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The Home-Buying Process


Home ownership is an exciting prospect, especially when you’re buying a home in paradise!

Capitol Homes is committed to guiding you through the process to ensure that you’re informed, comfortable and having a great experience.

Capitol Homes is here for you
every step of the way.

Our team can answer questions about the purchasing process, help you weigh your custom options, and walk you through financing. Capitol Homes has a team of licensed real estate sales associates who can assist you in the purchase of land, the sale of your current home and more.

Explore our model homes!

The Process

Welcome to Capitol Homes, and congratulations on your decision to build your dream home! Building a new home is a very exciting time, but we understand that it can also be overwhelming. To help put your mind at ease, we’ve outlined in detail the process we follow when building your custom home.

Phase I: Preconstruction
Phase II: Construction
Phase III: Project Handover

Knowing in advance what you can expect will help you feel better prepared going into the process. As always, we are here for you through the entire process.

Phases

INTRODUCTION

Your experience begins with an introduction to the real estate/sales agent who will be guiding you through the home building process, and if needed, help you select your parcel of land. This first meeting will include finding out what you’re looking for in a home as far as floor plan, features and customization. We’ll also be able to answer financing questions.

BUILDING LOT SELECTION

In order to design and build your custom, single family home, we need to either verify ownership of a lot on which to build or assist you in purchasing a suitable lot. Our sales team can help you select a suitable site for your new home with the right balance of location, amenities as well as other factors of your preference and budget. If you already own a lot, we will need to look over your documents carefully to ensure the size of home you select and the building foundation we use is appropriate for that lot. The sites shape, soil condition and size all need to be considered. We offer homes of various sizes and configurations and not every lot is correctly sized and shaped for the floorplan you select.

CONSTRUCTION AGREEMENT

Signing the construction agreement sets the entire process in motion. The plans you’ve discussed with your agent will be sent to the draftsman, complete with any customizations you’ve ordered. From contract signing to completion is approximately 18-24 months. Completion date will be affected by labor and material delays.

SURVEYING

After our office receives your signed contract and deposit, your survey is ordered and your plans (with any modifications you have requested) are sent off to the draftsman. Your preliminary floor plan will be created, and sent to you for your approval.

This survey has three parts: boundary, topographical and tree survey. This information will later be used to develop the site and foundation plans.

DETAIL SELECTION

About three to four weeks into the process, you’ll visit the Capitol Homes Design Center to choose your colors, fixtures and any other customizations you would like to include in your home. At this time, we’ll also have a copy of your personalized construction plans to review.

SITE PLAN

Next, the site engineer will lay the CAD file of the drafted plans over the survey and begin working on your site plan. Should you have a specific request for your home’s placement on the lot, you will be sent a preliminary site plan. This lets you see the placement of your home on your property before the plans are finalized.

TRUSS DESIGN

Now, your home plan is sent to the truss engineer, who develops a layout for your home’s trusses. When the truss layout is complete, it's sent to the draftsman, who continues to work with the structural engineer on your home’s plans.

ENERGY CALCULATIONS

To ensure the best energy efficiency for your home, your plans are sent to a specialist who will perform energy calculations and HVAC load sizing for your custom home. This step ensures that proper insulation will be used and the air conditioning unit is properly sized to the house.

FINAL TOUCHES

To complete the preconstruction stage, the draftsman works to put all the final touches on the plans. They include completing the electrical plan with your customizations, drawing the foundation plan to match the site plan elevations, and any other special changes that need to be taken into account before permitting.

CONSTRUCTION PERMITTING

With all of these tasks complete, the Engineer will review the construction plans. With their seal of approval, we are now ready to apply for your permit.

There are several departments at the county permitting office that must review your home’s packet. This stage can take time, which we understand can seem to drag, but legally, we MUST obtain the permit before beginning any work. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on when your permit is issued.

Depending on the level of workload by the local construction permitting authority, the time needed to receive the building permit can take up to 4 months

SITE CLEARING/LOT PREPARATION

Now that the building permit has been issued, your property needs to be cleared, graded and prepared for construction. This process typically begins with the removal of any trees or vegetation standing in the way of the home. Then, the utilities are run to the property in preparation for the foundation system.

FOUNDATION SELECTION

The foundation of your home needs to be properly selected for the site conditions of your lot. Depending on the elevation of your plot and other site conditions, our engineer will determine if a monolithic slab or a stem wall foundation is most appropriate for your new home. These options are: the monolithic slab foundation and the stem wall foundation.

The monolithic slab, also known as a "slab on grade" is the most economical option and used whenever possible. These are very strong foundations, reinforced with rebar and used when conditions are ideal and site conditions are firm and stable.

The "stem wall" is similar to the monolithic slab, and actually includes a slab but includes wide footings buried deeply in the ground. Stem walls are more complex and are used when additional elevation is needed for the home as it essentially is construction of a raised platform to place the elevated slab on which the home will be constructed.

MASONRY WALLS

The next step is the construction of the masonry walls. Florida homes are subject to hurricane force winds and by code, all new homes must be of masonry construction because of the strength of that material to stand up to high winds. Masonry Walls have many advantages, not just their strength. Their weight and rigidity offers the perfect base to strongly anchor the roof to the structure. They are constructed of concrete masonry units (CMUs) and fully filled with concrete (grouted) which provides for excellent sound insulation from outdoor noise. Moreover, masonry walls are extremely attractive and durable with their stucco coat and are absolutely maintenance free other than paint every twenty years or so. In that all exterior walls are concrete, there is little to fear from insects and critters damaging the exterior walls.

TRUSS PLACEMENT AND INTERIOR FRAMING

The trusses and interior framing are placed in such a way that they can support the weight of the roof, walls and ceiling. All the walls, even exterior facing walls have wooden framing. The wood framing of the house is the structure that defines the interior living space but also allows for plumbing, electrical and ventilation service.

ROOF DRY-IN

After framing, the roof is dried in. This is when the sheathing is installed over the truss system and the moisture barrier is attached in the form of a high performance underlayment. This layer is the true water barrier and lies permanently underneath the shingle or tile roof system. Getting the dry-in completed early in the process allows the work inside the home to proceed without fear of water damage during construction.

PLUMBING, MECHANICAL & ELECTRIC ROUGH-IN

With the roof dried in, we can start roughing in the mechanical, electrical and plumbing for the entire home.

The electrical rough-in involves the installation of all of the wiring that will be needed for lights, outlets and appliances. This includes putting in the main power line to the house as well as any other smaller lines needed for things like breaker boxes, outlets, and recessed lighting junction boxes.

The plumbing rough-in involves installing the pipes, vents and traps associated with both the fresh water supply and the sewage lines. Over the years, plumbing has evolved greatly and all Capitol Homes have Pex Plumbing, which is a higher performance and less expensive option over copper.

The mechanical rough-in includes installation of the HVAC system, which is responsible for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning for the home. Once the ductwork is in place, it will be connected to the HVAC system and tested to ensure that it is working properly.

With these tasks completed, the rough-in inspection can be scheduled.

WINDOWS AND EXTERIOR DOOR INSTALLATION

Now, the windows and exterior doors are installed. First, the rough openings for the windows and doors are prepared and the window or door unit is placed into the opening and secured. The unit is then sealed to keep out drafts and water.

INSULATION

All Capitol Homes include sprayed-in roof insulation with a radiant barrier to make the home energy efficient and quiet. When we have the windows and doors in place, we’ll move on to insulating the home.

DRYWALL AND EXTERIOR STUCCO

When we’re ready to install drywall throughout the home, you’ll have a chance to walk through your home with our project superintendent to see everything that goes on inside the walls. This is a great time to validate the placement of electrical outlets, switches and recessed lighting. You will want to take some photos to share from inside your partially constructed home. It is quite an experience to walk through for the first time and a day you will not soon forget! After your visit, we’ll hang the drywall throughout the house.

The process of applying stucco is quite simple but must be done carefully and with artistry. The home as noted above is of block construction so it is extremely rigid and strong - this makes it the perfect substrate for this textured and beautiful finish. Stucco is the perfect exterior finish as it looks great, has zero maintenance, and stands up well to Florida weather. The stucco is applied in multiple layers, then primed and painted to the color you select at your Design Center visit.

INTERIOR AND OTHER FINISHES

Interior finishes, which include drywall, flooring, countertops, paint, door knobs, light fixtures, and cabinet hardware, to name a few, are installed. The electrical, plumbing and HVAC crews come back at this stage and do most of their work for completion. Every Capitol Home has an automatic garage door opener that is installed during this time.

DRIVEWAY, FINAL GRADE & SOD

While we’re finishing the interior of the home, the exterior is also receiving its final treatments: topsoil, sod, landscaping and the driveway. This is indeed an exciting process and almost instantly transforms its appearance from a construction site into your new home!

FINAL HOME WALK THROUGH

We will show you where things are and how things work in your new home. If there are any items that are not completed, we will provide you with a "punch list" of items that remain in progress. Typically these are very small, inconsequential things and our superintendent will connect you with the subcontractor to allow for scheduling.

HANDOVER

You are now able to experience your completed home.

A packet with all your important paperwork is provided and keys are handed over. It contains important documents like your warranty information and a list of recommended service providers.

Finally, you get to transfer your home's utilities into your name. We can assist you with this process and put you in touch with the right people. It's important to do this as soon as possible so that you don't have any service delays, interruptions or other issues.

WARRANTY

We provide a one-year warranty on your new home. Our warranty is designed to put any worries to rest by covering your home's materials and workmanship for the first year of ownership.

OCCUPANCY FOLLOW-UP

30-DAY CHECK-IN

Roughly 30 days after you move in and have had a chance to get settled in, we like to call and check in with you to make sure you're happy in your new home.

11-MONTH CHECK-IN

We like to call and check in with our homeowners once more before your one-year anniversary.

Capitol makes it easier.

Capitol takes care of steps that other home builders leave to the homeowner. Buying a home doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful. We make it easier for you by handling all paperwork, permitting, fees and water/sewer connection.