Our Process
Building a new home, undertaking a renovation or adding a new section to your home can be exciting and, at times, overwhelming. But with the South Pointe team by your side from concept to completion, watching as your project takes shape can be a fun process. By taking a team approach, we find that transparency, collaboration and open communication are crucial to delivering the highest quality and most innovative solutions to make your home a source of comfort and pride for your whole family.
Initial Meeting
This first meeting, sometimes referred to as the “discovery phase,” entails sitting down with our team to determine what your needs are regarding the size, location and style of home as well as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms and other requirements. Our architectural designer uses this information to create a plan that fits both your needs and your budget.
Financing Discussions
After we’ve identified your requirements, we’ll begin to discuss financing options. This step is necessary to determine whether you’ll be using your own financing company, one of our lending partners or another option. This will help us to create a realistic project budget to ensure you receive as many of your wishlist items as possible.
Land Acquisition
If you’ve not yet acquired a lot for your build, we’re able to assist you in finding the perfect piece of land based on your budget and location preferences. If you’ve chosen to work with your own real estate agent, they’ll initiate and facilitate this process.
Design
This is when the fun begins. You’ll have the opportunity to sit with our designer to begin crafting a preliminary plan for your home. Using information from a survey of your lot, we’ll begin by identifying how much of the land will be used for the house. Then, we’ll discuss layout, elevations, room sizes, and features from your wishlist. This step can take some time, but it’s crucial to nail down all the necessary details in order for the build process to go smoothly.
Selection of Finishes
Since your home, remodel or addition is customized to your specifications, you have much more say in what finishes, fixtures and hardware are used. You’ll be able to select your finishes – flooring, cabinetry, paint and more – over a specified period of time, as it can prove to be overwhelming to try and choose them all at once.
Engineering
Once we’ve produced a plan and you’ve approved it, it will go to our structural engineer to be reviewed. Once the engineer has approved the plans, we can go ahead and begin pulling permits from the county building code compliance board. The process of obtaining the necessary permits can be excruciatingly long, but it’s a legal process that cannot be circumvented. The good news is that some of the sitework may be able to be done during this time.
Construction
Finally, shovels meet dirt. Our team’s skill and professionalism are well-known in Orange County for making the building process as hassle-free as possible. To support this, all of our projects are organized and tracked using an online tool called BuilderTrend. This software-as-a-service helps us stay on schedule, easily communicate with our subcontractors, and push the project forward with far fewer delays than pre-software days. It also allows you to log in and track the progress of your project.
During this phase, your chosen finishes and materials will be ordered and delivered to the jobsite, and at least two, but often three, inspections are performed to ensure code compliance, quality and safety of the structure. These inspections generally take place after the foundation pour, once framing is complete, and before you move in to ensure that all electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems are properly installed.
Handoff
With construction complete and inspections performed, we’ll do a final walkthrough with you to ensure everything is to your satisfaction, go over the care and operation of household appliances, and review the warranty terms once again to verify that all your questions are answered sufficiently. Now, you’ll receive the keys and are free to move in at your convenience. Don’t worry – we’ll remain accessible for the first year in case you need anything.
Questions? Contact us to get the answers you need to put your mind at ease.