stage and one of the most important. A change made on paper is usually simpler than a change made after framing.

I like bright. I like natural light. That is a must. My mood changes when I am in a dark space. Now, when I say dark space, if I am in a cute little quaint pub, a restaurant that has great chandeliers and candles, I am fine with that. But I like lots of windows, lots of light. I do not want to be in a space that does not have that, that does not seem bright.

I would say eclectic. I like a mix. Right now I am looking for a cool vintage piece from the sixties or seventies—a conversation piece for the living room that adds more warmth.

I am not a beige girl. But beige with fantastic artwork and accessories is a whole different thing. That can be a clean look, especially with black and white details and fresh flowers for color. It just has to be done in the right way.

You do not have to share my taste. You do need to decide how you use rooms, where you want light, what you want to see when you walk in, and which choices matter enough to put into the plans and specifications.

Stage 2: Site work and foundation

The property is cleared, graded, and prepared for utilities. Then come footings and the foundation, with inspections along the way. This part can look slow because the house has not risen out of the ground, but drainage, elevation, soil conditions, and the foundation affect everything built above them.

It is one thing to come visit Miami Beach. It is another thing to live here. Property taxes are a bit higher. Once you live on the beach, you get used to it, and most people who move here have come down often. It is a very easy city to become familiar with quickly.

You are at the beach. It is a flood zone. You have to realize that you are carrying flood insurance, especially if you have a place within a certain distance of the water. That does not make it a hard sell, but it does mean elevation, drainage, flood requirements, wind protection, and insurance questions belong near the beginning of a South Florida project.

Stage 3: Framing, the roof, and the real scale of every room

During framing, the rooms finally appear. Walk the house while the walls are open. Take photographs. Compare the openings and room sizes with the plan. If a wall, doorway, or window feels wrong, this is the time to say something.

When somebody owns a house and has been there twenty-five years, and they have done nothing in twenty-five years, you are selling as is. It is a gut job, unless somebody has the same exact taste that you had twenty-five years ago.

Buying a fixer-upper today is much harder than it was even ten years ago, especially in South Florida. If a kitchen once took eight to twelve weeks, expect roughly twice that—and sometimes longer.

As far as a buyer, know that. If you go into some place that is a good price, and of course it is reflected because it needs work, make sure you take all that into consideration with your funds, with your budget, and get prices. Before you sign on the dotted line, I would bring in a GC and say, what is this going to cost?

Buyers are already buying high. They are paying high interest rates, plus your taxes, and then you are going to be paying triple of maybe what you thought you were going to do to fix it up. You need to be more educated as a buyer. If you are going and paying top dollar for something totally done, what you see is what you are going to get.

A new build has a different contract and schedule, but the warning is the same: use real bids and real allowances. Do not build a budget from the best-case delivery date or the least expensive sample in a showroom.

Stage 4: Plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, and insulation

The plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, low-voltage wiring, and insulation go in before the walls close. Confirm where outlets, switches, shutoffs, panels, equipment, and vents will be. Think about where devices charge, where lamps stand, and whether the air conditioning plan matches the way the rooms will be used.

This stage produces fewer beautiful photographs than framing or cabinets, but it is much harder to change later. Walk it with the plans and ask questions before drywall.

Stage 5: Drywall, cabinets, floors, and finishes

Once the drywall is up, the house begins to feel finished. Cabinets, counters, tile, flooring, paint, lighting, plumbing fixtures, appliances, and hardware follow. This is where one upgrade repeated across many rooms can test the budget.

When you own a house, if you are buying something with the intent of not staying there forever, try to keep it in mind, but be happy. In your color choices, do what you want to do. In your kitchen or whatever, you can stick with the white cabinets, and you do your backsplash. Do what you want to do to be happy.

When you are getting ready to show your place, make sure everything is minimal. Clean your counters up. Do not be stacking your appliances. We do not need to see every appliance that you own on top of your cupboard, because it is too confusing. Hide everything. Put it in storage, whatever, but anything you do not need, keep it clean. When somebody comes in and sees clutter, the buyer gets turned off.

That is also something to solve while you are planning a new house. Decide where the appliances, chargers, cleaning supplies, serving pieces, and ordinary things will live. A kitchen can have beautiful cabinets and still feel crowded if nothing has a real place.

The gold wall made me happy. It was also very difficult to cover. That is a pretty good way to think about finishes: enjoy the home you are building, and understand which decisions will be expensive for you—or someone else—to undo.

Stage 6: The punch list, final inspection, and keys

At the end, walk the house slowly and document anything incomplete, damaged, crooked, loose, or not working. Open doors and drawers. Run the faucets. Test switches and appliances. Look at paint and tile in daylight. Confirm that the builder has completed the agreed work before closing.

Before listing, if I am going in for a listing, I would go through the place and say, okay, this needs to be fixed, this needs to be addressed. Let us get a handyman in here. It is worth it. Get a handyman in here and go through this, because you want to sell and there are things here that are jumping out.

Look at handles that are loose on your cupboards or a refrigerator, just simple things that your eye catches. If there is a broken chair, or a shower that is disgustingly dirty, or your bathtub is dirty, walk through every room. Write down everything that should be addressed and either hire somebody to address it, a housekeeper or handyman or whatever. I do not care if you are paying three to five hundred dollars. In the long run, you are going to get your price.

That habit works just as well before accepting a new home. Write the punch list down. Photograph it. Keep the promises and completion dates in one place.

The whole build at a glance

1. Land, plans, and permits: Finalize the lot, layout, engineering, budget, specifications, and approvals.
2. Site work and foundation: Clear and grade the property, prepare utilities, build the foundation, and complete the required inspections.
3. Framing and roof: Create the structure, close in the house, and correct layout problems while changes are still possible.
4. Mechanical systems: Install plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, insulation, and wiring before the walls close.
5. Drywall and finishes: Add cabinets, counters, floors, tile, paint, fixtures, appliances, and the details that make the house yours.
6. Punch list and closing: Inspect carefully, document incomplete items, confirm approvals, and accept the house when the agreed work is finished.

Building a home is not one long construction event. It is a series of decisions, inspections, waiting periods, deliveries, and corrections. Know which stage you are in, keep a written record, and ask while the answer can still change the result.

Why I still like helping people through it

I feel you have got to like people. You have got to like to really get involved in what they need, what they want, and what they can afford. I like that. It is kind of like a puzzle, and you have got to put the pieces together.

There are going to be nice people, great people that you want to stay friends with, and then there are going to be the tough ones that you just cannot wait until the day of closing. But that does not really happen that often.

Thinking about building, renovating, or deciding whether an existing home would be easier? Tell me what you are considering. I will help you look at the exciting parts and the inconvenient ones before you sign anything.