The stages of a new build, start to finish

People usually arrive at a first meeting with a picture of the finished house and very little sense of what happens between now and then. Knowing the order of the stages makes the whole thing less opaque, and it makes it much easier to tell whether a project is actually on track.

1. Feasibility and site

Before any design work is worth paying for, two questions need answering: what does the district plan allow on this site, and what is the ground like.

Site coverage, height limits, boundary setbacks and access all shape what can be built. Ground conditions shape what it costs to build it. A sloping site, poor soil or a high water table can move the foundation cost significantly, and it is far better to know that before the design is finished than after.

2. Concept design

This is where the house takes shape: how the spaces work, where the light comes from, how it sits on the site. It is deliberately loose, because this is the cheapest point at which to change your mind.

A useful concept stage ends with a plan you are happy with and a realistic sense of what it will cost to build. Those two things need to arrive together. A beautiful design that is well beyond budget is not a design, it is a delay.

3. Developed design and pricing

The concept gets resolved into something buildable: structure, services, materials, the details that determine both how the house performs and what it costs.

This is the stage where a builder's input earns its keep. Decisions made here are what get priced, and small changes in buildability can make a material difference to the final number.

4. Consent

The documentation is assembled and lodged with the council. Councils work to a statutory clock of 20 working days, but that clock stops whenever they ask for more information, so the real elapsed time depends heavily on how complete the application was.

Depending on the site you may need resource consent as well, which runs on its own track and its own timeframe.

5. Contract

Scope, price, programme and the process for handling variations all get agreed in writing. Residential work above a set value legally requires a written contract, along with a disclosure statement and a checklist.

Read the variation clause properly. Something will change during the build, on essentially every project, and how changes are priced and approved is the part of the contract you will actually use.

6. Site works and foundations

Clearing, earthworks, services, then foundations. The council inspects before the foundation is closed up.

This stage is the one most exposed to weather and to surprises in the ground, which is why the geotechnical work at stage one matters so much.

7. Framing, roof and closing in

The frame goes up, the roof goes on, and the building is made weathertight. Progress looks dramatic here, which is worth knowing, because the next stage looks like nothing is happening while a great deal is.

Framing is inspected before it is lined.

8. Services and interior fit-out

Electrical, plumbing, insulation, linings, then the long tail of joinery, tiling, flooring, painting and fixtures.

This is the longest stage on most builds and the one where client decisions cause the most delay. Selections made early and left alone keep a programme intact. Selections revisited in week twenty do not.

9. Completion and CCC

Final inspections, the defects list worked through, and the council's Code Compliance Certificate issued. The CCC is the document confirming the finished building matches the consent, and you will need it when the house is sold, insured or refinanced.

10. After you move in

There is a 12-month defect repair period on residential building work, during which a notified defect sits with the builder to resolve. Keep your documentation together: the consent, the Records of Work, the CCC, the warranties and the maintenance requirements.

How long all of this takes

It varies more than anyone wants it to. Design and consent commonly take longer than people expect and construction is more predictable than they fear. The variables that move a programme most are site complexity, how quickly information and decisions come back, and weather.

Any builder who gives you a precise total before seeing your site and your drawings is guessing.

This is a general outline. Every site and every project differs, and statutory requirements change. Confirm the current process with your council and your own professional team.