Pre-construction is the initial planning phase of a construction project. Every construction project requires planning — a larger project, such as a custom home or whole home remodel especially needs organization and scheduling to run smoothly. The pre-construction process is designed to turn ideas into feasible plans.

However, the term pre-construction isn’t exactly descriptive, leaving many homeowners wondering, “What exactly happens in the pre-construction process?”

Pre-construction for Residential Home Building 

Residential home building projects can be structured in multiple different ways, and how the project is structured will impact how the pre-construction is conducted. We’ll focus on the two most typical types: Design-bid-build and design-build.

Design-bid-build is a traditional method of homebuilding. In this type of project, an architect designs a home, and then the general contractor takes those designs and receives bids from subcontractors to complete the work.

The pre-construction process in a design-bid-build job tends to rely more on estimates, allowances, and assumptions of cost and timing, as the project is managed in distinct steps, and work is often siloed.

Design-build combines this into a workflow where the general contractor works as a single point of contact to manage the architectural design process and the subcontractors. This gives homeowners a single point of contact and fosters collaboration within the team. The pre-construction process for a design-build can be more integrated into the design process, and the selections, scope, and comprehensive designs are all completed before construction begins. When done well, this creates a more thorough and accurate picture of scheduling and timeline.

What the Pre-construction Process Includes

A typical pre-construction process includes a review of project requirements, a schematic design that translates those requirements (and your vision) into an actionable plan, revisions, a detailed budget estimate, and construction documentation. These are all typical for the custom build planning process.

At White Maple Construction, we believe a more detailed pre-construction process makes our projects run smoother for clients planning a custom build in NJ.

In addition to all the above steps, we finalize all selections during the pre-construction phase. This includes finishes like flooring choices, tile, light fixtures, countertops, and more. This allows us to order long-lead time items, manage orders, and ensure material delays don’t threaten your construction timeline, as well as providing earlier knowledge of project costs.

We also hold meetings, like a review with the architect, pre-construction team, and project manager, as well as a client education session. These meetings foster collaboration and build trust and communication before construction starts.

Benefits of Pre-construction

A pre-construction process might seem like a lot of work before the real work even begins. But pre-construction serves an important purpose: to align your team, organize every detail, and set your project up for success. With a thorough and organized process, it provides major benefits for your construction process.

Less Preventable Delays

At the beginning of the project, the extra time spent planning the schedule results in time savings throughout the project. Many delays are entirely preventable, like ordering a long-lead time item well in advance. If you wait to make selections until construction has started, there’s a high chance materials won’t arrive on time. This either stalls construction or forces homeowners to settle for a different option.

Accurate Budget and Cost Savings

Before construction begins, we develop a comprehensive budget and timeline based on the project’s full scope, including all selections and specifications. For example: the choice of tile for a bathroom can impact the labor cost to install them significantly — specialty tiles can be 60% more than a simple subway pattern. Making all selections and developing detailed plans during pre-construction results in a highly-accurate budget.

Efficient Project Management

Pre-construction involves the homeowner, architect, selections coordinator, pre-construction manager, and project manager. This fosters a team environment and creates natural collaboration, which results in alignment before the project begins. In addition, having all experts together in the same room can uncover design gaps or issues that can be efficiently addressed before installation — like if a window needs to move a few inches in one direction to accommodate a fireplace.

Looking for More Details?

Planning to remodel or build new in New Jersey? White Maple Construction offers expert pre-construction services that lead to exceptional custom home results. Our custom homes and remodels in NJ benefit from a detailed process that saves weeks of time and up to 10% of your total construction cost.

Learn more about this service in our eBook Guide to Our Pre-construction Process: The White Maple Construction Design-Build Advantage.