Visiting the construction site of their new home is incredibly satisfying for homeowners, as they can watch builders move through the construction.
Naturally, homeowners want to monitor the progress of their dream home and make sure everything is perfect, but new owners need to remember that a construction site is a work zone with rules to protect workers and owners alike.
If you’re building your dream home, follow these tips for visiting the construction site to make sure you can check into your home without causing delays or safety issues.
1. Follow the rules
To ensure safety and avoid delays, construction sites have rules that everyone must follow. Before visiting the construction site of your new home, check with your builder about any rules or guidelines they may have about homeowners’ visits to the site.
“It’s a liability if the customer is on site without someone on our team,” says Amy Alexander, director of sales and marketing for Sublime Homes, an Indiana homebuilder. “The construction site is not a place to play. To be safe, (homebuyers) should contact a member of our team to schedule an appointment to go to the site with our builder or design director.”
Once you arrive at your home site, be sure to follow the instructions your builder has given you.
2. Make an appointment
Surprise visits to the construction site are never a good idea. Even if you want to conduct a random quality inspection, showing up unannounced at your home site will cause safety issues and delays. Make an appointment with your builder before visiting your construction site and make sure your builder knows how to wait for you.
Alexander says you can walk or drive around the site without setting foot on the site, but it’s still a good idea to make an appointment with your home builder. Making an appointment before visiting your construction site allows the construction team to allocate time for your tour, rather than rushing to stop work to show you the location. Alexander says builders have a lot of projects going on on any given day, but they want to spend time showing you around. Therefore, appointments are ideal to ensure that they can focus on you and your home during the appointment.
3. Be courteous to the manager
The person in charge of any construction project is very busy. Your manager is responsible for making sure everyone is safe on the construction site, that your home is built to the highest quality, and that the project is completed on time. When visiting the construction site of your new home, respect the fact that your foreman is in charge and knows more about building new homes than you do.
Don’t argue with your foreman on the construction site. However; If you have any questions or concerns about the construction process, don’t hesitate to ask.
4. Take photos and document everything
This is your dream home, so feel free to take pictures and document the construction process. Documentation helps you keep track of the construction process. You should also write down any questions you have or anything you want explained to you later.
If you want to keep daily or frequent tracking of your home construction, ask your builder if they offer other ways to “visit” the home site. Sublime Homes, for example, uses an online cloud construction management system to provide clients with real-time access to their project 24/7.
Called Builder Trend, “the program allows us to use a calendar to mark the construction schedule with our trades,” says Alexander. “For our customers, they can approve change orders, view documents, view daily photo updates, read warranty information, and view their selections.”
5. Stay safe
Construction areas are busy job sites that have risks that can be easily avoided. Above all, stay safe when visiting the construction site of your new home. Be sure to wear appropriate clothing, such as closed shoes, helmets that fit well, safety vest, and goggles. Stay alert and follow the instructions of your construction team so you can have an exciting visit to your new home.
“Don’t wear clothes that you’re worried will get dirty,” Alexander says. “Make sure you’re wearing sturdy shoes. In general, just be mindful of your surroundings and don’t touch or step where you’re not supposed to.”
As a homeowner, you can visit the construction site of your new home. Following these tips can help you make sure you see the progress made in your home without interfering with the builder.