Our Process

The first step in the home-building process is to pick your property and customize your home model.

• Conduct a land survey: A land survey may be required if building a home on your own private lot. Land surveyors provide us an up-to-date depiction of your property lines and perimeters necessary to start a lawful construction process.
• Select a floorplan: With over 90 template floorplans available, you're assured a home whose design, square footage, yard, amenities and bedroom and bathroom amounts fit your family's demands.
• Pick upgrades: All of our home floorplans come with dozens of customizable home features. That means you have a catalog of home palettes, finishes, tweaks and architectural upgrades hand-selected to create the home of your dreams.
• Draft the contract: You and your agent will prepare, finalize and complete all the necessary new home building contracts, such as materials and your full specifications sheet.
• Pay the deposit: Pay your property deposit, then watch us get to work!

SK Builders creates homes on existing lots in our own 30 existing residential communities, plus can build homes on your pre-owned lot.

In phase two of the build process, we ensure all your home's planning T's have been crossed and I's have been dotted before starting formal construction.

• Review site plan with us: Site plans are your formal architectural and plot documents detailing the final vision for your property. Think of it as the blueprint to your home, which you can review on your own and with our representatives to ensure the final vision matches your complete needs and expectations.
• Final building and materials check: Our team will conduct thorough building materials inspections before and during all phases of construction, ensuring products and materials match home specs and arrive on-site in peak condition.

Early stage construction prepares your lot for the actual home structure. Here's what to expect on your property as this stage:

• Earthmoving and excavation: Earthmoving and excavation properly clear your home's site. Then we cut, dig, level and lay foundation footings that will support the entirety of your home.
• Foundation: As the bedrock of your home, foundation activities can include pouring the footing, laying block and pouring walls, waterproofing and backfilling.
• Site plumbing, drainage and utilities preparation: We prepare the property for new water, gas, sewage and electricity lines and pipes, among other miscellaneous utilities.
• Driveway and garage: Early construction also includes prepping the garage site, including its concrete slabbing and pre-wiring electrical components.
  

Home framing provides the essential scaffold for your custom home. We begin the home-framing process by sourcing and inspecting all materials outlined in the spec sheet, particularly checking timber for moisture-resistance and similar preservation treatments. Then, we get to work putting together your home's frame.

• Basement beams and walls: These will be the first frames installed on your home's site after we've re-inspected foundation levels, angles and squares.
• First-floor scaffolding: We construct the supportive frames on your home's ground floor according to subfloors, walls and partition design specs.
• Second-floor scaffolding: We install subfloor, wall and partition frames on the home's second floor.
• Roof frame: We build your foundational roof frame. This includes the central supportive trusses and rafters, followed by sheathing and insulation felt to insulate your home's rooftop.
• Sheathing: We apply durable boards and panels to all wall, floor and roof scaffolding. This is the first of many strengthening and insulating layers that will make up the inside and outside of your home, and also the point where the home will begin to take shape, not just be a set of skeletal wooden beams.
• Doors and windows: We source and install exterior doors and windows into your home's framing. We offer popular features like arched doorways and french doors.
• Masonry and siding: Masonry installation includes exterior walls and trims as well as fireplace scaffolding and any other decorative stone or brick features picked for your home. Siding installation includes any necessary staining and treatment of each beam as well as its application. Many masonry and siding options are available as upgrades in our design center. These elements are a signature way to put your fingerprint on your home's final look.
• Roofing: Roofing is installed once all relevant scaffolding components have been constructed and inspected. This includes shingles placement, which concludes the home framing step and finalizes the outer shell of your new home.

At this stage, your home's build process is roughly halfway over.

With the majority of a home's structural and shell components installed, our team gets to work safely integrating its mechanical systems, utility pipes and lines. This is a multi-step process involving our network of vetted subcontractors. We liaise between all plumbers, electricians and HVAC specialists to ensure these utilities are integrated into your new home safely and function at top-quality. Think appropriate water pressure on faucets, energy-efficient lighting and HVAC units and no lag times between turning things "on" and "off."

Safely installing utility components into your new home involves a few steps:

• Rough-in staging: Each of your home's major utility systems will require a rough-in. Rough-ins are when all system components are surveyed and set up on-site but not yet connected. Rough-ins will preview materials such plastic and copper pipes for plumbing, ductwork for HVAC and wiring for electric outlets and switches before these materials are officially installed, saving you money if issues arise.
• Rough-in inspection: A building inspector approves all rough-ins. These professionals come on-site to review electrical wiring, plumbing pipes and HVAC components, then give the green light for their installation.
• Installation: On average, utility system installation takes between five days and two weeks depending on subcontractor activity, inspection approval timelines and material delivery speeds. The fewer problems encountered on and off-site, the quicker this stage gets done. While we aim for speed, we never confuse expediency with quality.
• Insulation: Home insulation will generally occur around the same time as utilities are being installed in your new home.

Stage Six comprises putting all finishing touches on your home's exterior envelope. This paves the way for us to dive into final-stage interior work.

Most excitingly, at this point in the build process, your house will begin to look just like that — a home. Even better, it will start including those eye-catching aesthetic and decorative touches that add charm and personality to the space, reminding you of the beautiful floorplan you customized a few months ago.

• Painting: Outdoor painting will occur on relevant walls, boards and home accents, then protected against wear with weather-resistant treatments.
• Garage door: Your garage door will be inspected and installed, then tested to ensure functionality with your home's electrical system.
• Gutters: Home gutter systems will be placed and tested for proper water flows.
• Landscaping: Both your home's hardscaping and softscaping features will be added. These include but aren't limited to patios, decks, walkways, flowerbeds and greenery. Once these are checked off, the exterior of your home will be all but complete — and quite the sight!

At Stage Seven, our team now pivots to focus on your home's interior.

Rooms and room components are finalized, fitted and finished to be move-in ready.

• Internal drywall and wall coverings: Your home's drywall will be installed and sanded until smoothly finished.
• Painting, wallpaper, wall trim and molding: After sanding your walls smooth, we apply multiple layers of premium paints to bring color and life to your rooms. Crown molding is added, giving your rooms that elevated and sophisticated touch.
• Cabinetry and countertops: Kitchen and bathroom cabinetry are installed, matching the specs customized in Stage One. Countertops are brought in and fitted to relevant surfaces.
• Flooring: All flooring is installed, including hardwood, carpet, tile and vinyl.
• Interior doors: Individual room doors and door frames are installed, smoothed and trimmed, with relevant hardware attached.
• Fireplace: Interior fireplace components are installed and tested, ensuring safe ventilation and temperature control as well as proper utility hook-up if the unit is gas or electric.
• Appliances: All household appliances are delivered and placed according to room design specs.

Inside and out, your home is nearly complete. After months of work, it now contains all the components that transform a raw house into a home.

Every feature will be inspected one last time, assuring everything from the architectural to the aesthetic are safe and move-in ready. Local building inspectors perform the bulk of these final examinations, issuing a Certificate of Occupancy after their approval. Those inspectors — as well as our own internal team — will review the unit for the following:

• Safe utilities: We make sure the electrical, plumbing, sewage and HVAC applications are running as they should, including maintaining appropriate noise levels, pressures and readings.
• Appliance functionality: Installed appliances should look and work perfectly, ready for use the day your family moves in. Appliance reviews inspect, dishwashers, ceiling fans and more.
• Windows and floors cleaned: We clean the dust, dirt and grime that naturally accumulate over the construction process. Your home should look like it jumped off the pages of a catalog, freshly cleaned and well presented.
• Paint and trim touched up: We touch up any paint nicks, scratches or miscolorings immediately.
• Fix miscellaneous nicks: We keep a sharp eye out for any small dings or signs of wear that may have struck over the busy final days of the build process.

Our team would be happy to take you through a pre-settlement walkthrough if desired. One last home tour gives you the chance to inspect the home personally. Look out for any issues or discrepancies, and ask questions regarding what you see — or don't see — in your home. That way, our knowledgeable construction crew can resolve problems before they wrap up on your site.

Congratulations! You're now the proud owner of a new, SK Builders home — one representing your tastes, your lifestyle and your family's needs, today and tomorrow.

We hope this guide has been instructive on the behind-the-scenes build process of constructing your custom home.

Home buying is one of the most important decisions you'll make in your life. It's also one of the most personal. Here at SK Builders and McAlister Realty, we understand the home build process can be stressful and, at times, confusing. We don't just build homes — we are building a way of life, committed to going above and beyond for the people who put their trust in our hands.

Browse our catalog of more than 90 home models available in our Upstate South Carolina communities as well as for your own lots. Let's begin building the place you're proud to call home.